It's a nice reward for a long season of hard work.
The Upper Canada Swim Club of Brockville has qualified three of its swimmers to be on the Eastern Ontario team at the Ontario Summer Games in Sudbury next week.
Jordan Prophet, Christopher Richmond and Collin Reynolds will be competing in the week-long event after qualifying from their results in the short course Eastern Regionals several months ago.
"It's a great statement in our first year together," said Brian Kelly, the first-year coach of the Upper Canada Swim Club. "It's a feather in the cap for our program."
In a season of countless club records and having those same three swimmers as national qualifiers, it's a great way for them to end the season, noted Kelly.
"I didn't know what we had in the water before I got here. They showed their talent and their rate of improvement," said Kelly.
The three UCSC athletes have been three of the most committed and hardest working swimmers, praised Kelly.
"They couldn't have asked for a better three swimmers," said Kelly.
The 16-year-old Richmond will be making his second trip to the Summer Games.
He will be competing in 1500 metre freestyle, 400 individual medley, 100 and 200 fly, plus 100 and 200 breaststroke.
The 14-year-old Reynolds will be swimming in 200, 400 and 1,500 freestyle along with 200 backstroke, plus 200 and 400 individual medley.
At the end of a long and tough season, Kelly isn't asking for the stars in terms of expectations from the swimmers.
"I just want them to swim well and have fun," said Kelly at the end of a practice at the Brockville YMCA on Wednesday night. "I think they just need to go and have fun, represent the club and represent the city and have a hoot."
Richmond, the Grade 12 student at TISS, is going to follow his coach's instructions.
"I'm hoping to make a few more best times," said Richmond, adding on to what his coach wants.
Reynolds, the Grade 10 student at St. Mary Catholic High School, is excited about going to the Summer Games for the first time.
The competition is going to be against swimmers the trio have seen at the provincial championships in the club level. There should be no surprises.
Reynolds wants to enjoy the experience, one that will put him one step closer to his goal of earning a berth in the Olympic trials in the future.
"I want to go and see what I can do and have fun with it. I'm going to race as hard as I can," said Reynolds. "If I medal, I medal. It not, it's an experience."
After the Summer Games, the Brockville swimmers will take a much-needed break for the next month before the club season begins again in September.