A dozen swimmers from the Castlegar Cocoons swim club will represent Zone 6 (West Kootenay and the Boundary) at the 55+ BC Games to be held in Vernon from Sept. 12 to 16.
Swimmers from Zone 6 formed a club after the first BC Seniors’ Games (the precursor to the 55+ BC Games) in 1987 with Bill and Marg Van Yserloo as the founding members. The Castlegar Community Recreation Complex provided lanes for the group to train on Wednesday mornings. A lifeguard was assigned to coach the group at no expense.
Swimmers trained in their local pools in Grand Forks, Nelson and Trail and then met for the Wednesday morning group sessions in Castlegar. The group took its name from 1985 film “Cocoon,” wherein a group of seniors swim in a rejuvenating pool.
Some of the Cocoons have participated in Masters-level meets in British Columbia and the Inland Empire region in the United States, along with provincial, national and world meets.
The training session have moved to Monday mornings. Some swimmers are in training for future Games (this group is affectionately known as the “farm team.”) Others swim for pleasure and general well-being. To be eligible to compete in the Games you must be 55 years of age, but the “Farm Team” is happy to accept younger seniors.
Funding from a BC Gaming Grant has allowed the team to hire Lesley Beatson as coach for the past two years. Her exceptional training of senior swimmers and the partnership with the complex has enabled these senior swimmers to excel beyond their wildest imaginations.
This year the 55+ BC Games meet in Vernon for the 30th anniversary of the games. In 2018, the meet will be held in Cranbrook.
Anyone interested in joining the Zone 6 Senior Swim Club, “the Cocoons” can contact June Johnston at 250-352-2373 or through the Castlegar Recreation Complex. Sessions will start again in October 2017 at the Castlegar pool.