Bria Michalski of the Cochrane Piranhas had to take two cracks at winning silver during the Region E Regional Championships in Calgary on Aug. 12 to 13.
Michalski and her closest opponent finished in 128.12 seconds – which resulted in having to compete in a swim off – something she didn’t know was possible.
“What in the world is a swim off?” she remembered thinking.
“At first it was nerve-racking,” Michalski said about waiting to see her time before she was told it was a tie.”
After a close initial race, Michalski and her opponent squared off with silver on the line.
Swimming her heart out, Michalski remembers her moment of triumph.
“I gave it everything I had,” Michalski said noticing her opponent was about a metre ahead of her in the last 25 metres of the race – winning with a time of 127.69. “I was happy for myself … I felt bad of the other girl but, at the same time, I was ecstatic.
“It was absolutely incredible…the atmosphere was incredible.”
Head coach of the Piranhas Breanna Hendriks recalls the moment as mind-blowing.
“It was the biggest swimming moment I’ve ever seen,” Hendriks said. “The top five most exciting I’ve watched.”
She said there wasn’t a single person who wasn’t screaming with excitement.
“Her improvement this year has been phenomenal,” Hendriks said of Michalski.
Many swimmers qualified for provincials that weekend and Hendriks is extremely proud of the entire team’s performance at regionals.
“It was really great results from the weekend,” she said. “To see the club come together and support one another … the collection of races and swimming their best.”
Twenty-threeswimmers from the Cochrane Piranhas qualified for provincials, which will take place in Edmonton from Aug.18 to 20.
