Castlegar's James Pilla from the newly formed Greater Trail Swim Club (GTSC) is walking on water. After six months of vigorous training and meticulous coaching by Cody Flegel, the local 18 year-old Pilla qualified in Victoria this month to compete in the 2012 Paul Bergen Junior International Short Course Championships in Beaverton, Oregon USA this December.
“It was amazing, the time Cody and I spent on every aspect of my swimming coupled with the amount of team support allowed me to keep my head up and succeed right down to the last race” said Pilla.
The Annual Paul Bergen Junior International Champion Swim Meet is the only one of its kind held in the United States, bringing together swimmers 18 and under from around the world. Since its inception in 1999, this competition has included swimmers from the United States, Canada, France, Germany and Mexico, many of whom have achieved World and/or Olympic championships.