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Glacier Bears score medal, four club records at provincials

Members of the Whitehorse Glacier Bears posted short times in a long-course event over the weekend.
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Members of the Whitehorse Glacier Bears posted short times in a long-course event over the weekend.

All six Glacier Bears recorded personal best times at the 2016 Swim B.C. AAA Long Course Championships in Victoria.

Fast times resulted in a bronze medal, a pair of close misses, and four club records.

Cassis Lindsay won bronze in the 50-metre freestyle with a personal best of 27.69 seconds. It was her second time in a row winning bronze in the 50 free at the AAAs.

The 15-year-old also claimed 10th in the 50-metre butterfly (30.38) and 13th in the 100-metre freestyle (1:00.64) for girls 14-15.

“Cassis Lindsay swam very good in her 50 fly, improving her best time and finishing 10th. Her dive still needs some work, but her underwater off the blocks brings her ahead of other girls in the first meters of the race,” said Glacier Bears head coach Malwina Bukszowana in a news release.

Despite a foot injury, younger sister Rennes Lindsay came just short of hardware in a pair of freestyle events. She took fourth in the 400 free (4:41.70) and the 800 free (9:47.57) with personal bests in both.

She missed the bronze by the tiny margin of .05 seconds in the 400.

“She was doing very well, she had a great second half of her race, but Rennes didn’t fully pay attention to the other side of the pool, where another finalist was passing her on the last few strokes,” said Bukszowana.

Whitehorse’s Adrian Robinson didn’t crack the top 10, but he did put bookkeepers to work. The 16-year-old set four Glacier Bears club records with 11th in the 50-metre breaststroke at 31.69 and 30th in the 50-metre butterfly at 28.11, in the boys 15 -17 category.

He also set club records in the 50 free (25.62) and the 100 breast (1:12.50).

Teammate Amelia Ford set six personal bests at what was her first AAAs and her first long-course event. She took 12th in the 50 fly (34.88) and 13th in the 50-metre backstroke (38.39).

Glacier Bear Hannah Kingscote swam to 15th in the 50 back (33.27) and 21st in the 50 fly (31.20) with three PBs along the way.

Thomas Bakica registered five PBs and took 22nd in the 1,500 free (20:08.21).

Glacier Bears wrapped up their Vancouver Island trip with races in the B.C. Open Water Swim Championships on Monday. Rennes and Bakica notched ninth and 10th place finishes in the two-kilometre event.

“For both Thomas and Rennes swimming outside in the lake is fun,” said Bukszowana. “They both came out after the race happy and they want to do it again.”

Contact Tom Patrick at

tomp@yukon-news.com