Salmon Arm Winter Meet Recap - February 6-8, 2026
We don’t usually have multiple meets in a month, much less 3 in 5 weeks, but these kids have been up to a challenge. Entered in mostly their off-events (meaning their least favourites or the ones with the most room for improvement), we heard very few complaints and were proud of the cheering, team energy, and encouragement of each other throughout the weekend.
Specific shout-out to Madeleine, who got her Divisional time in the 50 Butterfly to qualify her for the Upcoming Divisional Championships! Here are a few coach’s highlights for each swimmer:
Emily: Although not typically known for swimming distance freestyle, Emily dropped 6 seconds in her 400 Freestyle for a time of 5:09.20, inching ever closer to that illusive 5-min mark. Emily also dropped almost two seconds in her 100 Backstroke for a 1:16.36. Great tune up for Divisionals!
Addison: Continuing to improve in leaps and bounds, Addison bested all but one of her personal bests this weekend and swam the 100 Butterfly for the first time ever! Oddly enough, two of her best times came in the 400 Freestyle and the 200 Freestyle, where she carved out a 21 second improvement – each! Keep it up, Addy!
Caelan: Despite coming into the meet without a lot of energy (what an illness season we’ve been having!), Caelan’s first swim meet of the year was a huge success in the eyes of his coaches. Caelan showed resilience and will-power the whole weekend to swim his events, even improving his previous times in a few races. Can’t wait to see that speed when you’re healthy!
Madeleine: While Madeleine dropped time in almost all her races, her 50 Butterfly and 200 IM stood as the two major highlights for us. Trying out a slightly higher-tempo stroke, Madi bested her new Age Group’s Divisional time standard in the 50 Butterfly with a time of 34.64, a massive 2 second improvement. This qualifies her for the upcoming Divisional Championships in Penticton, a huge accomplishment! In her 200 IM, Madi recorded a time of 3:02.18, over 17 seconds faster than she had ever swum the event before. Great racing, Madi!
Isla: Swimming several events that she wouldn’t have chosen for herself, Isla laid down her best efforts and came away rewarded with numerous bests and several top three finishes. Highlighting the meet were her 200 IM, 200 Backstroke, and 200 Breaststroke, where she took off 8.37, 8.89, and 6.97 seconds, respectively. Great performances, Isla!
Rhys: While Rhys swam a very respectable first 100 Butterfly and dropped 19 seconds off his 400 Freestyle, his 200 Freestyle is the race we want to highlight here as we think it is going to be one to watch for this continually improving kid. Rhys swam the 200 in a time of 2:42.20, 2.5 seconds faster than his previous best. While there is still room for improvement, Rhys’ constant analysis of this is what is going to help him drop more and more time over the next several months… just wait and see. :)
Emerson: Just weeks after his first Regional level meet and first Divisional qualifying time, Emerson either dropped tons of time or recorded a first-ever time in all of his races! Building on this, Emerson added two more Divisional times to his name by swimming the 100 and 200 Breaststrokes in 1:38.25 and 3:29.65, respectively. Next up, Divisionals!
Yaniv: Also swimming most of his off events (and a few first time races), Yaniv’s approach to the weekend was a little bit different than usual but he rose to the challenge. In both his 200 Breaststroke and 200 Backstroke, Yaniv bested his coach-entered guesstimated times by 4-6 seconds, once again proving that we can never bet against this kid. :)
Kendra: Despite being in the middle of a training block, Kendra pulled out best times in all but two of her events this weekend, including a whopping 8 second best time in her 200 Freestyle! Kendra’s 50 Butterfly in her 200 IM was also almost as fast as her 50 Butterfly race, making us think there is more to come in that stroke… Look out!
Thanks for reading!! And thank-you to Salmon Arm Selkirks for hosting what is always such a great event! Don’t forget to sign up for our next few events (below). See you at the pool!
Coaches Janae & Olivia
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Regional / Multisport / Age Group
- Winter Provincials – Victoria (March 5-8) – Qualifiers only
- Fernie Fox (Team Travel Meet) – Fernie (April 17-19)
- ORCA In-House Jamboree – Summerland (March 9) - ALL ORCA SWIMMERS
- Parent vs. Kids – Summerland (April 9) – All Reg+
- 2026 Swim-A-Thon (April 27) – More information coming soon!
Development