In the picture are Olivia Helstrip, Asha Barber, Paisley Gane and Nevalynn Chamakese. Pillar Galbraith was in Saskatoon on Thursday(Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Swimming

WATCH: PA Pikes host first competition at new digs

Nov 21, 2025 | 10:19 AM

The Prince Albert Pikes Artistic Swim Club will make a big splash this weekend.

They’re hosting a competition all day Saturday at the Lake Country Co-Op Leisure Centre. Marnie’s Meet (named after a former coach) is the first event of its kind since the facility opened, and also the first time the sport will be showcased in the city since the Saskatchewan Winter Games in 2014.

Clubs from Saskatoon, Regina, Lloydminster, and Estevan will be attending and Shannon Schlamp, Pikes executive coordinator, said they’ve had a lot of support from Artistic Swimming Saskatchewan.

“They came to us and said, ‘Hey your facility is open, are you ready?’ and I was like, ‘Yes.’,” she said.

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Following the competition, there will be a banquet and awards presentation.

When asked what it means to the club to have the new facility, Schlamp explained when Marian Aquatics closed, it was a real challenge to maintain the club because the Frank Dunn pool just wasn’t adequate.

“You need to use an entire pool size and we were swimming in a pool like probably less than a quarter of the size of what we’re actually doing competitions in. And so it was very difficult for our athletes to compete, because they had to figure out how to stretch their routine to a big pool once we got to Saskatoon or Regina or wherever we were doing that competition.”

Schlamp noted the City and the other swim clubs in town have been great when it comes to sharing space at the new facility, and the club itself has also seen a big jump in numbers from roughly 30 to almost 80. While most of that number comes from the club’s Aqua Go program (learn to swim), there are five girls in the competitive program.

Heading into the weekend, Schlamp cautioned the meet on Saturday should not be confused with the routines people are familiar with seeing at the Olympics.

“It’s just the elements that go into figures, and that’s always the first competition of the year, just because that’s what athletes are focusing on, and then they take those elements and put them into a routine which will be held in January in Saskatoon.”

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

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