WWSC training people for 100 years
Members are proud to carry the Wave’s name in the water
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/11/2016 (3413 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
One of the longest-operating swim clubs in Manitoba is celebrating its centenary this swim season.
Winnipeg Wave Swim Club (WWSC), formerly the St. John’s Aqua Kings, has focused on working with the community and developing young swimmers from their Ripples development programs to their senior level competitive groups since 1916.
Although small, the Wave serves a broad area — East and West St. Paul, Stony Mountain, Stonewall, the Maples, Garden City, and West Kildonan.
When head coach Michael Feuerstein started swimming with the Wave 29 years ago, the club had over 140 members, he said. However, swimming has since become a less popular sport, following behind football and basketball. Today the club has 70 members.
Feuerstein has great memories of his time swimming. He’s been a coach for 18 years after an injury to his lower back prevented him from continuing to swim competitively. He said he was never excellent in other sports, but when he tried swimming for the first time, he knew it was the right one for him.
“I love this sport. I’m still here. I haven’t left,” he laughed. “It was home. When I had that one-month break, my body would go through withdrawal from the amount of chlorine that’s not in it.”
The same happened with WWSC board president Charlene Gratton’s daughter, Natalie Gratton, who started swimming at the age of seven.
“She said ‘I just want to swim’ and I didn’t know where to go, so we put her in City lessons, and she said ‘No, I want to race. I want to race against people.’ So I went online…and I found the Wave,” she said.
“(Swimming had) done great things for her. I see it when she takes parts of other events that the swimming endurance gives her to participate in those other physical activities.”
The Wave has gone through some ups and downs throughout the 100 years of operations. Gratton said there was a point where the club only had 10 members. WWSC secretary Lori Dupre said their classes need to be filled because they are a non-profit organization.
“With the almost pool closure in September, our club suffered a loss in enrolment because our club was in limbo, as the city was not confirming pool space for us for our learn to swim program. With the closure put on hold, we were able to stay at Seven Oaks Pool for another season,” Dupre said.
However, being a small club contributes to its major success, Gratton and Feuerstein agreed.
“We are very close. All the kids know each other, they know each other’s families. They enjoy spending time with each other,” he continued. “Which is one of the reasons why I stayed with this swim club. I still have all the friends that I had when I was swimming. They are still my best friends.”
“We are a small club. When we look at the other clubs in Winnipeg, they are huge. We’re small. I can walk on that deck, and I can tell you their names, and it’s like they’re a family,” Gratton added.
The friendship between the team members is a factor that has helped swimmers excel in the sport. Gratton said her daughter is always excited to go to practice, unlike when she was practising other sports.
“It seemed fun. I like swimming because I like the water. Getting to be in it all the time is exciting, especially when it’s a hot day outside,” Natalie, 12, said. “My coach pushes me to work harder, and I think that’s going to get me somewhere one day.”
Senior competitive member Josh Pereira, 18, went to Toronto last year and almost qualified for the Paralympic games.
“I love being in the water and that is my hobby. I decided to compete to have fun and make friends. Being in the water is a good exercise for me, and it’s also my therapy,” Pereira said.
The team has produced other excellent swimmers like Brad Lundie who recently qualified for the 2017 North American Indigenous Games.
Gratton said she’s excited to be part of the 100 years celebration. She said the board had worked hard to keep the club alive.
“Running a swim club is not an easy thing. There’s a lot of volunteer work that goes outside of the club,” she said. “To say that you’re a part of something that it’s celebrating 100 years it’s an amazing feeling. And you can see it in (the kids).”
To learn more about the WWSC, go to www.winnipegwave.com or their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WinnipegWave/) or Twitter @WpgWaveSwimClub
