The Cornwall Sea Lions swim club hosted its annual Snowflake Swim Meet on Nov 25-27 at the Aquatic Centre. Over 300 swimmers from a variety of clubs within Eastern Ontario travelled to Cornwall with their families to take part in one of the first local meets since COVID.
“Prior to the pandemic, our Invitational Snowflake Meet was an annual 3-day event with teams from Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec attending. As restrictions have lifted, we are happy to be back in full swing,” said Corissa Chadwick, board member and communications for Cornwall Sea Lions.
“The swim meet was a huge success on many levels, having new swimmers to our club competing for the first time, having our experienced swimmers making personal best and qualifying times, but also having a strong turn out in parent volunteers and local business donations,” Chadwick explained, “A true community event with community involvement.”
The Snowflake Swim Meet couldn’t happen without the support of volunteers; all the officials and timers at the meet are dedicated parents and family members. Local restaurants and grocery stores stepped in to donate food to keep the swimmers and their families fed over the course of the event.
On average, young swimmers spend about 2 hours per week training for swim meets and competitions, while senior swimmers put in as many as 11 to 14 hours per week, as well as time in the gym using weights to condition the body.
“It was great to see how strong our swimmers have become under the guidance of Coach Cory McRae and Coach Linda Paradis, and we are excited to see what the season has in store for our team,” Chadwick added.
