Elaine Thompson Memorial Meet Kicks Off 2025 for the Clippers
Elaine Thompson Memorial Meet Kicks Off 2025 for the Clippers
Our Clippers athletes started 2025 with an impressive performance at the Elaine Thompson Memorial Meet in Orillia this past weekend. Our swimmers shaved off an incredible total of 2,480 seconds—over 41 minutes—from their combined times, giving them more time to enjoy hanging out with friends on the pool deck between events.
We had 46 athletes with top 8 finishes throughout the weekend. Congratulations to Mila Bandrowski, Karah Bechtel, Trent Bedard, Ashley Blakey, Hailey Brown, Reid Colekessian, Felix Cooper, Lydia Crespy, Niall Crespy, Xavier Desormeaux, Emmie Dixon, Maya Dunlop, Christian Ferreira, Brynn Geier, Ivrey Guarasci, Olivia Hardy, Jaxon Hilts, Arthur Hughes, Maeve Kaden, Austin Lakoseljac, Quinn Marmion Clark, Sasha Marsh, Allie McCrank, Paige McKinley, Alexander Meguerian, Andrew Meguerian, Nolan Moore, Harie Nirmalan, Liam Paterson, Connor Rohmann, Kai Ross, William Ross, Hayden Scott, Grayson Seymour, Emerson Silver, Rhys Silver, Aleah Stillitano Thomas, Catharine Sumner, Camryn Switzer, Seth Tangney, Henri Turenne, Thea Underwood, Alistair Wark, Rowan Wark, Abigail Wyant, and Grayson Wynn.
New Regional Qualifiers!
This meet was the last chance for athletes to qualify for the Short Course Regional Championships in Bracebridge next week and two Clippers rose to the occasion. Rowan Wark (10) and Harie Nirmalan (12….almost 13!) both secured their spots. Harie’s qualification is especially noteworthy as he will compete as a 13-year-old after celebrating his birthday just two days before the meet begins! Congrats boys!
Determination and Grit!
A number of Clippers stepped up to tackle new and challenging distance events for the first time this weekend. Abigail Wyant (10) swam the 400m freestyle, placing 4th with an impressive time of 8:18.14. The 200m breaststroke was braved for the first time by Aven Bagelman (13), Karah Bechtel (9), and Logan Sumner (11)—a feat that any swim parent knows is tough to watch, let alone swim! Camryn Switzer (12) made her debut in the 200m freestyle and the 200m IM, while Maeve Kaden (13) and Alex Meguerian (15) both finished solidly in their first ever 200m butterfly. Showing up and embracing the challenge of new and demanding events is an outstanding accomplishment and these swimmers did it with determination and grit.
A 400m Freestyle SOLO SWIM?!
One of the weekend’s standout moments came from Grayson Wynn (14), who faced an unusual challenge. After a false start rope mishap at the end of his race during prelims, Grayson re-swam his 400m freestyle solo during finals as the only racer in the pool. With the cheers of his teammates and the crowd behind him, he delivered an incredible swim, taking off an additional 30 seconds from his morning performance. Well done Grayson - that solo swim at the beginning of finals was no easy feat.
Newest Provincial Qualifier!
Hayden Scott (13) became the Clippers' newest Provincial Qualifier with an amazing swim in the 100m breaststroke. After coming SOOOO close to the provincial time standard during prelims, Hayden left everything in the pool during finals, beating his previous best by nearly 6 seconds with a time of 1:21.19. This earned him a spot at the Ontario Age Group Championships in March. Congratulations Hayden!
Keeping Us Busy with the Club Record Board!
The record-breaking streak of Liam Paterson (15) continued in Orillia as he broke yet another club record—his fourth straight meet achieving this feat. Liam tied Cole Mitchell’s 15 & Over 50m backstroke record with a 28.67 and broke the 100m freestyle record with an outstanding 54.38 that also met the 15 year-old time standard for Ontario Swimming Championships in July. Keep swimming fast Liam!
Next Up!
The Elaine Thompson Memorial Meet was a fantastic start to the year, filled with exciting swims, personal bests, and inspiring performances. We now set our sights on the Huronia Short Course Regional Championships on February 7-9 in Bracebridge with the HIGHEST number of Regional Qualifiers the Clippers has ever seen!