The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Swimming Federation’s 2016 Royal Bank of Canada National Swimming Championships has added some international flavour.

According to federation president Algernon Cargill, when the four-day championships get underway 9am today at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex, a number of international swimmers will make up the 500-plus competitors participating.

“When you look at the psych sheets, the top Bahamian males are not even ranked in the top 10, in terms of the competitors competing this weekend,” he said. “This is going to be a really big meet here this weekend.

“Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace is ranked first in her events on the girls side, but the other swimmers right behind her are not too far in terms of times, so she will have to swim very fast to win. We know that she will win, but she will have some competition, which is good for her because this will be the type of competition she will face when she go to Rio.”

Vanderpool-Wallace, who has already qualified for her second Olympic Games in two events and could possibly make it in another, will be joined by Vereance ‘Elvis’ Burrows, Dustin Tynes and Joanna Evans. The quartets are the hopefuls for Team Bahamas in Rio.

As the nationals is FINA qualifier for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August, Cargill said a majority of the international swimmers are here to qualify for their respective countries.

“We have organized FINA meets in the past, so for that reason, we are known to have quality meets here in the Bahamas,” Cargill pointed out. “So we are looking forward to having a very high quality meet here.”

Swimmers are here from India, Denmark, Algeria, Canada, the United States, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala are among the list of participants.

“This is the going to be the largest swim meet ever held in the Bahamas, in terms of the age range and the quality of swimmers,” Cargill stressed.

“Next week, we will have the Caribbean Island Swimming Championships, which will have an ever larger number of international competitors competing. So we have a very busy time ahead of us right now.”

In preparation for the nationals, Cargill said the National Sports Authority has done a tremendous job in getting the stadium ready for the two meets.

“The NSA has done a tremendous job for the meets,” Cargill stated. “I’m very impressed with the work that they have done and the improvements that have been made.

“Obviously, there’s more work to be done, but they have brought the stadium back to 2000 where it was when the stadium was turned over to the Bahamas Government by the contractors.”

The meet will begin today at 9 am with the preliminaries and the heats to follow at 6 pm. On Friday, the afternoon session will begin at 5:30 pm. All the other sessions on Saturday and Sunday will remain the same at 9 am and 6 pm respectively.

The nationals is expected to be carried live on Cable 12 and streamed live on the internet.

Following the nationals, the federation will move into the CISC, which will run from Wednesday to Saturday with more than 30 countries from the region scheduled to participate. The event will serve as the final qualifier for the Olympics in Rio. By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHEN the Bahamas Swim Federation’s Royal Bank of Canada’s 2016 National Swim Championships kick of today at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex, multi-national record holder Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace intent to make another splash.

The 26-year-old graduate from Auburn University will be the top contender for the Bahamas in the Nationals as she prepares for her third trip to the Olympic Games in August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“My season has been going well,” she pointed out. “I have been focusing in a lot more on the 50 freestyle versus the 100 freestyle which was my main event before but between my coach and I we feel I have a better opportunity in the 50 freestyle in Rio.”

Coming into the nationals where she’s expected to face some top-notch competition from around the world, Vanderpool-Wallace had a relatively active year, competing in five meets on a pro-swimming circuit where she has done extremely well.

“I have posted pretty good times heading into Rio, so I’m pleased with my performances,” she noted. “In the 50 free my best has been a 24.8 which is about 5 tenths off of my best and generally where I am in season.

“As for the 100m freestyle, my best so far has been a 54.1 which is also about 5 tenths off my best and is a great time for me so far for this season.”

The countries’ most decorated swimmer has posted lifetime best times of 24.34 in the 50m free and 53.73 in the 100m. No doubt with the competition she expects here this week at the Nationals and next week at the Caribbean Islands Swim Championships, Vanderpool-Wallace feels she can swim even faster.

“At this point in my season, because I am fortunate enough to have already qualified for Rio, my coaches and I are using this extra time to work the small details that won’t affect my overall training,” she pointed out.

“We wanted to make sure I am technically good in the water as well as doing all the strength exercises out of the water. In preparation for coming to the Bahamas for Nationals and CISC we are working on having my swims in the Bahamas be fun and enjoyable before the real stress races come in about a month in Rio.”

The perennial national champion said she’s eager not only to come home and defend her titles in the nationals, but also to show to the country that she’s prepared for the challenge that will be provided by the visiting swimmers.

But she’s also making the trip home a personal one.

“I am really excited to come home and compete, swimming in at home allows me to really enjoy the experience and compete while also spending time with family and friends that I don’t have the chance to see very often,” she declared.

Once the nationals are done this weekend, Vanderpool-Wallace said she would turn her focus on the CISC.

“CISC is really going to be the same process as nationals in that I want to just have fun and enjoy the experience,” she said. “I haven’t had a chance to represent my country in my own country since 2004 I believe so it will be a great part of my journey into the games. 

“I am really looking forward to CISC and I hope the Bahamian people come out and support the strong team the federation has put together. It should be a great event and lots of Olympians and Olympic hopefuls will be competing as this meet is the last event in the region to present qualifying times.”

As for the Olympics, Vanderpool-Wallace said her season geared towards her having a banner performance in Rio where she hope to become the first Bahamian to win a medal at the four-yearly games.

“I just want to do my best in Rio and that is all I can pray for,” she stressed. “I have put in the hard work and obviously I would love to stand on the podium and possibly hear the Bahamas national anthem play, but I think that along with the support of Bahamians and my family I will preform to the best of my abilities whatever that brings. “ 

Although she has qualified so far in both the 50 and 100m free, Vanderpool-Wallace said if the opportunity presents itself where she also qualifies in the 100 butterfly, she will welcome it, but she’s contended with what’s on her agenda so far.

In addition to her two appearances in the Olympics, Vanderpool-Wallace also represented the country at the World Championships, the Commonwealth Games, the Pan American Games and the Central American and Caribbean Games.

At the 2012 Olympics in London, England, she was the first Bahamian to make the final in a swim event, while at the 2011 FINA Wortld Championships in Shanghai, China, she was seventh overall in the 50m free.

And at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in , Vanderpool-Wallace won a silver medal in the 50m fly, was fourth in the 50m free and came in fifth in the 100m free in producing one of the best individual performance ever.