In the summer of 2009, Whitehorse swimmer Bronwyn Pasloski had a choice of schools to attend in this fall. Numerous NCAA universities from throughout the states were wooing her.
Having eventually settled on the University of Indiana, Hoosier State, Pasloski sounds like she made the right choice.
“I love the Indiana swim team and coaches,” wrote Pasloski in an e-mail to the News. “They are a great fit with me and we work extremely well together. I feel like we will do great things and have some extremely fast swimming over the next few years. I am very, very pleased with my decision of coming here.”
The former Glacier Bear, who is attending Indiana on a full scholarship, is already producing in the pool after just two meets. In her first NCAA meet the weekend before last, Pasloski helped her school to a 156-129 win over Kentucky State with a second-place finish in the women’s 200-yard breaststroke and fourth in the 100-yard.
“There is definitely a transition from high school and club swimming to university and NCAA competition, but I am dealing with the change very well,” wrote Pasloski. “I love working hard and doing new things, and that is exactly what Indiana’s program gives me. We are put to the test everyday, and I love every second of it.”
This past weekend in a dual meet versus Michigan and Texas, Pasloski swam to a third in the 200-yard breaststroke, fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke and also helped her team to top-10 placing in five different relay events, including a fourth in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
“We do not rest for any of our dual meets. In fact, when at home, we have a practice earlier that morning to make the meet more of a challenge,” wrote Pasloski. “These meets are to practise our racing, which I never got a lot of chances to do when (in Whitehorse) because of being so far away from competition. My swims last weekend were quite good, especially for being right in the middle of our hard training.”
Pasloski currently holds 46 Glacier Bears club records and two BC provincial records. Having left the Whitehorse club, Pasloski is ineligible to break either Glacier Bear or BC records - now she will be trying for school and state records. But as a Canadian, she can still set Canadian senior records, provided she’s swimming an event measured in metres and not yards, which has not the been the case thus far.
Last season Pasloski won silver at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, bronze at the Speedo Western Canadian Short Course Championships, two bronze medals at the Australian Age Group Championships, three bronze at the Swim Canada Age Group Nationals, bronze in a Canada Cup event and added two more silvers at the 2009 Paul Bergen Junior International in Portland, Oregon, last December.
“As for classes, of course they are harder, but I anticipated that so it isn’t to much of a rough go on me,” wrote Pasloski. “My hardest challenge so far is just being so far away from my family. They are my biggest supports so it’s sad and difficult not seeing them every day, but we all keep in touch regularly, so it makes things a lot easier for me.”
Pasloski is not the only former Glacier Bear making waves at the university level.
Whitehorse’s Tanner Cassidy is currently swimming at Queens University in his second year, and Ariana Edelman is in her second year at the University of Lethbridge, where her brother Spencer Edelman recently left the swim team after graduating.
“Both Edelmans have been good members of the team with respect to attitude, work ethic and leadership,” wrote Lethbridge head swim coach Brad Mori in an e-mail to the News. “Ariana Edelman, is working on her Canada West qualifying time to make the team. She is working hard in to do this training as part of the Lethbridge Amateur Swim Club. She is a very nice girl, works hard and is very diligent with her academic pursuits.”
Another former Bear at university is Whitehorse native Mackenzie Downing, who recently competed above the university level. The 24-year-old is attending the University of Victoria and is competing on the Victoria Academy, the national training centre, having exceeded her eligibility on the university team. Downing recently competed at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India - one of three Yukon on Team Canada - reaching two finals in three butterfly events.
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com