By: Georgia LeBlanc, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Tilbury Times Reporter
On Aug. 16, the Tilbury Vikings hosted a swim meet sponsored by local businesses at the town pool.
Welcoming over 220 swimmers from all across southern Ontario, both the parent council and team members of the Vikings alike said the event was a huge success.
Vice president of the Vikings, Julia Gregoire, said several swimmers came from far and wide to attend this year’s event.
“A lot of the teams came from as far as Wyoming, Ontario to Windsor,” said Gregoire. “It’s a well-respected swim meet.”
Fourteen-year-old Vikings member Adele Grieves, who has been swimming since she was eleven, said the event was a blast.
“It was amazing,” said Grieves. “It was one of the biggest swim meets of the year. Everyone there was fantastic, including the staff and people helping out.”
President of the Vikings, Randy Borean, has two daughters who are avid swimmers of the group. When former president Jon Orr’s kids grew out of the team, he retired. Following this, Borean said he ran for president to preserve the team for both his daughters and the rest of the members.
“I was elected because there were few people who wanted to or were able to commit the time and effort,” said Borean. “I didn’t want to see my daughters not have the same experience they were having before.”
Borean said the main purpose of the event is to create a friendly atmosphere for kids to swim and practice good sportsmanship.
“Everyone usually looks forward to our event, so we tried our best to make it the best we could,” said Borean. “It’s all for the kids to have fun and enjoy being in the pool with friends, along with a little bit of friendly competition.”
Gregoire said her favourite part of helping to oversee the team is watching the effects it has on young swimmers.
“It’s been great to watch the friendships grow,” said Gregoire. “We have a large range of age groups from nine to fifteen, and they just support each other across the entire team. It’s just an all-around good team and good sport.”
Gregoire’s ten-year-old daughter Sloan, won first place overall for her age group at the event. Nonetheless, Sloan said people at the meet were supportive of everyone, no matter how they placed.
“Everybody’s so supportive, no matter if you’re first or last,” said Sloan. “They always cheer you on and say you rocked it.”
Grieves said she is also one of the twenty-six Vikings members who enjoys the friendly atmosphere of the swimming community.
“I’ve gotten to make so many new friends,” said Grieves. “It’s such a great experience to get to know more people, whether it be kids or adults.
Both Borean and Gregoire said the team’s parent council is independently responsible for planning and executing the Viking’s home event. They also register and manage the team at events that are away from home.
“This event couldn’t happen without the parents,” said Borean. “I think we’re one of the only teams or clubs that are solely run by parents.”
However, this year, Borean said the council received some generous help from local businesses.
I want the community of Tilbury to know how much it was appreciated for their donations and support,” said Borean. “We were only looking for small donations. The local businesses and even just the community in general were absolutely more than generous.”
Gregoire also said she would like to thank the CK Lifeguards at the Tilbury pool who coach the team from Monday to Friday.
