Olympic dream alive for Central Alberta’s Elle Couture

Duane Rolheiser

Published

4 years 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

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…

Related Topics:Elle Couture feature Sylvan Lake Nauticals

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Duane Rolheiser

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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Athlete of the Month

Delburne multi-sport athlete focusing in on hockey scholarship

Published on February 4, 2020

Alberta Sport Development Centre

The Alberta Sport Development Centre – Central (ASDC-C) is pleased to announce that the ASDC-Central Athlete of the Month for January 2020 is Hailey Jackson. Hailey Jackson is a 14 year old Red Deer, AB resident, Grade 9 student at St. Francis of Assisi Middle School and a competitive hockey and Athletics athlete.

Hailey has been playing hockey since she was five years old on their family’s outdoor rink. Currently, Hailey is in her 2^nd season with Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs Bantam Elite Team, under the direction of Head Coach Shane Nafziger. The Cheifs currently sit in 4^thplace in the south division of the Alberta Female Hockey League. Currently, Hailey, a forward, leads the Chiefs in goals and is co-leader in points. In Spring of 2019, Hailey was selected for Hockey Alberta’s Alberta Challenge Cup and was recently selected to compete for Zone 4 in Hockey at the 2020 Alberta Winter Games (AWG) in Airdrie from February 14 – 17, 2020. Hailey’s selection to the AWG team is significant as she is one of only two Red Deer athletes to be selected for the Zone 4 AWG team.

As the weather turns, Hailey switches gears to train and compete with the Red Deer Titans Track club (under the direction of coach Ron Hewer) as a pentathlete (80m Hurdles, High Jump, Shot Put, Long Jump and the 800m run) and in the 100m sprint and the relays. Hailey has her eyes set on a podium position at this year’s Alberta Summer Games in Lethbridge, AB.

In the classroom, Hailey is an Honours with Distinction (above 90%) student and has maintained that academic status since grade six. Hailey’s goals include playing hockey at a post-secondary level in either USport in Canada or NCAA D1 in the United States.

With Hailey’s strong work ethic, her undeniable athletic abilities and her training experiences with ASDC-Central, she will surely continue to grow, develop and succeed in her hockey/athletics careers!

ASDC-Central thanks Tom Bast Sports for celebrating the ASDC-Central Athlete of the Month recipients by the provision of commemorative apparel for each recipient.

Click here to read about more of ASDC’s Athletes of the Month.

Athlete of the Month

Elite Synchro Swimmer Olivia Moreau ASDC Athlete of the Month

Published on January 2, 2020

Alberta Sport Development Centre

The Alberta Sport Development Centre – Central (ASDC-C) is pleased to announce that the ASDC-Central Athlete of the Month for December 2019 is Olivia Moreau.

Olivia Moreau is a 15 year old Red Deer, AB resident, Grade 10 student at Ecole Notre Dame High School and a competitive Artistic Swimming
(formerly known as Synchronized Swimming) athlete.

Olivia swims competitively with the Red Deer Silhouettes, under the direction of coaches Lauren Dial and Paige Greenwood. Olivia competed at National Duet and Solo last season, significantly improving her scores throughout the season. This year, Olivia will compete in Solo, Duet and Team events at Alberta Provincial Championships and Canadian Prairie Championship.

While Olivia is still 15 years old, this season she will compete in the 16-20 age category in all competitions.

As a 13 year old, in 2018, at the Alberta Winter Games in Ft. McMurray, AB, Olivia captured a Gold medal in both the Solo and Duet Competitions and added a Silver Medal in the Team competition. This made Olivia one of Zone 4’s most decorated athletes at the 2019 Alberta Winter Games.

Olivia and the Silhouettes program have achieved remarkable successes in the pool in spite of the fact that there is no regulation training or competition pool facility in Red Deer.

Olivia is an Honors with Distinction student at Notre Dame High School and one day would like to study medicine at University.

With Olivia’s talent, work ethic, commitment to success and with the support of ASDC-Central, and her sport coaches, Olivia will surely continue to grow and improve as an athlete in her sport of Artistic Swimming.

ASDC-Central thanks Tom Bast Sports for celebrating the ASDC-Central Athlete of the Month recipients by the provision of commemorative apparel for each recipient.

ASDC-Central Athlete of the Month – Olivia Moreau

For further information regarding this athlete, the ASDC-Central and our programs, please contact Miles Kydd @ [email protected] or 403-342-3231.