CROWELL BREAKS PROVINCIAL RECORDS

Qualifying for the Olympic games is a long-term goal of Charlottetown native Paige Crowell.  She is one step closer to achieving that goal after returning home from her first Senior National Swimming Championships, held in Montreal.  For the first time in nearly a quarter of a century a Charlottetown Bluephin stepped up on the blocks to represent PEI at the pinnacle of swimming in Canada.

Senior Nationals brings together the top 400 swimmers in Canada to try and qualify for the year’s premier World Swimming event.  Swimmers compete in an “open” age group with the youngest swimmers being fourteen and the oldest late twenties.  This year the meets up for grabs were Pan Pacific Championships and Commonwealth Games. 

“Paige has been very focused all season about first qualifying for this meet and then performing.  Her training has been extremely consistent which showed in the results this weekend”, commented Head Coach William Calhoun.

The goal for Crowell at these Championships was very simple; gain experience on the National stage.  She achieved that goal with flying colours and also posted some impressive times along the way.  She shattered three provincial and club records and posted times that now rank her in the top 10 in Canada for 16 year olds in the 50 Breaststroke and 100 Breaststroke.  At the meet her best finish came in the 100 Breaststroke placing 26^th.  Her 50 Breast was close behind for a 38^th overall rank and she touched 49^th in the 200 Breast.

“I am very proud of Paige and the progress she has made this season.  She deserves all the results she gets and really impressed me this weekend.  Before her first event (100 Breast) she looked the most confident I have seen her all season.  You would never had known it was her first race at Senior Nationals.  She stepped up won that heat in an extremely impressive time.” said Calhoun.

At the event Paige was able to warm-up in the same lane as World Champion Brent Hayden and race against World Record holder Annamay Pierse.  The memories from this meet will stay with her forever. 

Crowell gets set to take the first plunge

“Thank you to all the people who sent me cards and well-wishes for my trip to Senior Nationals. It felt really good to know so many people were behind me”, acclaimed Paige Crowell.

She now sets her performance goals on performing at Age group Nationals in July.  It is a sure bet she will continue to shine at the national stage after results seen at Senior Nationals.