Now the Sudbury Laurentian Swim Club (SLSC) athletes will enjoy a few well-deserved days off.

In their final weekend of competition on two different fronts, SLSC representatives closed out the year in style. The only local who qualified for the OJI (Ontario Junior International) at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre from December 14th to the 17th, James Bertrim recorded five new personal best times, all while competing in that same number of events.

In lowering his time below the four minute plateau in the 400m freestyle event, the Lockerby Composite senior became the first local product to accomplish the feat since Olympic double gold medal winner Alex Baumann some fifty years ago.

"He had been swimming really well at a couple of smaller meets, but this was by far the most intimidating races for him all year," noted SLSC head coach Dean Henze. "He stood up and really pounded out some great swims."

Meanwhile, the balance of the SLSC crew found themselves in Brantford for the Team Showdown on those same dates. While we have previously noted the on-going progress of the early teen grouping of Dax Hester, Jack Smith and Hudson Green, coach Henze was thrilled for that troika to welcome more fast-rising swimmers to their level (or close to it).

In particular, he noted the performances of Ewan Duncan (5th in 200m freestyle and 200m backstroke), James Ford (four top-tens) and Blake Gough (bronze in 100m and 200m freestyle).

Other placements of note included:

Lauren Buchowski (17)
200m backstroke (17 & over) - 2:37.43 (3rd)
200m freestyle (17 & over) - 2:18.09 (5th)
400m freestyle (17 & over) - 4:54.15 (7th)

Callum Duncan (11)
200m breaststroke (11-12) - 3:01.13 (2nd)
400m freestyle (11-12) - 5:25.76 (3rd)

Jacob Guillet (16)
200m butterfly (15-16) - 2:23.03 (2nd)
200m individual medley (15-16) - 2:22.85 (4th)

Brooke Herranen (14)
200m breaststroke (13-14) - 2:58.60 (2nd)
100m breaststroke (13-14) - 1:20.66 (4th)

Lauren LaPrairie (12)
400m individual medley (11-12) - 6:06.52 (2nd)
100m breaststroke (11-12) - 1:26.11 (3rd)

Noah Rioux (17)
400m individual medley (17 & over) - 5:08.49 (5th)
200m butterfly (17 & over) - 2:20.33 (5th)

Ben Schell (17)
400m individual medley (17 & over) - 4:54.92 (2nd)
200m backstroke (17 & over) - 2:12.13

Resuming training the middle of the next week, SLSCers still have a lot on the docket, including senior Alexandre Landry joing the National Training Centre crew to participate in the 2024 TYR Pro Swim Series meet set for January 10th to 13th in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Mid January finds a big group heading to Orillia while the provincial kids head to Markham for their first long-course meet of the winter, all in anticipation of the Dave Kensit Memorial Swim Meet in Sault Ste Marie on February 3rd and 4th.