The revitalization of the Valley East Waves has begun.

After attending meets in recent years with sometimes as few as a handful of swimmers, the well-established club that trains out of the Howard Armstrong Sports Complex has seen those numbers double or more during the 2024-2025 season.

A contingent eleven strong attended the Dave Kensit Memorial Short-Course Championships last weekend in Sault Ste Marie, the majority of whom were 12 years of age and younger – and two of which reached the podium while competing against the very best the Northeast Region has to offer.

“Based on where our club is right now, what we do regionally is really important,” noted long-time VESC head coach Sharon Leger. “We’re a smaller club and we have a new group of regional level swimmers who could potentially get to provincial level.”

“This is their starting point.”

The nine year-old duo of Cédric Demers and Cameron McKay racked up 55 points for the Hanmer-based crew, well over half of the total VESC points.

A grade four student at Redwood Acres Public School, McKay suggested he was first water-bound just a few months into his first year on this earth. Even his earliest recollections, which likely came a few years later, would suggest that the fit between McKay and swimming was a good one.

“When I first went in the water, I was comfortable with it – and then I started to get more comfortable and more comfortable until now,” noted the youngster who earned bronze in the 10 & Under 100m freestyle (1:34.90), shaving more than two seconds off his previous PB.

Still quite early in terms of developing his full array of four strokes, McKay favours the front crawl, at least at this point in his career.

“I am not on my back and I’m always moving,” he explained. “I feel comfortable pushing the water underneath me.”

That said, it is the butterfly, a stroke with which he has limited competitive experience, that currently tickles his fancy as he looks forward to his three times a week workouts.

“I’ve done the butterfly in a race only once – if you don’t count the I.M. (individual medley),” said McKay. “I am trying to train for that and be better at butterfly, so that if everybody is across the pool, I’m not back at three quarters.”

Though he has competed at the John Rhodes Community Centre Pool only once before, McKay acknowledged that there were reasons for the positivity he embraced as he stepped on to the starting blocks.

“I liked the diving blocks there a lot,” he said. “They’re good – but not as nice as North Bay. I like how they have a good grip, not super spiky like the these ones (at Howard Armstrong).”

Having won three gold medals in Timmins last year at the Fred Rams “B” Championships, McKay was thrilled to take another step forward in Sault Ste Marie. “I was a little nervous going in, but now I’m feeling pretty accomplished and proud.”

Though he did not use the exact same wording, one could certainly sense teammate Cédric Demers feeling the same, having finished first in the 10 & Under 50m breaststroke (51.26 seconds), 100m breaststroke (1:53.87) and the 100m individual medley (1:46.71).

The younger of two boys in the family, Cédric would initially follow his brother’s footsteps in hockey, before veering off to the pools for a very good reason. “I didn’t really like hockey because my feet were always cold, but I don’t have to worry about that with swimming,” noted the young talent with a smile.

For reasons unknown even to coach Leger, the Valley East Club has seemingly had more success in producing elite breaststrokers than anything else, with Demers the latest to show some very early proficiency in the discipline that can drive some swimmers crazy.

“I get more movement with the breaststroke and I am better at it than when I am just moving my arms,” he said. From a technical standpoint, there remains plenty of room for improvement, not surprising given that Demers was seven or eight when he first made the move from more casual swimming to learning how to race with the Waves.

Valuable seconds can be gained or lost as one turns at the wall, with the lad who enjoys the warmer water workouts of his Valley east home pool keenly aware of every single component involved with changing directions quickly.

“Your two hands have to touch the wall at the same time,” outlined Demers. “If not, you’re disqualified. Then you try and flip yourself as fast as you can and push yourself off from the wall. Then you go underwater – but in a race, you just want to pass the flags because if you go past the middle, you’re disqualified.”

For as much as the weekly practices can become routine, Demers and his mates have found some components that help create a little levity – and something to look forward to, once the laps are done.

“We have breaks when we’re done a set and we can do hand stands, flips in the water, whatever we want to do,” he said. “Sometimes we can do choice dives – and at the end of practice, there’s the hot tub.”

Race strategy will come in good time. For now, Demers can see value regardless of where he sits coming off the blocks. “I like to be in front, but being in back gets me the action of passing people.”

Rounding out the VESC contingent were: Carlee Aubin, Jérémie Aubin, Kloe Beaulieu, Summer Clarke, Natalie Raymond, Ava Renaud-Cole, Niko Trudel, Bianka Vitiello and Giuliana Vitiello.

With 36 swimmers on hand who garnered more than one hundred medals in all, the Sudbury Laurentian Swim Club returned home as Dave Kensit Meet champions.

Leading the charge and earning high-point accolades in their respective age groups were Callum Duncan (11-12 year old boys) and James Ford (13-14 year-old boys).

The meet would also see SLSC increase the number of athletes who have now qualified for Ontario Age Group Championships to 15 after Ever Lizotte and Aiden McDonald hit the required time standards.

As for the Nickel City Aquatics (27 swimmers in all), Noah Snider enjoyed a breakthrough meet to remember, finishing the weekend with six individual medals (and three more in the relays), recording personal best times in each and every one of his races.

Other NCA notables from this weekend were the High Points tandem of Charlie Richardson (gold in six different 12 & Under races ranging from 50m back and butterfly to 400m freestyle) and James Mongeon (age 16 – five gold medals in backstroke and butterfly).