The 29 local swimmers will be battling to set personal bests and qualify for the Eastern Canadian championships, meanwhile battling long-time rivals in the pool.
One thing is for sure, however. The Truro Centurions will not be short on motivation.
“This is our ‘Pump Up Wall,’” laughs head coach Miranda Bates as she gathers the team for a photo in front of a smattering of posters and notes taped to the wall. “Here’s what we’ve been working on lately.”
The posters are filled with motivational messages for each member of the team, handwritten by their teammates.
Each swimmer drew a name from a hat and made it their responsibility to keep their partner motivated during the many hours of hard work leading up to the club hosting the Nova Scotia Senior Open.
“Every day we either write them a note or bring them something,” said Laura Brown, who will be swimming in the senior under-15 category. “And then we wrote letters and we’re going to put them up for everyone.”
Having the opportunity to swim at home will be a huge boost for the team, said Centurion swimmer Amy Barnhill.
“We get to eat our own meals at our own houses, and sleep in our own beds. It’s awesome.”
Despite there being so many swimmers coming to town, the kids have a high level of familiarity with each other, having swam against the same people their whole lives.
“We have rivalries with other people, more than clubs,” said Centurion Ryan Leblanc. “We know all these swimmers pretty well.”
Hosting provincial meets is a new chance for the club, after moving to the Wilson’s Aquatic Centre from the Centennial Pool when the RECC opened.
“It’s fantastic to have a facility big enough to host something like this,” Bates said. “It definitely takes the pressure off the facilities in Halifax (not having to host all the time).”
It also hypes up the swimmers, as evidenced by all the smiles, laughs and jokes during a high intensity practice on Thursday.
“They’re pretty crazy,” Bates laughed. “They’ve been pumping each other up all week. They certainly love to perform in front of a home crowd.”
Action will get underway today at 7:30 a.m., with preliminary swims going until noon. Finals will start at 3:30 p.m. and run until 7 p.m. The meet will run the same schedule on Saturday and Sunday.
With the chance to impress her friends and family, as well as qualify for Easterns in Newfoundland, Laura Brown can hardly contain her excitement.
“I’m pumped,” she said. “So excited. Nobody else is good on these walls like we are.”
The 29 local swimmers will be battling to set personal bests and qualify for the Eastern Canadian championships, meanwhile battling long-time rivals in the pool.
One thing is for sure, however. The Truro Centurions will not be short on motivation.
“This is our ‘Pump Up Wall,’” laughs head coach Miranda Bates as she gathers the team for a photo in front of a smattering of posters and notes taped to the wall. “Here’s what we’ve been working on lately.”
The posters are filled with motivational messages for each member of the team, handwritten by their teammates.
Each swimmer drew a name from a hat and made it their responsibility to keep their partner motivated during the many hours of hard work leading up to the club hosting the Nova Scotia Senior Open.
“Every day we either write them a note or bring them something,” said Laura Brown, who will be swimming in the senior under-15 category. “And then we wrote letters and we’re going to put them up for everyone.”
Having the opportunity to swim at home will be a huge boost for the team, said Centurion swimmer Amy Barnhill.
“We get to eat our own meals at our own houses, and sleep in our own beds. It’s awesome.”
Despite there being so many swimmers coming to town, the kids have a high level of familiarity with each other, having swam against the same people their whole lives.
“We have rivalries with other people, more than clubs,” said Centurion Ryan Leblanc. “We know all these swimmers pretty well.”
Hosting provincial meets is a new chance for the club, after moving to the Wilson’s Aquatic Centre from the Centennial Pool when the RECC opened.
“It’s fantastic to have a facility big enough to host something like this,” Bates said. “It definitely takes the pressure off the facilities in Halifax (not having to host all the time).”
It also hypes up the swimmers, as evidenced by all the smiles, laughs and jokes during a high intensity practice on Thursday.
“They’re pretty crazy,” Bates laughed. “They’ve been pumping each other up all week. They certainly love to perform in front of a home crowd.”
Action will get underway today at 7:30 a.m., with preliminary swims going until noon. Finals will start at 3:30 p.m. and run until 7 p.m. The meet will run the same schedule on Saturday and Sunday.
With the chance to impress her friends and family, as well as qualify for Easterns in Newfoundland, Laura Brown can hardly contain her excitement.
“I’m pumped,” she said. “So excited. Nobody else is good on these walls like we are.”
