The U of A Swimming program ends on a high

On March 8 and 9, the University of Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas swimming teams attended their last U Sports Championships. Both the Bears and the Pandas placed fifth, the highest both teams have placed since 2017. 

Three swimmers placed on the podium. Paul Mackenzie won gold in the men’s 200-meter freestyle event, setting a new record for the Bears. Olivia Brendzan won silver in the women’s 400-meter individual medley and Garrett Brendzan won silver in the men’s 50-meter breaststroke. 

“I achieved what I wanted to achieve. It was a really nice way to end my career with U of A,” Olivia said. 

According to Paul Birmingham, head coach for the swimming program, this is the best result they could’ve achieved given their small roster compared to other teams present. 

“The teams that beat us all had a full 36 person rosters, 18 for each. We had probably 11 or 10 each. So, a really good result based on manpower,” Birmingham said.

A supportive environment for the Bears and Pandas

The announcement of the program ending was made in October, with no consultation of the athletes or staff. Birmingham said that throughout the year, emotions have been high but they “kept control.”

“[We] focused on the job at hand. I think that’s a real credit to the team for being able to finish on a high. Maybe that was the process, we didn’t really focus on it at all, we just treated [it] as a normal season, and what happens next year is next year,” he said. 

According to Birmingham, at the end of the meet, there was a lot of emotion. He said that the U of A received a standing ovation and there was “a lot of support from the other teams.” He added that he could sense a lot of respect for how they swam at the championships. 

The University of British Columbia (UBC) swept the championships. However, both Olivia and Mackenzie said that the UBC were big supporters of the U of A at the end. 

“[UBC] took the time out to try to really recognize us, because they knew it was kind of the last competition,” Mackenzie said. 

“[They] did a little tunnel for us that really meant a lot. I know swimming is often not really looked at as much, so support from other teammates as well as other teams is really important. It shows how tight of a community we are,” Olivia added.

“We didn’t want a pity party going in there, we wanted to compete, and we are competitive, and that was the focus. There might be emotion post the competition at the end of the season. That’s okay, but I’m not going to dwell on it, it’s not a circumstance we can change,” Birmingham said.

“Swimming is a sport of patience,” Birmingham says

Swimming has two big meets in their season — the Canada West Swimming Championship and U Sports. Other sports have multiple games almost every weekend. This, according to Birmingham, shows how “swimming is a sport of patience.” 

“The gap between the highs and lows are a lot shorter. That’s what’s always the challenge, you don’t get a lot of opportuni[ties] to perform. Sometimes, if you perform less than you want at the opportunity, you’ve got a lot of months to kind of get stuck in your head,” Birmingham said.

With the news that the program received this year, Birmingham hopes that each athlete understands the importance of being resilient and he hopes none feel like a “victim.”

“Life throws curveballs and it’s okay. The sport of swimming is still there, and they still have opportunities to be swimmers and to compete as swimmers,” he said.

Moving on from the U of A program

Mackenzie was in his last year of eligibility with the program. He had transferred from the University of Calgary, where he swam for the last four years. Olivia on the other hand, had one more year left in the program. 

“I’m not ending on my terms. I gave myself the timeline of swimming through my first degree, because I’m doing a fifth year. I’m not ready to be done,” Olivia said.

Mackenzie was “impressed” with how the team responded to the news. He said he joined the program with an “individual mentality” with a focus on his own goals, but he couldn’t help but “embrace the team environment.” 

“The team has been super special this year. Some of the highlights for me have been watching some of [our] teammates actually qualify for the meet. Knowing that this was kind of the last chance,” Mackenzie said.

Mackenzie will now be focusing on completing his graduate physiology degree. Olivia has qualified for the dual meet in Loughborough, England this summer, alongside Garrett and Gabrielle Dunn, and will then continue swimming club for her last year.

Birmingham is the head coach of the Edmonton Keyano Swim Club, which is the main swimming club in Edmonton. He has provincial championships coming up as well as a training camp. Although the swimming program at the U of A has ended, Birmingham has his hands full. 

“[I hope our swimmers] appreciate the opportunities and memories that they’ve got and set new goals for next year,” Birmingham said.