Aquanauts meet a swimming success

The Agassiz-Harrison Aquanauts held a successful hometown meet last weekend. The 5th Annual Kristy Hatt Memorial Meet saw about 330 athletes from across the Fraser Valley descend on the Ferny Coombe pool for two full days of races.

A total of 53 Aquanauts competed alongside teams from Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Langley, Maple Ridge and Mission. Coach Gregg Gleason is proud of how the Aquanauts did.

"Some of our younger swimmers raced for their first time this past weekend – perhaps because, until now, all our meets this season were at a different pool in a big city, which might be a little intimidating for some," Gleason reports. "But I think many of them really enjoyed it because I now see the same swimmers wanting to go to the next meet and do it again."

Gleason says the home meet was great, with most of the Aquanauts competing in at least one race. The weekend meet was not only marked with sunshine and warm weather, there were several personal bests and new meet records broken.

"The Aquanauts of all ages that attended the meet raced toward improving their own personal bests, placing in a final, capturing a win or a top-placing ribbon, or completing their first swim meet ever," Gleason reports.

The Aquanauts have been steadily training since May. The older athletes train five days a week, with two separate training sessions on two of those days. And their practice is starting to show. One such Aquanauts team member who raced her best was Brittlene Schindle.

At only 15 years old, Brittlene is fast becoming one of the Aquanauts' strongest swimmers, both for her dedication to the sport and her attitude in and out of the pool.

"Even though I'm new to the team this year, I know Brittlene has been working hard for several seasons now," Gleason says. "She's not afraid to ask for help or guidance at practices or at meets, and she will even tell me what her goals are and how badly she wants it. When she doesn't perform as well as she expects, she demands that I work her harder at practices. That kind of attitude and determination will get my attention and, in turn, the results she is looking for."

Brittlene focuses on her long-term goals in a very unique way.

"I have my goals on the ceiling in my room," Brittlene shares with The Observer.

She stays focused on her goals by making them visible each day, and working to achieve them, one millisecond at a time.

Brittlene's big goal is to do a 50 freeestyle swim in 29.62 seconds, which was the provincial qualifying time one year.

"The provincial qualifying time has probably has changed now, but that's my goal," she says. So far, her best time is 31 seconds, and is looking at under a second and a half to shave before her grade 12 graduation in two years. To help cut the time down, Brittlene reports she is working on her stroke to make each move more efficient and quicker.

One of her more recent goals, achieved at the Kristy Hatt Memorial Meet last weekend, was to beat another swimmer that had touched the wall just ahead of Brittlene at another meet.

"There's this girl that outtuched me at the last meet. At our meet, I did it twice back to her," Brittlene says with a smile and a laugh.

Brittlene was one of the strongest swimmers overall at the meet, taking first place in both the 50 freestyle, the 100 freestyle, and second in both the 100 backstroke and the 100 breastroke.

She even competed in two relay events just for fun, one on the same team as her mom Susan. Susan and Brittlene are the only mother and daughter both in the Aquanauts, and the two of them seem to be quite enjoying the experience.

Susan joined the Aquanauts this season, for fun, fitness and the fact that she sits on the bleachers for the length of Brittlene's practices anyway. She has never been part of a competitive swimming club, though did consider joining 10 years ago. However, Susan says the executive at that time was not really interested in having adult swimmers on the team. Times have changed, and Susan is one of several adult swimmers who have joined the Aquanauts this season.

While Susan has trained all season, she was not quite as confident as her daughter when it came to competing. However, Susan smiles as she reports that the coach, unbeknownst to her, signed her up for a number of competitions at the weekend meet. She was not planning on it, but says she was glad she did.

"It's pretty hard. I couldn't believe how nervous I was for the 50 free," she admits.

Brittlene says it is cool her mom is in the club, and was proud of how her mom swims in comparison to other adult swimmers.

"You're pretty fast," Brittlene said to her mom as she sat telling the reporter how slow she felt in the water during the meet.

Susan says this meet in particular is special to Brittlene, as it is to almost all of the Aquanauts, because it is the Kristy Hatt Memorial Meet.

"Kristy Hatt was one of Britt's early coaches," Susan says. "It was in her earlier years of swimming - they always have the younger coaches helping with the junior swimmers."

Susan says the club likes to remember Kristy Hatt each year, a long-time Aquanauts athlete and coach who died in a car accident in February, 2004.

Next up for the Aquanauts is the Abbotsford Invitational Meet. Then it's the regional championships, also being held in Abbotsford this year. The regionals, which take place Aug 1-3, will determine through top-placing or qualifying time who will go on to compete at the Provincial Championships in Trail on the weekend of Aug. 15-17.

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