Three Yukon communities met the challenge - the Yukon Summer Swim Challenge.
Thirty-nine swimmers from three communities competed at the annual swim meet over the weekend in Watson Lake.
Represented at the meet were the Carcross Hammerheads with seven swimmers, the Haines Junction Shakwak Sharks with 14, and the hosting Watson Lake Dennis Dynamos with 18.
The Shakwak Sharks finished with 60 podium finishes, beating out the Dynamos with 30 and the Hammerheads with 20.
Three swimmers at the meet won races in all five events. Going undefeated over five races were Watson Lake’s Aaron Chaput in boys 12-15, Haines Junction’s Melanie Eckervoght in girls 12-15 and Haines Junction’s Dawson Weir, alone in the boys 10-11 category.
“Aaron Chaput beat some of the coaches in his times,” said Dynamos head coach Jessica Thomas. “He used to be on the swim team when he was younger, and he just rejoined the team at the end of the year.”
It was the first time the swim meet was combined with the Junior Lifeguard Competition. The competition featured five events in which competitors put their lifesaving skills through various tests.
Like the swim meet with its undefeated swimmers, the lifeguard contest had its own standout.
Twelve-year-old Dexter Lund from Watson Lake not only won the 10-pound object-support contest, he ran out the clock. Lund treaded water holding a 10-pound brick for a full five minutes, almost four minutes longer than any other competitor.
“Most of the kids can hold it for 15 seconds, 25 seconds, sometimes you can get up to a minute,” said meet director Krista Senez. “I’ve been doing swim meets since I was 15 and I’m in my 40s now and I’ve never seen a kid max out the time at five minutes.
“We made him up a nice certificate for that ... that was a big deal.”
See full junior lifeguard competition results at www.yukon-news.com/sports.
Top three swim results
Girls seven-and-under
backstroke (25 metre)
1st Freya-Rae Rowe
(Haines Junction) - 0:28
2nd Piper Wirth
(Haines Junction) - 0:33
3rd Amber Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 0:52
Boys seven-and-under
backstroke (25 metre)
1st Ethan Thompson
(Haines Junction) - 0:26
2nd Jackson Sheardown
(Haines Junction) - 0:42
3rd Adam Bergeron
(Watson Lake) - 0:59
Girls 8-9 backstroke (50 metre)
1st Annika Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 1:17
2nd Chanelle Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 1:20
3rd Breyze Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 1:21
Boys 8-9 backstroke (50 metre)
1st Joah Thompson
(Haines Junction) - 1:07
2nd Adam Lamha
(Watson Lake) - 1:18
3rd Scottie Shepherd
(Carcross) - 1:28
Girls 10-11 backstroke
(100 metre)
1st Britney Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 2:02
2nd Piper Allen
(Watson Lake) - 2:20
3rd Madison Moore
(Watson Lake) - 2:29
Boys 10-11 backstroke
(100 metre)
1st Dawson Weir
(Haines Junction) - 2:03
Girls 12-15 backstroke
(100 metre)
1st Melanie Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 1:42
2nd Sydney MacKinnon
(Haines Junction) - 1:43
3rd Vanessa Chaput
(Watson Lake) - 2:05
Boys 12-15 backstroke
(100 metre)
1st Aaron Chaput
(Watson Lake) - 1:43
2nd Michael Ritchie
(Haines Junction) - 2:06
3rd Travis Istchenko
(Haines Junction) - 2:18
Girls seven-and-under freestyle
(25 metre)
1st Freya-Rae Rowe
(Haines Junction) - 0:33
2nd Piper Wirth
(Haines Junction) - 0:40
3rd Amber Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 0:48
Boys seven-and-under freestyle
(25 metre)
1st Ethan Thompson
(Haines Junction) - 0:30
2nd Adam Bergeron
(Watson Lake) - 0:41
3rd Jackson Sheardown
(Haines Junction) - 0:43
Girls 8-9 freestyle (50 metre)
1st Breyze Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 1:05
2nd Chanelle Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 1:06
3rd Jaquelin Barret
(Carcross) - 1:14
Boys 8-9 freestyle (50 metre)
1st Joah Thompson
(Haines Junction) - 0:58
2nd Brendon MacKinnon
(Haines Junction) - 1:03
3rd Scottie Shepherd
(Carcross) - 1:08
Girls 10-11 freestyle
(100 metre)
1st Britney Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 1:53
2nd Cassandra Hanchar
(Watson Lake) - 2:08
3rd Madison Moore
(Watson Lake) - 2:15
Boys 10-11 freestyle
(100 metre)
1st Dawson Weir
(Haines Junction) - 1:53
Girls 12-15 freestyle
(100 metre)
1st Melanie Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 1:34
2nd Sydney MacKinnon
(Haines Junction) - 1:35
3rd Kiera Stubenberg
(Watson Lake) - 1:43
Boys 12-15 freestyle
(100 metre)
1st Aaron Chaput
(Watson Lake) - 1:29
2nd Michael Ritchie
(Haines Junction) - 1:48
3rd Travis Istchenko
(Haines Junction) - 1:53
Girls seven-and-under
butterfly (25 metre)
1st Piper Wirth
(Haines Junction) - 0:51
2nd Freya-Rae Rowe
(Haines Junction) - 0:53
3rd Amber Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 0:59
Boys seven-and-under
butterfly (25 metre)
1st Ethan Thompson
(Haines Junction) - 0:39
2nd Jackson Sheardown
(Haines Junction) - 0:52
3rd Adam Bergeron
(Watson Lake) - 1:29
Girls 8-9 butterfly (50 metre)
1st Willow Oakley
(Haines Junction) - 1:20
2nd Chanelle Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 1:21
3rd Breyze Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 1:21
Boys 8-9 butterfly (50 metre)
1st Adam Lamha
(Watson Lake) - 1:27
2nd Scottie Shepherd
(Carcross) - 1:27
3rd Marshal Law
(Watson Lake) - 1:33
Girls 10-11 butterfly
(100 metre)
1st Britney Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 1:13
2nd Cassandra Hanchar
(Watson Lake) - 1:14
3rd Charlayne Walker
(Watson Lake) - 1:26
Boys 10-11 butterfly
(100 metre)
1st Dawson Weir
(Haines Junction) - 1:04
Girls 12-15 butterfly
(100 metre)
1st Melanie Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 0:48
2nd Sydney MacKinnon
(Haines Junction) - 0:55
3rd Rachel O’Brien
(Watson Lake) - 1:02
Boys 12-15 butterfly
(100 metre)
1st Aaron Chaput
(Watson Lake) - 0:50
2nd Michael Ritchie
(Haines Junction) - 1:07
3rd Dexter Lund
(Watson Lake) - 1:08
Girls seven-and-under
breaststroke (25 metre)
1st Piper Wirth
(Haines Junction) - 0:47
2nd Freya-Rae Rowe
(Haines Junction) - 0:49
3rd Amber Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 0:50
Boys seven-and-under
breaststroke (25 metre)
1st Ethan Thompson
(Haines Junction) - 0:43
2nd Adam Bergeron
(Watson Lake) - 0:49
3rd Jackson Sheardown
(Haines Junction) - 0:55
Girls 8-9 breas tstroke
(50 metre)
1st Chanelle Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 1:17
2nd Willow Oakley
(Haines Junction) - 1:23
3rd Breyze Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 1:24
Boys 8-9 breaststroke
(50 metre)
1st Joah Thompson
(Haines Junction) - 1:12
2nd Scottie Shepherd
(Carcross) - 1:17
3rd Brendon MacKinnon
(Haines Junction) - 1:19
Girls 10-11 breaststroke
(100 metre)
1st Britney Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 2:18
2nd Cassandra Hanchar
(Watson Lake) - 2:37
3rd Anna Lund
(Watson Lake) - 2:44
Boys 10-11 breaststroke
(100 metre)
1st Dawson Weir
(Haines Junction) - 2:05
Girls 12-15 breaststroke
(100 metre)
1st Melanie Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 2:01
2nd Sydney MacKinnon
(Haines Junction) - 2:03
3rd Vanessa Chaput
(Watson Lake) - 2:12
Boys 12-15 breaststroke
(100 metre)
1st Aaron Chaput
(Watson Lake) - 1:57
2nd Michael Ritchie
(Haines Junction) - 1:59
3rd Travis Istchenko
(Haines Junction) - 2:24
Girls seven-and-under IM
(25 metre)
1st Amber Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 3:26
2nd Freya-Rae Rowe
(Haines Junction) - 3:32
3rd Piper Wirth
(Haines Junction) - 3:56
Boys seven-and-under IM
(25 metre)
1st Jackson Sheardown
(Haines Junction) - 2:42
2nd Ethan Thompson
(Haines Junction) - 2:44
3rd Adam Bergeron
(Watson Lake) - 4:41
Girls 8-9 IM (50 metre)
1st Willow Oakley
(Haines Junction) - 2:52
2nd Annika Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 2:57
3rd Breyze Firth-Ward
(Carcross) - 2:59
Boys 8-9 IM (50 metre)
1st Joah Thompson
(Haines Junction) - 2:42
2nd Scottie Shepherd
(Carcross) - 2:48
3rd Adam Lamha
(Watson Lake) - 2:54
Girls 10-11 IM (100 metre)
1st Anna Lund
(Watson Lake) - 2:04
2nd Britney Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 2:12
3rd Madison Moore
(Watson Lake) - 2:35
Boys 10-11 IM (100 metre)
1st Dawson Weir
(Haines Junction) - 2:04
Girls 12-15 IM(100 metre)
1st Melanie Eckervoght
(Haines Junction) - 1:36
2nd Sydney MacKinnon
(Haines Junction) - 1:51
3rd Kiera Stubenberg
(Watson Lake) - 1:57
Boys 12-15 IM (100 metre)
1st Aaron Chaput
(Watson Lake) - 1:37
2nd Michael Ritchie
(Haines Junction) - 2:09
3rd Travis Istchenko
(Haines Junction) - 2:22
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com