VANCOUVER – With the Canada West Championships just a few weeks away, the Thunderbird swim teams are eager to get into the water and race. They'll have the opportunity to do just that this weekend, as UBC hosts its annual high-level meet – the University Cup Pacific Presented by SI Clubhouse (formerly known as the Colleges Cup), on November 8 and 9 inside the UBC Aquatic Centre.
"It has always and continues to be our first major competition of the season where we all get to measure our programs and each other," said T-Birds head coach
Derrick Schoof. "We are excited to see our athletes get off the blocks and we are looking for some good early season results."
The T-Birds have done very well at the meet in recent years, having swept the podium each of the last three seasons. There will be plenty of competition as always, with around 220 swimmers expected to compete.
That includes teams from five other Canada West schools – Calgary, Lethbridge, Manitoba, Regina and Victoria – as well as a BC High School All-Star squad.
The University Cup Pacific is not typically the first time in a fall season where the T-Birds race against fellow U SPORTS opposition, but with the cancellation of UVic's planned Senior Circuit last month and the moving of Calgary's Dino Invitational, the importance of this weekend's action becomes even more pronounced.
"We pivoted and competed locally at the VPSC invite," stated Schoof on the inability to compete in the Senior Circuit. "There we swam some very good times, even many personal bests, so we are confident that the University Cup Pacific should go well for us also.
"The Dino invitational has been moved to February, and rebranded at the University Cup Mountain. This move has been good for us as it has allowed us to maximize our training early in the season, and adds a much-needed competition leading into the U SPORTS Championships."
Of course, nationals are still four months away, and so the foremost focus for this weekend is to get in the water, put down some fast times, and prepare for the upcoming conference championships – held in Lethbridge from November 28 to 30.
"This weekend will really show us where we need to make adjustments leading into the Canada West Championships" added Schoof. "Often it will be fine-tuning our skills, such as starts and turns, as well as race tactics.
"The racing in general is the highest form of training, so we anticipate some physiological adaptations after two hard days of high-intensity racing. We are not tapering for this weekend, so we will also need to evaluate fatigue levels and learn how each athlete is responding to the training program thus far."
The meet opens on Saturday with the preliminary races at 9:30 a.m., followed by the finals at 5:30 p.m. (PT). On Sunday the prelims begin at 9:00 a.m. and the finals start at 3:00 p.m., with all races taking place inside the UBC Aquatic Centre.
