The 2021 Vancouver Island Gator Games brought together 11 regional swim clubs for the final meet on the local calendar. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Dan Marshall

Big Splash

Nanaimo White Rapids Swim Club closes season with three day regional meet

Aug 14, 2021 | 8:00 AM

NANAIMO — The 2021 Vancouver Island Gator Games brought all the Island swim clubs together and featured several record setting performances.

The Gator Games, held Aug. 7-8 at Beban Park by the Nanaimo White Rapids swim club took on a different tone compared to a typical regional meet.

President Kate Palmer said the absence of any provincials meets to qualify for in 2021 meant organizers wanted to make the event a celebration of swimming.

“There are always kids who are extremely competitive and we did honour any swimmer who broke a meet record. Kids were pushing themselves for best times. We have a huge focus on individual improvement so we celebrate when swimmers beat their own times.”

There were several club members who beat meet records at the Gator Games including longstanding records from the 1980’s and 90’s.

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Taylor McPherson broke six records, and Danielle Barberie broke three including the mark for the 200 metre individual medley set back in 1983.

Colton Gonzales set two records and eclipsed the nearly 30 year standard in the 50m backstroke.

Lukas Elzinga, Oliver Orton, Jasmine Schellinck, Kennadie Sheppard and Tayden DePol also had record breaking weekends.

18-year-old DePol, who is an alumni swimmer, participated in the recent Olympic qualifying trials and Palmer said the Tokyo Olympics served as a source of inspiration for many young swimmers.

“Even in my own home we had the Olympics on watching the races. After watching those swimmers and their technique there was a lot of talk about striving to become an olympian.”

The Nanaimo White Rapids swim club was able to hold five meets in the 2021 season while many of the eleven others in the region couldn’t hold any.

An arrangement between the club and the City of Nanaimo gave them use of the Kin Pool at Bowen Park, a luxury other clubs couldn’t replicate in their towns.

“It gives us so much more flexibility and the ability to adapt to the (COVID-19) situation we were in,” Palmer said. “We were able to offer most of our athletes a full season in terms of practice schedule meaning most of our swimmers were in the pool five days a week.”

Nanaimo has the biggest club in the region with 185 members, although in a typical year pre-pandemic their numbers were between 225 and 235.

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