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P.A. woman makes splash at provincial competition

Jul 19, 2018 | 5:00 PM

Prince Albert’s Joy Friesen has been swimming for as long as she can remember, and last weekend she returned home with a gold medal from a provincial competition held in Swift Current.

She competed in the 3,000 metre open water swim race.

“It kind of feels like I’m going back to my youth again and I’m just loving being back in the water,” she said.

Friesen started swimming when she was six years old, swam competitive as a youth, and even went to university on a swimming scholarship. The year before she went to the olympic trials.

“I think I was in about mid 30’s when I did some masters swimming for the first time, then I had kids, and then probably about five years ago I did just a little open water swims,” she said.

Friesen who is a regular at Frank Dunn Pool during the fall and winter months and the outdoor pool during the summer, said there is a different sort of conditioning and endurance training required for open water swims. Friesen admitted she does not think about much when she is in the water, adding she finds it very meditative.

“That sounds crazy because last Sunday it was choppy and windy and wavy but it was so much fun,” she said.

Friesen competed last May at Nationals in Calgary, and won bronze in the 1,500 metre free-style event. As a way to celebrate her recent 50th birthday, she decided to enter a 2.2 km race in San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge race, which will take place in August.

“It’s not too long but what’s really different about that is the currents and I guess just a different set of risks swimming in the San Francisco Bay,” she said.

Three other members of the Prince Albert Sharks club competed in Swift Current as well last weekend, and all finished in the top 10.

 

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On twitter: @nigelmaxwell