For more than four decades, young people in the valley have been splashing their way to accomplishment at the Drumheller Aquaplex competitively swimming.
The Canadian Badlands Aquatic Club is back in the water for another season. Last season was a struggle for the club because of COVID, but they still managed to work out ways of training and even competed in a virtual meet.
Morgan Syvertsen has been coaching for about 10 years, and says they have a good group coming back to the pool.
“We have as many or more than last year, all things considered. Mind you, they are very young, but that is how you grow a club,” said Syvertsen.
He said despite COVID last year the team spent more time in the water than most Alberta clubs.
“That was because of the cooperation of the pool staff and the town’s problem-solving. We worked around some of the obstacles and that kept us in the water. Our biggest disappointment is we didn’t get a chance to showcase our swimmers against other clubs,” he said.
The team spirit in the pool goes back more than four decades. Doug Wade was the first coach of the then Aquadinnies in 1975. He says in the early days, they had around 30 swimmers and three coaches. Gaye Ross was the president.
“There wasn’t as much for kids to do back in those days, so it was quite popular. The pool was new, and it was a novelty,’ said Wade.
In the first year, they swam in a meet in May, and then swam for the summer season. After that, they switched to the winter season. He coached for eight years.
He says he had some great swimmers through the club. He took swimmers as far away as Winnipeg to compete.
“Competitive swimming is one of the best sports you could ever do,” Wade said. “You can compare your results at 100 metres in water… they can all set their own personal time for them to achieve. It is all about beating yourself.”
Swimming mixes the best of team sport and individual accomplishment. Syvertsen sees that today.
“The team cheers you, but when you stand on that podium, you alone won that medal, Syvertsen said.

With Christmas around the corner, the holidays stir up some memories of Christmas past. Often these are fond memories. The Mail took a moment to sit down at the Sunshine Lodge and learn what Christmas was like just a couple of generations ago.
Maxine Popovich grew up in Saskatchewan and didn’t come to Alberta until she was 7. She was a teen when the family settled in East Coulee. She said these were the best years of her life.
“We always had our Christmas Day at home with family. We only had our immediate family because we had no relatives here,” she said.
After she was married they would celebrate at her in-law’s home.
“We lived right next door to them so we were with them all the time,” said Popovich. “It was a blessing for me because my mother-in-law was an absolute angel.”
Darlene Martin grew up in Southern Saskatchewan. She remembers Christmas concerts at the school and remembers the boiler was always going to keep them warm on a frosty December night.
“And you had to climb over the snowbanks if you had to go to the bathroom, some left a little trail,” she laughs.
She remembered they would have a little play as well as carol singing at the concert. She admits she wasn’t the best singer.
“I would lip-sync or whatever they called it,” she said.
On Christmas Day the kids would entertain themselves with games and sleigh riding. But there was always a big meal. That included cuisine from all corners of the world.
‘We’d have perogies, cabbage rolls, and turkey, stuffed with goose sometimes,” said Darlene. “I remember one time my uncle, it was his turn to make the turkey and goose and he was a big talker. We were invited there, he put the turkey in the oven and he didn’t turn it on. It was a catastrophe!”
They agreed that Christmas has changed over the years, as one participant quipped, “When I was a kid, you only saw one Santa Claus. That was at the school after the concert, you would see Santa Claus. Now you see Santa on every street corner, and they start in November!”