Young swimmers look to make a splash at provincials

Young swimmers from across Manitoba and northwestern Ontario are racing against the clock Friday and Saturday at Pan Am Pool as over 260 athletes compete in the 2025 Manitoba Junior Swim Provincials, hoping to advance to the ManSask Championships in July.

57 of those athletes come from the Manitoba Marlins, a club that has grown significantly in recent years, surpassing 250 members with over 150 in competitive programs.

For the junior-level swimmers, Marlins head coach Cam Harbeck says they have been working hard all season to obtain qualifying times in different events to earn a spot at this weekend’s provincials. The Marlins had 79 athletes qualify for this year’s meet, which was a 35 per cent increase from last year.

“Our programming is really teaching-based, where we’re focusing a lot on how to properly execute races and how to properly learn to swim fast before we actually get to our higher-level competitive groups,” said Harbeck. “They’re learning how to execute races and really go about pursuing higher-level goals and higher-level competitions.”

Swimmers from ages eight to 18 who qualified with “A” time standards will look to achieve “AA” times to reach the next level of competition at ManSask, which will also be held at Pan Am Pool from July 10 to 13.

Meet manager Dale Gustafson says the junior provincials are a “huge life experience” for the young athletes and their development as swimmers.

“Every opportunity we can give the swimmers to experience racing is a developmental exercise for them,” said Gustafson. “You’re competing against the clock, not really against somebody else, and every time a swimmer gets to jump in the pool and have that opportunity to race against the clock is a good thing, and it’s an emotional roller coaster.”

The Marlins hope to bring a group of over 20 athletes to the ManSask competition.

“It’s a big deal to qualify for the next level,” said Gustafson. “It’s like graduating.”

“I think to watch any athlete, but especially in the pool, when they hit the wall, turn around, look at the screen, and they instantly know where they’re at, the emotions are fascinating to watch because you get both sides. There will be tears of joy and tears of complete sorrow and everything in between tomorrow,” he said.

As the Marlins continue to grow, Harbeck is leading the way, recently appointed head coach at the end of May, making him the youngest head coach in the province at 26 years old.

“We have a very experienced and cohesive competitive staff who are all pulling our club forward together,” said Harbeck. “We love coming to work every day, and we make sure all of the swimmers in the club know that.”

Harbeck says their Mini Marlins pre-competitive program, led by Luc MacNeil and Mackenzie Alexiuk, has been a big part of their recent success and will play a key role in the future of the club. The Marlins’ competitive program also continues to shine, with four athletes named to Team Manitoba for the Canada Games in St. John’s, N.L., this August.

The Manitoba junior provincials kick off tomorrow at 5:35 p.m. with the girls’ 800-metre freestyle timed finals.

“(The events) are an enormous amount of work, and I cannot stress enough the older brothers and sisters, the grandparents, family friends, the families that come and support their kids on the deck and volunteer for this,” said Gustafson. “It’s simply extraordinary.”

zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca