Top swimmers from across the Maritimes will be in action this weekend in Moncton.
The 189 athletes will compete at the NB Open Cup at CEPS on the Universite de Moncton campus beginning on Friday morning, and through until Sunday.
“It’s a three-day long regional competition. We have teams visiting from PEI and all across New Brunswick. Fourteen teams, with 189 athletes in the competition, which is actually one of the biggest it’s been in a few years now. It’s nice to see this turn out at this time of year. It is the largest and probably the most competitive short course competition that our region hosts in the calendar year. It’s a really good chance to see the athletes come together and with pretty quick times before they head into the holiday break,” says Ryan Allen, the Head Coach for Club Natation Bleu et Or.
CNBO is hosting the NB Open Cup again this year.
Most of the swimmers are between the ages of 13 and 18 years old, but Paralympian Danielle Dorris will also race.
Allen says it’s a great opportunity to see a good level of athletes.
Preliminary races are held every morning on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and then the finals are held at night with the top six.
“It’s a big setting, but it’s also a small, tight-knit opportunity to see these kids and the clubs come together. The Super Finals are the top six fastest athletes that we bring together, regardless of their age. It might be the 13-year-old racing with the 18-year-old. We’ve also added an extra relay. There are four relay events that are a lot of fun for the athletes to come together. We also threw in two mixed-gender ones to try and make it a little bit more accessible for all the teams,” Allen adds.
The NB Open Cup is also a great opportunity for anyone who might be considering the sport of competitive swimming. Spectators will see athletes at various stages of their competitive journey and this meet will give onlookers a sense of what the sport looks like.
