Despite the endless changing of restrictions and the fleeting opportunities to practice, the Canadian Badlands Aquatic Club swimmers have shown great improvements and resilience.
While this week the swimming pools will be closed, the team did get an opportunity to compete, virtually.
“Because Swim Alberta had cancelled all competitions across the province, I received this email from a BC club called the Pacific Coast Club, asking us to join in their virtual meet,’ said Coach Morgan Syvertsen. “We signed up and got all the kids to pick their events and last week we spent timing events every day. It’s like this teeny tiny little swim meet but it has been great.”
“I’ve been telling all the parents despite all the setbacks, the kids have just kept getting better and better and sure enough they pulled off some excellent times.”
The results of the meet are not completely tabulated at the time of publishing, but Syvertsen said several swimmers posted their personal bests at the virtual swim meet, one even besting their time by six seconds.
“It is giving them some incentive to pick up where we may leave off for next year. We have unfinished business,” he said.
The virtual meet was a good chance for the swimmers to compete.
Last season many swimmers had qualified with provincial time and qualified to compete, but the day before the meet, it was cancelled, and they missed that opportunity.
“They were waiting for an opportunity to show their stuff. That was two competition seasons we have lost and now two swimmers have graduated,” he said.

A group of residents concerned about flood mitigation projects in the valley has instigated a petition for the Minister of Municipal Affairs to do an inspection of the Town of Drumheller.
The petition asks the Minister of Municipal Affairs for an inspection as it relates to “1) full disclosure of the flood mitigation plan to the public as a whole including the buyout prices of property, 2) whether the tendering process and award of all contracts have been fair and unbiased (including the contract to Scott Land and Lease and Darwin Durnie Contracting) and 3) whether the grant dollars from the Federal and Provincial governments have been expensed appropriately including those dollars contributed from the municipality’s taxpayers.”
Nacmine resident Ralph Veenhuis tells the Mail while he did not draft the petition, he is a supporter of it and has actively been garnering signatures.
“I do support the flood mitigation program be completely disclosed to the public taxpayers, what is going on within our town, the developments, and where our dollars are being spent,” he said.
According to the Municipal Government Act, an inspection can be instigated by a petition by the electors of the municipality equal in numbers to at least 20 per cent of the population. Veenhuis says this is about 1,600 signatures. He also says the petition must be completed within two months.