A summer of hard work, personal bests and team spirit ends with 11 Dolphins moving on to Provincials
If there is one word that best describes the Golden Dolphins’ weekend at their home meet, it is proud.
With beautiful summer weather over the Golden Outdoor Pool, the Dolphins wrapped up another busy weekend of racing in front of family, friends and their home crowd. The concession kept swimmers and spectators fueled throughout the weekend, while the pool deck had the energy that makes summer swimming in a small community so special.
And in the water, the Golden Dolphins gave their coaches plenty to celebrate.
The Dolphins collected a long list of first-, second- and third-place finishes throughout the weekend, with swimmers from the youngest divisions through the senior ranks stepping up and racing hard. While the medals and ribbons were certainly exciting, the coaching staff came away from the weekend most impressed by the effort and improvement shown across the entire team.
There were personal bests throughout the meet, with swimmers continuing to show the progress they have made since jumping into the pool earlier this summer.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this group,” said head coach Stephen Calkins. “The results are great, but what makes me most proud is the way these swimmers have supported each other and continued to push themselves. Every swimmer has contributed to this team this season, whether they were winning races, achieving a personal best, swimming their first meet or cheering for a teammate.”
Dolphins Find the Podium
The weekend featured a number of outstanding individual performances.
Tyla McRoberts opened the podium celebrations with a win in the Division 4 50-metre freestyle, touching in 30.49. She later added a second-place finish in the 100-metre freestyle in 1:09.26.
Micah Vanderhart had an exceptional weekend, winning the Division 5 50-metre freestyle in 30.25, finishing second in the 50-metre butterfly in 34.37, and winning the 100-metre backstroke in 1:17.37.
Stella Kells was another standout, winning the Division 6 50-metre freestyle in 30.77 and adding a second-place finish in the 50-metre butterfly.
Sophie Gale-Speers continued her strong season with a victory in the Division 4 50-metre butterfly in 37.12. She also earned second-place finishes in both the 200-metre individual medley and 100-metre breaststroke.
Liam McRoberts took the top spot in the Division 3 50-metre butterfly with a time of 43.22, another strong performance from one of Golden’s young leaders.
Leah Feuz won the Division 1 50-metre butterfly in 54.73, while also taking second in the 100-metre freestyle.
Theo Ewan added another Golden victory, winning the Division 2 50-metre breaststroke in 47.91 and achieving a Provincial qualifying time.
Alisa Johnston also put together an excellent weekend, winning the Division 2 50-metre breaststroke in 50.20 and finishing second in the 100-metre freestyle.
Malcolm Labonville finished second in the Division 7 200-metre individual medley and second in the 100-metre backstroke, before producing one of the weekend’s biggest performances in the 100-metre breaststroke.
Other Dolphins earning individual top-three finishes included Lily Neilson, Felix Poulin, Nathan Tan, Bria Cassman, Maddie Lainchbury, Lucy Comstock, Kenzie Lainchbury, Riley Granter, Leo Otcenasek, Chris Granter, Aspen Bowers, Roxy Coatesworth, Blake Page, Frederick Aldinger, Abigail Comstock, and Leo Otcenasek.
The depth of the results was perhaps the most encouraging part of the weekend. Golden swimmers were consistently finding themselves in the top three across multiple divisions and strokes, demonstrating that the success of the club is not dependent on just a handful of athletes.
Two New Meet Records for Malcolm
The weekend also saw the Dolphins add their names to the meet record book.
Malcolm Labonville broke the meet record in the Boys Division 7 200-metre individual medley, swimming 2:32.75. The previous record had stood at 2:33.72.
He wasn’t finished.
In the Boys Division 7 100-metre breaststroke, Labonville stopped the clock at 1:17.40, breaking the previous meet record of 1:18.30.
Two meet records on the same weekend made for an impressive way to finish the home portion of the season.
Strong Relays, Stronger Team
The individual results were only part of the story.
The Dolphins also enjoyed success in the relay events, including wins in the Girls Division 4 200-metre medley relay, Boys Division 4 200-metre medley relay, Boys Division 8 200-metre medley relay, and several 200-metre freestyle relays. Golden also had multiple second- and third-place relay finishes across the divisions.
Those relay results may have been some of the most meaningful performances of the weekend.
Swimming is often measured in hundredths of a second, but relays are different. Four swimmers have to trust each other, race for each other and celebrate together. Watching the Dolphins come together on the blocks and behind the lanes was another reminder of how much this group has grown as a team.
A Season Worth Celebrating
For most of the Golden Dolphins, the home meet marked the end of their 2026 competitive season.
That makes the weekend’s performances even more meaningful.
For these swimmers, there will be no more races to prepare for this summer. No more early mornings at the pool. No more checking heat sheets. No more chasing that next personal best.
Instead, they get to look back on what they accomplished.
And there is a lot to look back on.
Some swimmers earned their first podium finish. Others recorded personal bests they had been chasing all season. Some learned how to race a new event. Others learned how to handle disappointment and come back stronger in their next race.
And every one of them became a little better swimmer and, hopefully, a little more confident person along the way.
As a coach, that is what makes this team so special.
“I am proud of every single swimmer on this team,” Calkins said. “Not just the swimmers who won medals and not just the swimmers who are moving on to Provincials. I am proud of the kids who showed up every day, worked hard, supported their teammates and gave everything they had when they got behind the blocks. That is what being a Dolphin is about.”
Eleven Dolphins Keep Swimming
While the season is finished for most of the team, 11 Golden Dolphins will continue racing at Provincials.
They are:
Lily Neilson
Malcolm Labonville
Micah Vanderhart
Maddison Vanderhart
Theo Ewan
Liam McRoberts
Tyla McRoberts
Sophie Gale-Speers
Anika Crawford
Stella Kells
Maclaren Mentz
For those 11 swimmers, the next chapter of the season begins now.
For everyone else, the final race has been swum.
But that doesn’t make their season any less important.
The Golden Dolphins have built something special this summer. They have developed as swimmers, grown as teammates and created memories that will last well beyond the final meet.
The coaches can now look at the results, the personal bests, the podium finishes and the meet records and know that the countless hours of work were worth it.
But more importantly, they can look down the pool deck and see a group of young athletes who are proud to call themselves Golden Dolphins.
And that is a result worth celebrating.
To every Golden Dolphin: congratulations on an incredible season. I could not be prouder of you.
To those heading to Provincials: go represent Golden with the same heart, effort and team spirit you have shown all summer.
And to everyone whose season ends here: thank you for making this team what it is. Your contribution matters, your progress matters, and you should be incredibly proud of what you accomplished this summer.
