Alexandra Gabor, 15, and Bronwyn Pasloski, 16, have a few more souvenirs to remember the season by after competing in the North American Challenge Cup last weekend in Edmonton.
As a part of Team Canada in a meet that included swimmers from Canada, Mexico and the US, the two local athletes accumulated a total of 10 medals between them.
Gabor particularly dominated her events, getting medals in all her races, taking in five golds and two silvers.
“It’s probably the most (medals I’ve gotten) all summer,” said Gabor. “In the other meets we didn’t have relays, it was only in the Team Canada meets that we had relays.”
Gabor took gold in the 50-, 200-, 400-metre freestyle as well as in the 4x100 and 4x200-metre freestyle relays. Her silvers came in the 100-metre freestyle and in the 4x100 medley, in which she was the anchor.
“I just wanted to go in and do my best — I think I did pretty good,” said Gabor. “I was close to some of my best times.”
Giving a couple of personal bests, Pasloski took gold in the 100 and 200-metre breaststroke events. Pasloski also added a silver to her collection, racing in the 4x100 medley with Gabor.
“It was definitely my best performance all summer, considering I didn’t do that well last summer,” said Pasloski. “This summer I made best times in my biggest events.”
Competing in the B squad for Team Canada, Posloski also had fourth place finishes in the 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays.
Pasloski competed in the 100-metre freestyle and the 200-metre individual medley, but withdrew from the finals to save her strength for her other races.
“The 100 freestyle wasn’t that great for me,” said Pasloski. “I just went pretty easy, so it wasn’t a best time for me. Same with my 200 (individual medley).
“I scratched from the finals so I could go faster in the relays,” she added.
The two Glacier Bears now face a long winter of preparation for next season. Perhaps memories of their remarkable season will work as motivation throughout the cold months.
“I’m really happy with it because I got best times,” said Gabor, speaking of her prosperous season. “I’m proud of what I did because I worked hard for it and it all paid off.”
“I improved throughout (the season),” said Pasloski. “I was struggling at first but I finished really solid, so I was really happy.”