The men swimming in the Battle of the Sexes were poised to deliver a huge upset. Alas, it was not meant to be and the ladies continue their reign as the superior swimmers.
In February, the Drumheller Aquaplex hosted the annual Battle of the Sexes, a two week swimming contest where the two sexes compete to see who can swim the most lengths of the pool.
For most of the battle, the men had a commanding lead.
“I thought we had it this year, to tell the truth. Every time we came, there seemed to be more guys than girls, but I guess, in total, there are always more women than men. Plus, most of the lifeguard staff are ladies and do a lot of lengths,” said Morgan Syvertsen, who swam the maximum 700 lengths for the guys.
In the end, the ladies won by just over 400 lengths. They are being humble in their victory.
“It feels good. It was nice that it wasn’t one-sided. The men were leading most of the way and there were tons of participants,” said Kali Wade. “There were more men who swam the maximum 700 lengths, but there were more ladies overall.”
In the end, there were a total of 82 ladies and 52 men who swam. The ladies swam 12,785 lengths to the men’s 12,356, a different of 429.
Participants who swam the maximum 700 lengths include Audrey DeBona, Ann Wade, Bev Cole, Wendy Bilson, Eileen Woods, and Kali Wade for the ladies. For the guys, Dave Eberth, Doug Wade, Sandy McLean, David Lloyd, Morgan Syvertsen, Guy Latour, Bill Judge, and Duane Bolin swam the maximum.
Throughout the 18 years the battle has been held, the ladies have won all but one. Two years ago the men staged a huge upset and were the victors. Last year, the ladies reclaimed their swimming title.
The Battle of the Sexes began in early February, but was interrupted for just over a week after the Aquaplex experienced a mechanical breakdown, where several valves broke.
The contest started up again as soon as the pool was ready, but the delay may have had more of an impact than anyone expected.
“It seemed like we had a lot more swimmers before the pool closed. After we came back, it felt like there was less people. When something like that happens it can really break up your routine,” said Kali Wade.
Next year the men may get a boost from a few of the current members of the Badlands Aquatic Club.
“There are a few 17-year-old male swimmers with the swim club. Some of them went to nationals and were just itching to join the battle, but couldn’t. With them, I think next year will be really good,” said Wade.
The guys are already looking forward to next year.
“Hopefully we can get more guys out next year,” said Lloyd. “It’d be nice to win more than once every 18 years.”
David Lloyd (left) and Morgan Syvertsen were forced to watch as Kali Wade and Dawna Losoncy celebrate their victory in the Battle of the Sexes.