BY SCOTT
HADDOW
It's early morning at the Laurentian Pool and three swimmers
from the Valley East Waves Swim Club - Spencer Hirschfeld, Ian
Blechta and Justin Leclair - are creating a big splash in the
calm water.
They emerge about 15-feet away and immediately break into a
furious race.
As their legs kick wildly and their arms thrash vigorously, the
three swimmers reach the 50-metre mark and come to a sudden
stop.
In unison they all rip their goggles off and look up to their
coach, Sharon Leger, to see who was the fastest.
This time, it's Hirschfeld. The three swimmers all have wide
smiles on their faces and Blechta and Leclair dish out some
friendly ribbing to Hirschfeld about winning that time.
The three swimmers emerge from the pool and do it all over
again.
Their friendly competitiveness has been a real driving force
behind the success of the three swimmers.
All three have qualified for the provincial championships,
which are going on right now in Ottawa and wrap up this
Sunday.
Blechta and Leclair have also already qualified for the
national championships as well, but they take place in two
weeks.
"These three young men have been working hard to realize the
goal of provincials," said Leger. "Since most of our club
members finished just before school ended, I've been able to
really focus on each individual swimmer. I believe it's made a
big difference. The three of them are always racing each other.
They really challenge each other to do their best every
time.
They're all dedicated and support each other wholly. They love to compete and the friendly competition only makes them better swimmers."
The friendly rivalry has been a real boon for the Valley
club.
"We have young swimmers coming up and it's been good for them
to see these older swimmers working hard and having fun doing
it," said Leger. "The younger swimmers look up to them...they
want to be like them. It's great leadership for our club and
program."
Hirschfeld qualified in the 50-m and 100-m freestyle, 100-m
backstroke and 100-m butterfly.
It's his first time at the provincial level in an individual
capacity. "This is huge for me... it shows I am on the right
track," said Hirschfeld. "I can't wait to get into the pool
with the best in Ontario...it's going to be a great learning
experience. I want to make it to the finals in the 50-m
freestyle."
Hirschfeld is also looking to qualify for nationals in the 50-m
freestyle.
"It's my last opportunity to go to nationals, so I don't want
to blow it," said the swimmer. "It's going to be hard. I have
to push all out...if I lighten up, even for half a second, it
will slow down my time and I will not qualify. It can be that
close."
Blechta qualified for the 100-m and 200-m breaststroke, the
100-m butterfly and the 200-m individual medley. It's his first
time at provincials.
He's also qualified for nationals in the 50-m and 100-m
breaststroke. "I'm using provincials to prepare my self for
nationals," said the 16-year-old. "I'm ranked 11th for the
100-m breaststroke. I'm in an older age group, so it's a big
step up in terms of competition...everyone is stronger and
faster. It would be good for me if I can finish in the Top
8...I will have to swim my best times ever."
Blechta is at the top of his game.
"This is a break out year for Ian," said Leger. "He's dedicated
to this sport. He's willing to do whatever it takes to get
better.
His break-out year is a combination of maturity, dedication, years of hard work and a small growth spurt. It's all come together and he's peaking."
Leclair made the provincial cut in the 100-m and 200-m
backstroke, 50-m and 400-m freestyle and the 400-m individual
medley.
"I'm going to be busy," said the 13-year-old. "Competing in all
those events isn't a bad thing for me. All the events are
spread out, so I get big breaks in-between the races."
Leclair, a former provincial gold medal winner, is looking for
more.
"I'm ranked fifth overall...I want to try and get on the podium
for the 100-m backstroke," said Leclair. "I feel good and
strong and ready to do it. It's nice just to make
provincials...it would be a nicer reward to bring back a
medal."
