The Richmond Rapids Swim Club returned from snowy Kamloops last Tuesday, after having accomplished something no Rapids squad has ever done - win a provincial championship title.

“This has been a goal of ours for a long time. It’s something we’ve been trying to build over the last few years, and it came together for us in Kamloops,” said Head Coach Robert Pettifer.

After missing the title last long course season by 11 points, the Rapids were out for redemption, leading from the very beginning to the meet. Over the duration of the meet, the Rapids continuous top-16 swims widened the difference between first and second to over 600 points, resulting in one of the widest margins of victory in recent years.

Among those scoring swims, the Rapids were dominant in the relays, including placing two 11-and-under boys teams on the podium for all three relay events. The crown jewel, however, was the 13-14 year old boys, who won the 4x50 Medley in provincial record-breaking time. This was a huge celebration, since they had missed the record the day before in the 4x50 free by merely .01 seconds.

The celebration increased tenfold the following morning, when the team realized they had broken the national age group record as well. The previous record had been standing for 22 years, surviving the ‘tech-suit era.’

“Two of the swimmers on the previous relay team went on to be national team members, and one of them became an Olympian,” said Pettifer. “We can’t wait to see what those four are able to accomplish in the future.”

A huge part of the Rapids success was a much stronger presence from the girl’s team. Dini McIver and Amanda McCallum were staples on the girl’s 11-and-under podium, while Serena Xue and Cathy Ye made several finals and medaling swims in the older girl’s categories.

Equally important was an increase in strength across several more events where the Rapids had not previously been contenders. This is a result of a larger emphasis on creating a true long-term development organization, free of any specialization or preference.

“The strength of the many will carry the team, when the strength of the few fails,” said Coach Drew McClure. “We look at the gaps we’re missing, and try to fill in those parts, while simultaneously fortifying what’s already strong. That’s been the process for the last several years.”

Of course, the consistency of performances was aided in huge part by the Rapids team of chaperones and parent volunteers, who provided a catering service second to none. The late nights, early mornings, lack of rest, demanding list of tasks, and huge number of mouths to feed did absolutely nothing to slow down the freight train that was the volunteer support.

For the consistently delicious food and the attention to detail that surpasses that of an air traffic controller, the Rapids coaching staff and swimmers say a huge thank you.

So, now that this significant goal has been accomplished, what are the Rapids doing next?

“We want to win it again,” said Pettifer.

Listed below are the medalists for the meet.

The Rapids would like to thank their sponsors, TYR, Team Aquatic Supplies, Holiday Inn Riverport, Spirit of Math Schools, and the City of Richmond for their continued support.