By Angie Abdou
Photos by Kevin McIsaac
Fernie is now on the map of Canadian Masters Swimming. December 14th saw Fernie’s first officially sanctioned masters swim meet, and with forty-eight swimmers coming from Calgary, Weyburn, Swift Current, Lethbridge, and Salmon Arm, it was a veritable success. The local club—Bull Trout Swimming, known colloquially as “The Bullies”—had twenty-three competitors, a remarkable turn out for a club that is only in its third year. Coach Marty Hafke explains, “Master swimming is really taking off in Fernie this year. We have a group of very talented and enthusiastic swimmers. A home meet is just what we needed to introduce our new members to competition, to let them know these meets are really about having fun and there is no need to be intimidated. Our best turn out at a meet before this weekend was twelve, so we nearly doubled that. That increase alone makes the meet a success.
Out-of-town swimmers agree that the meet was a hit. Terry Royce from the Rocky Mountain Calgary Masters says, “The Bullies hosted a truly fun and classy meet. Those of us who came had a fantastic time, and those who didn’t will be hearing about the fun they missed for quite some time.
Several swimmers commented particularly on what a vibrant and enthusiastic team Fernie has for being such a small community. Coach Hafke attributes this enthusiasm to Fernie’s very active community: “We simply have a lot of people who enjoy physical challenge. Often people come out to swimming as a means of improving their fitness for skiing, and then they are drawn-in by the combination of technical and physical challenge. That’s what keeps them coming back.
For a small community, Fernie is also lucky to have a great venue for hosting swim meets. The local team is quite proud of its facility: “At twenty-five metres and six lanes it’s a pretty standard competition pool, and the hot tub is a nice post-race bonus. But the views are what really make it a special facility. There are big windows around the building—the Three Sisters and Mount Fernie in one direction and the lizard range and ski hill in another. Our sunsets and sunrises are spectacular—they almost make it worth getting out of bed for those 6 am practices!
Out-of-towners agree, “The mountain setting gave this meet a real retreat-like appeal. It was much more of a holiday than the big city meets.
Organizing the meet, of course, was not without its difficulties. “It was a first-time attempt,” explains Hafke, “so there were the usual growing pains. We were definitely learning as we went which made it a little stressful at times.” This time of year Marty Hafke is usually spending his time skiing rather than organizing swim meets, but he says the effort was well worth it: “It was great to get people into Fernie and have a chance to show off our team, our facility, and our town. We’re proud of what we’ve got happening here. Fernie is a great place and now it’s a great place with a great masters swimming program.
In the end, the meet was so much fun that The Bullies are thinking of hosting another one in March, this time a “Ski and Swim Weekend.” Hafke smiles, “Partly, the idea is tactical on our part. Ideally, we’ll ski all day Saturday, host a party Saturday night, and then race at the pool on Sunday—those are the exact conditions the Bullies train for.” Ski, Party, Swim—that’s a triathlon that suits the Fernie swimmers just fine.
