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Sports

Olympic dream alive for Central Alberta’s Elle Couture

Published

1 year ago

5 minute read

Elle Couture posing with her medal haul from the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games!
The letters HWPO are embroidered on Elle Couture’s swim bag.  Elle’s been swimming competitively for 5 years and HWPO has been with her for almost as long.  The letters stand for Hard Work Pays Off.  Elle says her dad always gives her that advice.   It’s really starting to pay off.
Before any swimmer ever achieves a provincial or a national ranking… there’s hundreds and then thousands of hours spent in the pool.  Before school, after school, on weekends, that’s when the good swimmer becomes great.  The races themselves are just a compilation of all the time and effort put into increasing speed and stamina, and working on the minute details and techniques.
As the summer of 2019 progressed Elle’s results kept getting better and better and as she prepares to start another school year, her dreams of representing Canada one day are very much alive.  Elle’s times have qualified her for the 2020 Canadian Swim Trials.   Since 2020 is an Olympic year there’s an outside chance for Elle to qualify, but it’s much more likely she’ll be coming into her own in four more years.
Earlier this summer we shared her provincial results.. Here they are again:
Summer Championships Alberta age group 13-14 July 4-7 Edmonton, Ab
50m Breaststroke – Bronze medal
200m Breaststroke – Bronze medal
100m Breaststroke  100m Freestyle 4th place
Best times in these 3 events
Later in July Elle swam at the Canadian Junior Nationals, where she made a strong showing:
Canadian Jr Nationals Calgary Alberta August July 24-29
Qualified for 4 events.
100m Breaststroke 6th in Canada
200m Breaststroke 5th in Canada (  having to do a head to head swim off with one other girl to qualify in 8th )
Elle came back in finals to place 5th after entering in 8th position.
The best was yet to come… As Elle competed for Team Alberta in the Western Canada Summer Games and you might say she cleaned up!   Here are the results:
Western Canada Summer Games – Swift Current Sk  Phase 1 August 9-13
Elle was chosen by Swim Alberta to compete in the Games for her 100-200 Breast stroke abilities during the qualifying period Spring 2019.   A total of 33 swimmers from across Alberta represented Team Alberta. Elle traveled with Team Alberta August 5-8 to Calgary for team practices and Team building at UofC campus.
A total of 4 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 and 2 Bronze
Events:
50m Breaststroke – GOLD
100m Breaststroke- GOLD
200m Breaststroke- BRONZE
50m Freestyle-SILVER
50m Fly -4th
3 Relays 
4x100m IM relay female – GOLD
4x200m Free mixed relay – GOLD
4x100m Free mixed relay – BRONZE

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And here’s a note from Elle’s mom:
The experience of swimming on behalf of Alberta and being with such a cohesive group of swimmers have really motivated Elle to work hard so that she can be considered for other Team Alberta travel teams for next season 2019-2020.
Elle has qualified for the Canadian Trials in March-April 2020  with her 100 Breaststroke and is 0.11 seconds off qualifying for the 200 Breaststroke.  This is the Olympic Trial year and meet and Elle is hoping to swim well enough to be considered for other travel teams for Canada as she will be 15 and making the Olympic team is a dream but perhaps will have to wait for the next Olympic cycle.  ” No Opportunity Wasted ” is something that her mental skills coach Doug Swanson has helped her work on.
Her goals have also expanded, she is working towards a chance to be chosen for Canada Games in Summer 2021 which will be held in the Niagara Region Ontario.
Here’s a video feature on Elle produced when she was just starting to show the potentials she has now begun to realize…

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After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Calgary

Summer is here to Stay at Calgary’s Only Indoor Beach Facility

Published on September 15, 2020

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After a fairly stagnant summer, where the typical buzz of team athletics and busy sporting fields has been largely missed due to COVID-19, the return of the winter weather is being dreaded by most. 

Do not fear the cold, however, there is a way for Calgarians to beat the winter blues. The Beach YYC, Calgary’s only indoor beach recreation facility offers “a little bit of the summer, all year long”. Located in southeast Calgary at 3030-2600 Portland Street, The Beach YYC is a 23,000 square foot facility with almost 13,000 square feet of beach court space and more than 700 tons of sand.
“After the way the summer has been, where people haven’t been able to play the normal leagues and sports they usually do, people are looking for a social, fun, active thing to do.” Says Elliot Weinstein, Founder of The Beach YYC, “And here we are!” 

Originally inspired by an indoor beach facility located in Vancouver, BC, Elliot decided to introduce the concept to the city of Calgary. As the fifth facility of its kind in Canada and the only one available in Alberta, The Beach YYC draws both high and low level players from across the country for everything from major tournaments to evening rec leagues. In addition to offering rec, intermediate and competitive beach volleyball leagues in co-ed and gendered divisions, the facility has 5 courts that can be adjusted to accommodate beach volleyball, Ultimate Frisbee, Spikeball and dodgeball games.

“It’s a great place for people to maintain and improve their skills during the winter months,” says Elliot, “that way they can jump right back into their summer sports when the weather changes.”

In addition to hosting regularly scheduled leagues, The Beach YYC offers kids play dates and camps, catered events such as birthdays, corporate events and beach parties, as well as weekly drop-in rates – which have been on hold due to COVID-19 but will resume when deemed appropriate. 

Opened in September of 2018, The Beach YYC is now approaching its 2-year anniversary, and recently announced the opening of their beachside diner, George’s Beach Club! Named in honor of Elliot’s grandfather George, the club features a full comfort-food menu that includes delicious anomalies like the Bahn Mi Sub, the Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Poutine, and banana splits for dessert. 

Now in the final stages of securing a liquor license, George’s will soon be a full-service destination for players and friends to relax at before or after games with a pint and bite. 

Don’t wait on that tropical vacation to get your toes back in the sand … everything is better at The Beach! 

To learn more about The Beach YYC or to check out George’s Beach Club, now available on Skip the Dishes and Uber Eats, visit https://www.thebeachyyc.ca. 

For more stories, visit Todayville Calgary.

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Alberta

Alberta Sports Hall of Fame 50/50 ends today

Published on September 14, 2020

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Alberta Sports Hall of Fame’s 50/50 raffle has only 9 hours left and sitting at $18,000. Funds will be used to purchase a new interactive display for the museum. If you can help by purchasing a ticket and/or sharing the story, please do. Thank you for your support in these tough times here at the hall of fame, it is very much appreciated.

Learn more about the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

 

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