Collingwood Clippers making a splash in the big pools

Collingwood Clippers Swim Club competitors have capped off the season with the club's best-ever results and some swimmers got to met their heroes.

One athlete made it to the Olympic trials, four are at the national level and 10 are at the provincial level. Some of the competitors are in the top 10 in Canada.

"Our team did incredibly well. We have more kids ranked nationally and provincially than we've ever had," said Naomi Paterson, president of the club.

The club has grown tremendously in the last decade. In 2013 they had 34 swimmers. In the 2023-2024 season, they had 203 competitive swimmers.

‘Having so many kids on the national and provincial stage at different age levels is just incredible," said Paterson.

Coaching staff has also increased to approximately 30 paid coaches, some with national and Olympic experience. There are also volunteer coaches, many of whom are seasoned Clippers competitors.

“Our coaches this year have been fantastic. They worked a lot on technique and speed and it’s served us very well,” said Paterson.

So, who made the Olympic trials? That was 16-year-old breaststroke specialist Spencer Adlington.

"Making the Olympic trials was the highlight of this season. I qualified at the last minute. It was so cool seeing Summer McIntosh and Josh Liendo there," Adlington said.

"I got signatures from Maggie McNeil, Kylie Masse and Penny Oleksiak," he added.

“Seeing all of them race in the finals was super motivating and made me fall back in love with the sport. I dream to be like Summer McIntosh, 17 years old and being able to compete in the Olympics."

Adlington's best events are the 50-, 100- and 200-metre breaststroke.

He competed in the Canadian Junior Championships this month, the Olympic trials in May and the Eastern Nationals in March, finishing well in his events. Adlington also broke a 26-year-old Club record in the 50-metre breaststroke this season.

Liam Paterson, 15, competed in the Canadian Junior Championships this month in the 100- and 200-metre butterfly and is currently ranked in the top 10. Paterson broke 16 Clippers records this season.

He met now Olympic silver medalist Canadian swimmer Josh Liendo and got a photo with him.

“My favourite swimmer is Josh Liendo because he’s a 100 fly and that’s my best event as well. My next best stroke is sprint freestyle which is his as well. Meeting him was really inspiring," Paterson said.

Thirteen-year-old Kenzie Sparrow is ranked in the top 10 in Canada for freestyle events. She was the third Clipper to compete at the Canadian Junior Championships in the 50- and 100-freestyle in August where she finished eighth overall and recorded best personal times.

Her favourite swimmers are Penny Oleksiak and Summer McIntosh. Sparrow will be 17 when the next Olympic trials come around, which is inspiring for her.

Sparrow also competed in the Eastern Nationals in Quebec City in March and she broke one Clipper record this season.

Her goal for next season is to continue make qualifying times with an eye for the Canadian trials in the future.

NIALL CRESPY

Niall Crespy, an 11-year-old backstroke specialist, is No. 1 in Ontario.

While there is no national competition for this age group, Crespy ranks in the top 10 for the 50-, 100- and 200-metre backstroke events.

He also broke 11 Clippers records this season.

"The highlight of my season was getting gold at provincials in backstroke,"  Crespy said. "When I touched the wall and saw my time, it made me feel proud of myself.

"I love competing. I like meeting new people and I just love being in the water."

His favourite swimmer is Canadian and now Olympic backstroker Ingrid Wilm, because Crespy got to meet her at a training event and wear her three bronze medals from the Doha 2024 World Aquatics Championship. 

“It made me see how far I can go and test how well I can do,” he said.

The season is over and swimmers are taking a break. 

Registration for the upcoming season begins with team tryouts occurring at the end of August for the season starting in September. For more information go to the website: collingwoodclippers.ca.