In collaboration with Swim Alberta, the Cochrane Comets Swim Club is hosting a new initiative to fill a gap in providing meaningful competition for young swimmers.

The Swim Alberta South Festival, Nov. 24-25, will see about 250 budding swimmers at the Jayman Aquatic Centre in a competition that puts emphasis on fun.

“The festivals are racing opportunities with a focus on fun versus outcome,” says Kevin Dennis, Swim Alberta technical director. “The focus is on all swimmers entered in the competition versus the event winners. Every swimmer will receive a swag bag and additionally, all swimmers who win a heat will be eligible for the draw prize.”

Participating will be girl swimmers 10 and under and boy swimmers 11 and under. Four members of the Comets will be in the festival and joining swimmers from 14 other southern Alberta clubs.

The newly-created festivals are providing provincial competition exposure to these age groups. There are time and final events of 50 and 100 metres.

Special guests at the Cochrane festival are Cole Pratt, of the Cascade Swim Club and Finlay Knox, of the Okotoks Mavericks Swim Club. Pratt earned a bronze medal in the 200 backstroke at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Fiji and Knox won Canada’s first swimming medal (bronze) at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina. They will be on deck from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Comets head coach and executive director Danielle Genung says the club has been working closely with Swim Alberta officials since the summer on this festival. Over 100 people are volunteering to help orchestrate it. Even Mayor Jeff Genung, her husband, was recruited through official channels to prepare espresso beverages for the coaches, officials and volunteers.

This festival falls in line with the deep-rooted philosophy Genung brought to the club some six years ago. At the time, the club was struggling. They had 30 swimmers and no coach. Now they have 120 with a waiting list.

She instilled a practice of positive, effective, powerful, leadership that aims to create an environment and atmosphere she believes is of value to all youth athletic pursuits.

“It’s all about fun for the little guys,” she says. “We don’t have retention in swimming if we don’t have a way to keep them in swimming. Putting pressure on them at this age to achieve a time does the opposite. We want them to come and have fun and we’re not working them through our programs and pushing our 10s and 11s to achieve these times.”

She believes these festivals are a good step forward.

“It’s something to put the fun back into it for the younger swimmers. More prizes, more emphasis on having a good time with a short amount of commitment. They’re not too tired and they get to sleep in (the festival runs from 1 to 6 p.m. both days).”

Emphasis is placed on volunteering in the community as part of the Comets philosophy. They’ve also developed a fund to help families who have financial gaps so their children can continue with the Comets.

“We’re growing and expanding and doing these sort of things while working with Swim Alberta and the community,” says Genung.

A festival is also being staged in Edmonton for northern Alberta swimmers next weekend.

In the meantime, the Comets are preparing to host their second annual Comets Distance IM Challenge, Dec. 8-9.