The Greenwood Dolphins Swim Club continues to make waves this season, celebrating athlete development, record-breaking swims and impressive results at a major provincial meet.
A number of young swimmers progressed through the club’s development pathway this winter. Stewart McNeil graduated from the Novice program to Nova Tech. Several swimmers also advanced within the Nova Tech program, with Layla Worboys, McNeil, Willa Lauzon and Ben Bell moving from Level 1 to Level 2. Meanwhile, Isabella Green and Camryn Keddy successfully graduated from Nova Tech into the club’s Age Group program.
The Dolphins celebrated record-breaking accomplishments with Garnet Maxwell setting new club records in the men’s 12-year-old category in both the 50- and 100-metre freestyle, while Abby Bond crushed club records in the 50 back and 200 back for 16-year-old women. In the 13-year-old female category, Petra Spicer set new standards in the 50 breast and 400 IM, and Dana Larson dominated in distance, breaking club records in the 400 free, 800 free and 1,500 free.
Team success followed at the Winter Champs Swim Meet at Dalhousie University in March. Nineteen Dolphins represented the club at the competition and returned home with an impressive 17 medals – including 10 gold, five silver and two bronze. Several swimmers delivered standout performances. Carl Sokolov led the medal count with four gold medals and one bronze, while Hunter Valkenier captured three gold medals. Riley Bond earned two gold and two bronze medals, and Tom Button added a gold and a bronze. Maxwell contributed a silver and a bronze medal, and Larson secured a silver medal.
The team also celebrated individual recognition through the meet’s High Point standings. In the 12-and-under AA category, Valkenier finished third overall. In the 13-14 age group, Sokolov claimed first place, while Riley Bond placed third.
Beyond the podium finishes, the Dolphins demonstrated impressive depth across events. AA swimmers recorded 24 top-eight finishes, while AAA swimmers added another 15 top-eight results, underscoring the club’s strong competitive presence throughout the meet. Sokolov, Riley Bond and Button also achieved qualifying times to move up into AAA competition. In a bittersweet moment, this meet was the last competition for several of our senior swimmers: Colbie LeBlanc, Ezri Button and Madie MacSween will be graduating this year and moving on to start university degrees in biopsychology and med sciences. We will miss these talented and brilliant women, who have been with the club for more than nine years.
Finally, we recognize the impressive achievements of Maxwell., Spicer, Larsen and Abby Bond, who all qualified for the East Coast Championships held near the end of March, a meet which brings to a close the winter competition season.
With swimmers advancing through training levels, new club records being set and strong performances at championship competition, the Greenwood Dolphins Swim Club continues to build momentum, showcasing the dedication of both athletes and coaches as they head into spring competition.
