Local swimmer moves toward representing Canada

Preparing for a possible stint at the Commonwealth Games this June is no easy feat for local swimming sensation Theresa Westhaver. It takes drive and a big time commitment for the 16 year old. 

Westhaver began swimming competitively at age six and has never looked back. “I love it and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Recently, Westhaver took part in time trials in Surrey, B.C. for competitive lifesaving, which she hopes will lead to a spot on the team competing in Edmonton for the Commonwealth Games in June. 

The team has not yet been selected because time trials still have to take place in Quebec and Nova Scotia and Westhaver won’t know if she’s made the team for about a month. 

Four out of her five times from the Surrey trials have “qualified for the minimum development times,” she said, which seems to be a good sign of her potential given that she only recently turned 16 and now competes for the first time as a senior, meaning longer events and racing against adults. 

Westhaver is “trying to stay positive” about her chances of making the team, “but I’m only 16,” she said, “so I’ve got a lot of time.”

When she thinks about where swimming could take her, though Edmonton is “not the most exciting place to travel,” she joked, “It’s about the competition anyways.” 

The competition part is definitely what’s it’s all about for Westhaver, especially when she discussed her training regime. Workouts begin at 7 a.m. before school and “the weeks leading up to the competition I was training twice a day every day,” she said. 

Swim coach Gerrad Lewin was pleased with Westhaver’s performance at the time trials, and said “she had some really good swims... everything seemed to come together at the right time.” 

Not only is it a big time commitment for Westhaver, but also for Lewin, a triathlete who competes at the national level. “It’s a serious undertaking,” he said, “and myself personally, I’m not somebody who likes to do things in half-measures. By the same token, big commitments are required to compete on the big stage.”

It’s not all about training though. Westhaver carries a stone to all her competitions as a sort of good luck charm. Before a competition she also listens to some music, specifically punk, to get pumped up. “Rancid is my favourite band,” she said, as well as the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  

Westhaver is grateful for Lewin’s assistance, given that she has big ambitions to make it to the Olympics, which she’s dreamt about since she was four years old. Even though competitive lifesaving is not yet an Olympic event, “it’s on the list to become an Olympic sport, someday hopefully,” she said, “’cause that would be amazing.”