Twenty-seven members of the Saanich Peninsula Piranhas brought back an impressive seventeen-medal haul from the B.C. Summer Swimming Association Provincials, held in Nanaimo Aug. 13-19.
The group brought home four gold, one silver and 12 bronze medals from the meet, as well as a new provincial record.
Phil Vellacott, 13, won the 100m backstroke with a record-setting time of 1:04.88, 1.4 seconds faster than the previous provincial meet record.
Another highlight of the group’s medal haul included the Division 2 boys relay team, which earned two gold medals, one in the 200m freestyle and one in the 200m medley.
The Div. 2 team, aged nine and 10, is made up of Haldon Craig, Gosha Iazvenko, Paiden Jenkinson and Liam Ayres.
The third gold was won by Emma Goodwin, 16, who swam backstroke in the ‘O’ category regional relay and the fourth by Nate Truong, 8, in boys Div. 1 relay, where he swam butterfly.
Truong also won four bronze medals: 100m individual medley, 100m free, 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly.
“The season has ended for us now [after the provincials], and our swimmers return to the water at Panorama in October to start regular season,” said coach Kaela Richardson.
There are a total of 61 teams registered in the province under the BCSSA. The Vancouver Island Gators, the regional team, is comprised of 10 teams, including the Piranhas. The Gators were one of eight regions competing in the Provincials in Nanaimo.
The Saanich Peninsula Piranhas will hold its annual Splash Night event on Wednesday, Sept. 19. Kids six and up can join the club for a fun evening at the pool to see what the club is all about.
The fall/winter 2012/2013 registration for the Piranhas happens Sunday, Sept. 23 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Returning swimmers can register in advance on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 5 to 7 p.m.