The recent Dominique Bouchard Invitational Swim Meet in North Bay produced a number of highlights for the 30+ swimmers who represented the Nickel City Aquatics (NCA) - though the first ever 1500m race for birthday boy Noah McGregor ranked right near the top of that list.
The grade 8 student at the Sudbury Christian Academy who celebrates his 13th birthday on December 3rd blistered his way to a clocking of 18:25.87, achieving the standard time for the Ontario Swimming Championships in the process.
"I didn't really know what was going to happen so I went out pretty hard and was able to maintain that pace," said McGregor, now three years into his time with NCA after training with a couple of other northern Ontario clubs in previous years.
"I just went for it and felt good."
More of a backstroker earlier in his swim career, McGregor is still recovering from training time lost due to an appendectomy in October, though the impact seems to differ a little from one stroke to the next.
"Right now, my distance freestyle is feeling amazing - and the results are pretty good as well," he said. "But my backstroke is not as strong as I would like it to be."
Where some distance swimmers might let their mind wander to music and such to pass race time in the water, the go to for McGregor is far more of a physical one.
"What I do is to think about making sure my technique is strong, that I am finishing my stroke and not cutting it short," he said. "Fast turns - tight streamlines - and kicking."
"I sometimes forget to kick and rely on my arms a lot, which causes them to get tired."
If fatigue set in, it certainly wasn't obvious for Noah McGregor - nor his teammates, Charlie Richardson, Julian Luoma or Jake Vanderydt.
Just ten years of age, Richardson swam to gold in the 200 I.M. (individual medley), both the 100 and 200 backstroke as well as the 50m butterfly.
The top local finisher in OFSAA cross-country earlier this fall, Luoma posted seven new personal best times, highlighted by a first place finish in the 50m butterfly, touching the wall in a time of 30.95 seconds.
Right on his heels was 13 year old Jake Vanderydt, six for six in the PB department and hitting the podium with a top three finish in five of his six events.
The Nickel City Aquatics are back on the road this coming weekend, participating in the Murray Drudge Invitational at the Toronto Pan Am Centre.
On another note, kudos go out to long-time NCA head coach Linda Tenhunen, named as one of eight “Women of Distinction” in Sudbury earlier this fall. The annual gala is hosted by the Sudbury YWCA with Tenhunen honoured in the “well-being and health” category.
“As a founding member of Nickel City Aquatics (NCA) in 2007, Dr. Linda played a pivotal role in its establishment and subsequent growth from a modest group of 26 swimmers to one of the largest competing clubs in Northern Ontario,” noted the biography on Tenhunen that appeared in the evening program.
