By Krista Kielsmeier
The annual Winter Games North swimming meet effectively continued for an extra day, with Juneau participants stranded in town due to a Sunday ferry cancellation.
The Haines Dolphins welcomed their Juneau counterparts to practice Monday evening at a workout that “tripled our normal number in the pool,” said James Alborough, Dolphins board member.
“It was a blessing in disguise, because we really got to cultivate some friendships,” said Haines coach Robert Butker.
The official Winter Games ran Saturday-Sunday, with teams from Juneau and Whitehorse traveling to Haines. The event coincided with the Triple Threat Tournament for junior high basketball teams at the Haines School, and Alborough noted the hoop squads were a boost to the Dolphins’ Saturday night spaghetti feed fundraiser.
Butker said the Haines meet has more of a relaxed feel, because “it’s not like a dual meet where we’re vying for points.”
“It’s not super competitive, so you get a lot of kids coming that are just there for their own individual times,” he said. “The way we time it is right before age-group championships, so everybody is trying to get new times on the board so that they can qualify.”
One of the more disappointing finishes, Butker said, was a Juneau swimmer who missed a benchmark time in the mile by less than a second.
Four Dolphins have qualified for the age group championship meet, starting Feb. 13 in Juneau: Hannah Boron, Naomi Green, Brennan Palmieri and Skye Posey. Palmieri and Posey are planning to participate in the competition.
Although Boron, 11, this week wasn’t slated to make the trip to Juneau, Butker said she was “the star” of the Winter Games, “because she got four age group (qualifying) times.”
Hayden Jimenez, 8, provided another valiant effort for the Dolphins, Butker said. “He swam the 100-free and the 50-fly, which, for a kid of his size and age, that’s reaching for the stars.”
Dylan Chapell, 12, said swimming in front of the home crowd makes the Dolphins more excited. That may have fueled him in the 100-yard freestyle. “I beat my time by a lot.”
Resident Helen Alten, who served as an official, said the meet is noteworthy as a rare opportunity for Juneau and Whitehorse squads to share the same pool. She said many of the swimmers showed sound technique, especially on their turns.
“I was really impressed with how many kids were doing flip turns and coming out of flip turns with dolphin kicks,” she said.
The Dolphins are set to host a Community Swim Meet on Saturday, March 7, followed by their Swim-a-Thon fundraiser in April.