There’s a couple of big weeks ahead for a pair of local swimmers.

Cadence Johns and Elyssa Tacchi with the Moose Jaw Kinsmen Flying Fins are in Toronto this week for the 2017 Canadian Junior Championships and then they will travel to Winnipeg next week for the 2017 Canada Summer Games.

It’s a busy, but exciting time for the two young swimmers.

“The Canada Games will for sure be really fun and nationals, now that I’ve moved up an age group, I’ll have some new competition and it should be really fun,” said Johns.

This will be Johns’ second trip to a national swim meet after attending the Canadian Age Group Championship last year.

She said that experience will serve her well this year heading into the junior nationals.

“I made some finals last year and met some new people as well, so it was a good learning experience,” said Johns.

This time around, she’s hoping to push herself a bit more.

“I know what the competition is like, so my goals are to get into the finals and maybe get top-three,” she said.

For Tacchi, there’s plenty of emotions heading into her first nationals.

“I’m nervous and excited,” she said. “I’m pretty excited and if it goes well than that’s good, but if it doesn’t than it’s a learning experience.”

Both swimmers have been pushing their times lower and lower throughout the year and Tacchi said that’s her goal going into both national meets.

“I’m just looking to take off time on my swims, make some finals and medalling would be awesome, but who knows,” she said.

A lot of practice has gone into getting to that point and Tacchi said she’s just trying to treat these meets like any other one here in Saskatchewan.

“It’s easier to just treat it like another meet,” she said. “It’s exciting and terrifying and so many different emotions.”

Johns will hit the pool for the first time on Wednesday, while Tacchi will have her first swim on Friday.

Both swimmers will head from Toronto to Brandon to start preparing for the Canada Summer Games with the swimming events running during the second week of the games from Aug. 7-12.

Emma Schaeffer with the Flying Fins is also in Edmonton this week for a high performance Triathlon competition.

Olson Brings Back Hardware from Indigenous Games

Two members of the Flying Fins put together a stellar showing last week with Team Saskatchewan at the 2017 North American Indigenous Games in Toronto.

Rainer Olson posted 100-percent lifetime best times as he brought home five medals, including one gold, two silver and two bronze. He also had a fourth place finish in the 100-metre freestyle.

Olson’s gold medal came in the 200m backstroke where he shaved 19 seconds off his personal best time. He also took seven seconds off his 200m breaststroke time and 15 seconds off his 200m individual medley in winning silver medals in both races.

Cadence Olson posted lifetime best times in the 100m breaststroke and 50m freestyle events.

The 11-year-old was swimming up in the 14-and-under age category and picked up three top-16 placings.