They finished their competition in July, but a pair of swimmers with the Fergus Phantoms will likely have to wait until the fall to find out if they qualified for Canada’s Special Olympics team.
Jenny Britton and Katrina Joubert, both 19, earned places two years ago with the Ontario team and those championship were held in London last month.
Britton won the gold medal in the breast stroke and a bronze for freestyle, and Joubert finished second in the medley relay and had another second in the individual medley.
“Katrina has a good chance. She swims at the highest level,” Cathy Britton said.
Jenny’s mom said Joubert has the best chance to make the national team and compete in Greece because she races at the 50 metre level, while Jenny raced in the 25 metre competitions. At the Special Olympics there are no 25 metre races.
Jenny Britton began swimming four years ago, and managed to qualify for the Ontario competitions in her first year. Joubert has been swimming for many years.
The competition for Special Olympics runs over the course of the day in each event. Cathy Britton said that is because judges have to take disabilities into account in judging the winners – unlike other competitions where the heat winners meet in a final race to determine the winners.
And do they enjoy the competition?
“Yes,” chorused Jenny and Katrina.
They practice every Tuesday, and that causes both girls to be thankful for the support they have received. Once they made the Ontario team for the competition, they had to practice two hours a week, which could have been a problem because their Fergus Phantoms swim club ends its season in March.
Coaches who helped included Cynthia Scott-Dupree, Ron Heipel, Jaana Washburn, and Andrew and Jen Either, and Fergus Flippers manager Beth Hickey.
Cathy Britton added that the girls each had to raise $1,000 to attend the games in London, and two coaches helped find a number of sponsors so that the competition did not cost either of them a penny.
The sponsors included the Elora Lions Club, Claire Welsh, of ReMax, Wayne Pitman ford, Brian Harrison, Mike Puglsey, Mark Cullen, and Jeff Trump
“The girls didn’t have to do anything,” Cathy Britton said. Cynthia and Ron did it. They sent letters,” and the sponsorship money arrived quickly.
Joubert and Britton are hoping to find out about making the team sometime this fall.
