Keremeos was represented on the provincial stage earlier this month thanks to the efforts of two local swimmers.
Anne-Marie Molachyk and Jessica Eckley hit the pools in Richmond on Nov. 15 and 16, after qualifying for the BC School Sports' 2024 Aquatics Championships.
"They qualified, stepped up did extremely well," said Tanya Molachyk, Keremeos' head coach at the event. "It's a big competition for them, as thousands of kids fight to get there."
Molachyk and Eckley are Grade 9 students at Similkameen Elementary Secondary School.
While other schools from across the province, including Penticton Secondary, sent a handful of swimmers to the event, Molachyk and Eckley were the only ones to make up Keremeos' squad.
"I'm absolutely overjoyed that they made it that far," their coach said.
Molachyk and Eckley finished 26th and 28th overall, respectively, and did so while competing against swimmers at least two years older than them.
Both of the 14-year-old athletes are also coaches in Keremeos and have helped mentor the next batch of aspiring youth athletes in the community.
"For them to represent our town and our school is pretty huge," Molachyk added. "It's something that the younger kids in our swim club can look up to."
Naomi Antler, who is from Keremeos but now coaches for Penticton's KISU Swim Club, says it was special to see her hometown represented on the Lower Mainland.
"I thought it was great," Antler said. "It's really good to see that they have a team out there and competing."
Before coaching in Penticton, Antler began her tenure as a volunteer at the Similkameen Steelheads Swim Club. She also co-founded the Keremeos Young Leaders program while she was living in the Similkameen village.
"I've coached both Jessica and Anne-Marie, and both of them have had summers where they swim really fast, train really well and coach the little guys, as well," Antler said. "I think they have those leadership qualities built in, and that's super important."
Keremeos' team was one of five from the Thompson-Okanagan to qualify for this month's event in Richmond. A total of 32 clubs from across the province participated in the festivities.
"There was no doubt in my mind it was going to be a great adventure, and it was," Molachyk said. "Hopefully it doesn't stop here for Keremeos, and we have a team go to provincials again next year."
