The Estevan Mermaids synchronized swimming 13-15 year-old team travelled to Regina on January 29 and 30 to attend the Diane Lemon Invitational Meet for the first major competition of the 2010-2011 competitive season.
On Saturday, the athletes competed in their individual figure testing. This testing requires each athlete to be marked on four separate individual requirements. The Mermaids posted very favourable marks, with all of the athletes receiving personal best scores.
Tracy Irwin, in the Novice category for first year competitive athletes, placed second. In the 13-15 Provincial Stream category, Dezirae Franke placed fourth, Tess Rensby seventh, Alyssa Wieting 10th, Eden Palmer 12th, Taylor Kuntz 21st, Kailey Barnstable 25th, Kelsey Potoma 27th, and Shelby Tytlandsvik 30th. Tamira Krall was the only Mermaid competing in the 12-and-under category for the Mermaids and took the ninth place position.
Kelsey Potoma was the lone soloist for the Mermaid Club at this meet. She performed her solo in the 13-15 category, bringing home a bronze medal.
The Mermaids then competed in the team event on Sunday, debuting their "Puttin' On The Ritz" routine for the judges and receiving a bronze medal for their efforts. "This meet is primarily about seeing how our routine looks in a large pool," said Mermaids coach Brenda Lyons. "Our pool in Estevan is much smaller than those that we compete in, so it nice to see how the choreography looks.
"We had very favourable comments from the judges. We still have a lot of work to do, but we have launched our season in a very successful manner. I am very proud of our team's performance"
Also in attendance at the Diane Lemon Invitational were clubs from Saskatoon, Regina, Lloydminster, and Yorkton. The next meet for the Mermaids will be in March, with the club travelling to Winnipeg.
