Anders McIntyre and Sarah Mehain have taken the plunge into international waters. Not only are the two Vernon Kokanee Swim Club members staying afloat, they’re showing they belong amongst the world’s best.

McIntyre, 16, claimed gold in 200-metre butterfly and bronze medal in 400m IM at the world trials earlier this summer in Montreal. It qualified him for the FINA world championships in Rome in late July where he was the youngest male member of Canada’s national team.

He was also the busiest Canadian swimmer, competing in the 50m and 200m butterfly, 200m and 400m IM, and 200m backstroke.

“He loves to race, he loves to compete and he really loves to challenge himself,” said Kokanee head coach Marc Tremblay, who was part of the national coaching staff at the worlds. “He feels the water really well – like a fish.”

McIntyre joined the national team in Verona for a three-week training session. Following worlds, he competed with the 32-member Canadian squad at the British Grand Prix in Leeds, England.

“He went a stretch of 35 days with swimming every day... that’s what we can say is becoming a professional, the things that need to be done. And he’s at the beginning,” said Tremblay.

“He’s in great company. It was great for him to spend time with the likes of (Team Canada veteran) Brent Hayden, to help him learn the ropes. Ryan Cochrane, Matt Hawes... all these guys are good influences.”

While it was an invaluable experience to watch what Canada’s veteran swimmers go through to prepare for these big events, McIntyre says the lead-up to the worlds helped him mature as an individual as well.

“It was a lot of self growing through swimming,” said the lanky blond. “I wrote a lot, thought a lot, saw a different culture. But I didn’t have my usual friends to talk about that stuff.

“It was interesting having to step up my game after seeing all these people getting ready to go to a world championships and what they were doing. I’m not used to training with that kind of schedule. It’s important for anyone to see...what the top level is like, and to try to get there at least once or twice.”

Mehain, 14, turned heads at the Speedo CanAm Disability meet in Edmonton, which is the national meet for both Canada and U.S. for SWAD (Swimmer With A Disability).

The petite redhead collected gold in the 50m fly and bronze in the 100m backstroke, swimming well enough to earn a place on the SWAD national team for the world championships in Rio de Janiero, Brazil (Nov. 29 to Dec. 5).

“It’s all the best swimmers of North America... of anyone. She did amazing,” said Kokanee coach Renate Terpstra.

“She is really eager to learn. She wasn’t that serious last year, but now she starts to realize she’s really good.

“Now she’s really committed to the swimming and she started swimming more in June and July. She trained a lot this summer and improved so much. If she keeps on working like this, she will do very well.”

Mehain, a Grade 9 French immersion student at Seaton, suffers from hemiplegia, a condition she has had since birth. It has left one side of her body weaker than the other, and not as coordinated.

“It makes a really big difference in swimming. I can still swim with kids my age, just not quite as fast,” smiled the upbeat Mehain, who competed at her first nationals at age 13.

“It makes me stronger and I use that when I’m in the water. It gives me incentive to do my best so I can be faster in the pool.”

Mehain, who moved to Vernon from Nelson three years ago, also swam at the Canada Games in Charlottetown this summer, pocketing three gold and a bronze. She was recently carded by Swimming Canada, meaning she will receive funding to offset training, travel and competition costs.

“She’s way ahead of schedule,” said Tremblay. “Sarah is a little bit like Anders in the paralympic squad swimming community.”

With up to 10 two-hour training sessions a week in the pool, both Mehain and McIntyre lead busier lives than most adults. Yet they both find time to pursue other interests.

McIntyre has produced a few music projects with friends (www.myspace.com/anderz.mcintyre) and is into theatre. Mehain plays violin and enjoys horseback riding and Highland dance.

“It makes him fun to coach because it’s not always about the same thing,” said Tremblay.