Kamloops MJB Ice Classic Recap - December 12-14, 2025
Back to racing last weekend, Orca had 7 swimmers attend the MJB Law Ice Classic meet in Kamloops (December 12-14). Racing against kids from the Okanagan-Thompson region, as well as some from AB and many other areas of BC, these 7 kiddos gave it their all and did Summerland proud. While the team finished with a notable 45/52 Personal Bests, 16 “A” Finals and 5 “B” Finals (culminating in 5 podium finishes), us coaches have picked just a couple highlights for each swimmer and outlined them below. Make sure you give them a high-five or ask them more about their races if you see them at the pool!
Emily: Although not feeling at her best again, Emily didn’t complain once and led our group into warm-ups most days. She also gave it her all in each event. In the 200m Breaststroke, particularly, it paid off! It is hard to get a best time in swimming, much less a best time in an event you had, only 3 weeks earlier, impressed in. This didn’t deter Emily, though, as she dropped more time in the 200m Breaststroke finals on Saturday, finishing just a fingernail away from that sub-3min mark with a 3:00.08. Emily’s resiliency was something to be proud of this weekend. Can’t wait to see what she can do healthy!
Addison: This was a great weekend for Addison! Besting her personal bests in 7 of her 8 swims, Addison figured out how to turn on the jets and raced her heart out all weekend. While her age group didn’t have finals, Addison placed top 8 in all but one of her races, even coming 4th in both the 100m Breaststroke and 100m IM. Her biggest time drop came from the 100m Breaststroke, in which she took off a staggering 8 seconds. Well done, Addy!
Isla: What a weekend Isla had! There are some meets that we look back on and recognize a huge shift in an athlete’s mentality, input, and intensity. For Isla, this might just be one of those meets. Besting 8 out of 8 of her best times, Isla came out of every event with some self-reflection and a determination to do even better next time. Isla was also determined to medal in at least one of her events, so when she dove in for her last race of the weekend (100m Breaststroke), she was on a mission. Placing 3rd in a convincing fashion, Isla improved on her already best prelim time by almost 5 seconds, finishing with a 1:31.69. Keep putting in the effort, Isla, it’s working!
Rhys: In another perfect sweep of personal bests, Rhys continued to show how much he has grown as a swimmer since switching to the competitive tract at the beginning of the season. While Rhys might not be thrilled with this, he will likely be doing more 200m events this season as he continues to improve by leaps and bounds at that distance. In his 200m IM, Rhys dropped over 6.5 seconds, while his 200m Freestyle saw him cut more than 4 seconds off his previous best. Can’t wait for more!
Yaniv: Not only did Yaniv finish another meet with 100% personal bests, but he also made “A” Finals (top 8) in all of his morning swims, meaning he had to re-swim each event in the evening’s finals as well. Once again, however, it was the Butterfly that shone through, as he finished with a Silver in the 50m Fly and Bronze in both the 100m and 200m Fly. Incredibly, Yaniv’s 100m Fly also put him just 0.03 seconds away from the Provincial qualifying time. Despite all the impressive results, though, what his coaches were most proud of was his thoughtful preparation and reflection on each race. There is no doubt Yaniv gave it his all… Looking forward to the next meet already! Great work, Yaniv!
Nicolas: Racing 5 events, Nicolas obliterated his previous best times once again, moving up the standings in leaps and bounds and climbing to within striking distance of several of his Divisional qualifying time standards. One of the most impressive swims of the weekend came on Saturday morning, when Nicolas dove into his 100m Freestyle and swam away from his heat. Going out a speedy 13.5 on the first 25m, Nic kept the remaining lengths all under 17 seconds – a super impressive show of consistency that is extremely difficult to create! This earned him a 15 second personal best and a fast time of 1:02.83. Super proud of you, Nicolas! Keep up the great work!
Kendra: While Kendra has decided she enjoys racing Backstroke (and in fact improved on her already greatly improved time from Kelowna in the 200m Backstroke), it was her 50m Breaststroke that highlighted her weekend. She swam under 41 seconds (40.74) for the first time ever! This stands as her first qualifying time for her new age category’s Divisional Time Standard… a huge deal as it qualifies her to compete at the Winter Divisional Championships in February! Congratulations, Kendra!
What a great way to finish up the pre-Christmas part of the swim season!! While this crew impressed (and there were several more who hoped to go but had to pull out because of these terrible colds going around) we are hoping to get a larger group to each of the next few meets! Whether your kids are new to Orca or not, we’ve got something for you! Check out our full events calendar (HERE) or follow specific links below to find out more/declare your swimmers! Thanks for reading, and for your continued support of our team!
Upcoming Events - Regional / Multisport / Age Group
· KAJ Snowfest – Kelowna (Jan. 23-25)
· CSSSC Spring Meet – Salmon Arm (Feb. 6-8)
Upcoming Events - Development
· KISU Jamboree – Penticton (Jan. 18) – Dev. 1/2/3/4
· CSSSC Jamboree – Salmon Arm (Feb. 8) – Dev. 2/3/4
· ORCA In-House Jamboree – Summerland (Mar. 9) – ALL ORCA (including Pods)
Merry Christmas, all! See you at the pool!
Coach Janae