Deck the Halls (and the pool): ROCS Lights up Pointe-Claire

Amanda Macdonald

Deck the Halls (and the Pool!): ROCS Lights Up Pointe-Claire

ROCS swimmers lit up the Pointe-Claire Invitational, held December 4th to 7th, with 4 exciting days of short course racing split between two pools. With 28 qualified swimmers representing the club, the weekend was packed with fast swimming, personal breakthroughs, and plenty of holiday cheer.
 

This meet was our first heats and finals competition of the year, setting the stage for our athlete’s performance at the upcoming regional and provincial championships in 2026.  
 

Across the meet, ROCS athletes posted an impressive 130 best times out of 185 swims, a testament to the hard work put in thus far in the season. That work also translated into eight club records broken over the course of the competition (all records Short Course Meters):

  • Josh Seely (Open) – 400 IM
  • Hailey Leonard (11–12) – 100, 200, 400 & 800 Freestyle
  • Georgia Glinski (13–14) – 100 Breaststroke
  • Sam Dutrizac (13–14) – 100 Butterfly
  • Raphael Pons (15–16) – 50 Backstroke

Several swimmers also delivered podium finishes in this high-level invitational meet that featured 750 swimmers, and included several of the largest teams in Montreal and Toronto:

  • Maia Nourozi – 🥇 1st, 15&Over 50 Freestyle
  • Rowyn LeBlanc – 🥉 3rd, 13–14 50 Freestyle
  • Raphael Pons – 🥇 1st, 15&Over 100 Backstroke
  • Myer Patterson – 🥉 3rd, 15&Over 100 Backstroke
  • Bennett Geddes – 🥇 1st 800 Freestyle, 🥉 3rd 400 Freestyle (11–12)
  • Sam Dutrizac – 🥇 1st 50 Free, 100 Free, 100 Fly (13–14)
  • Chris Anand-Danek – 🥉 3rd, 15&Over 1500 Freestyle
  • Olivia Wilson-East – 🥈 2nd, 15&Over 1500 Freestyle

ROCS also celebrated a strong group of swimmers who achieved Ontario Age Group qualifying times at the meet. Congratulations to:

Grace Arbuthnot, Georgia Glinski, Rowyn LeBlanc, Hailey Leonard, Teagan Meredith, Maia Nourozi, Lola Rueckwald, Olivia Wilson-East, Alexander Do, Sam Dutrizac, Hadley Meredith, Myer Patterson, and Raphaël Pons who all swam under the provincial standard.


The relays capped off the weekend with fast splits and great teamwork:

  • Men’s 4×50 Freestyle (15 & Over) – 🥈 2nd: Myer, Raphael, Chris, Sam
  • Women’s 4×50 Freestyle (15 & Over) – 🥉 3rd: Maia, Mia, Olivia, Grace
  • Mixed 4×50 Freestyle (13–14) – 🥉 3rd: Sam, Jaime, Rowyn, Bennett
  • Mixed 4×50 Freestyle (15 & Over) – 🥇 1st: Myer, Raphael, Maia, Mia

A huge thank you to our chaperones for their support throughout the weekend: Dominique Milne, Christine Evangelidis, and Coach Kristine Deacon, and a special thanks to Rick Hellard for helping chauffeur athletes between Ottawa and Montreal.
 

Overall, the Pointe-Claire Invitational was a fantastic weekend of camaraderie, learning, fast swimming and festive memes as we rang in the December holiday season in style. ROCS ROCK!