The 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials took place from May 13 th through 19 th and DSC had 6 swimmers representing the club at the competition. Three of those swimmers were familiar faces to most of the members of our club, Brandon Adams, Emma Bassermann, and Maya Holt. The other competitors were Ella Cosgrove, her brother Colin Cosgrove, and our very own Coach Chucks daughter Tori Meklensek.
The week was full of highs and lows for DSCs athletes, full of personal best times and near podium finishes. Even though Maya, Tori, and Ella had all been to Canadian Trials before, the added pressure of vying for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team or the Junior Pan Pacific Championships team was a new experience for all of them. This year was Brandons third Olympic Trials, but his first with DSC. According to Coach Chuck, this was the first time DSC had been represented at Olympic Trials since 1972.
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Brandon swam a personal best 57.52 in the 100m backstroke during prelims which was good enough to get into the B finals. Emma Bassermann raced in the 100m and 200m breaststroke and gained valuable experience for next years Canadian Trials. Maya Holt also swam in the 100m and 200m breaststroke and while the results werent what she had hoped, Maya came away with what she put as a great experience and new tools in dealing with high pressure situations. Tori had a great meet with personal bests in the 800m free and 1500m free, as well as a top 10 finish in the 400m free. Ella Cosgrove also had an excellent week with PBs in the 200m free, 400m free, and 200m backstroke, making finals in all three races and finishing 4 th overall in all of them! Ella will be going on to represent Canada at the Jr. Pan Pacific Championships.
According to Brandon, This was my third, final, and by every metric my most successful Olympic Trials. In the days, weeks, and months leading up to my event I felt confident in my abilities, my expectations were high, and I was impatiently waiting to unleash my energy. I had been visualizing the race for weeks, so the night before my event, I visualized what the next day would look like, all of it, from waking up to the second I finished the race. I thought about all the important factors that lead up to the race, physical and mental preparation, race strategy, etc. I thought my mindset was really positive. Heading into the race, I told myself that no matter what the outcome, as long as I gave it my all, I couldnt fail. I swam the 100 Backstroke on Tuesday morning, getting a personal best by 0.13 seconds. not exactly in line with my high expectations. I not only missed the A final, but barely squeaked into the B final and added over a second that night... really not in line with my expectations. It didnt happen overnight, but the lesson I learned from my experience at trials was a simple one, that you as an athlete are not owed anything. I was acting like I deserved a best time, and to make finals. I thought all the work and effort I put in assured me of something. It does not. There are no guarantees, swimming is no different. But reflecting on it I realize that in actuality this was my most successful trials meet ever, I had never made a final before, and I went a best time in the morning. Like I tell swimmers all the time, swimming is a microcosm of your life, and there will always be difficult lessons to learn. This is great advice that everyone can take and use everyday.
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Some DSC swimmers, who had extended their stay in Toronto after Top Cup, were at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre to cheer Emma, Maya, and Brandon on. One of them even got a souvenir from Summer McIntosh!
This year also marks the end of an era. Unless he decides to come out of retirement (again), this will be Coach Chucks last Olympic Trials. His drive to make DSC a force to be reckoned with, his pride in the club, and his dedication to each and every swimmer will be missed.
Canadian Olympic Trials were an amazing experience for all of DSCs athletes and will make them all better swimmers in the long run. We are looking forward to the 2028 Canadian Olympic Trials when we can root for even more DSC swimmers in the pool.