Making Waves and Slicing Success: The Little Caesars Fun Meet at the Shaw Centre
A Perfect Blend of Flavors and Finishes
In the bustling ambiance of the Shaw Centre, the Saskatoon Goldfins Swim Club hosted a dynamic spectacle—the second Little Caesars Fun Meet of the 2026 swim season. This event, held on Friday, March 6, 2026, was much like a gourmet pizza, with each slice offering its own distinct and delightful taste. The meet brought together participants from the Junior Goldfins swimming lesson program and seasoned competitors from the Goldfins swim club, creating a diverse and enriching experience for all.
Diving into the Melting Pot of Talent
The pool buzzed with energy as 131 Junior Goldfins and 18 competitive swimmers dove into 12 different events. Much like a pizza with a perfect blend of toppings, each competitor showcased their unique skills and dedication, resulting in a remarkable 331 personal best times. Special recognition is due to those swimmers who achieved 100% personal best times, akin to discovering the ultimate pizza topping combination.
Topping the Charts: Most Improved Swimmers
Special recognition goes to those who posted 100% personal best times, an achievement as satisfying as finding the perfect pizza topping combination. Congratulations to Isabelle Anderson, Linda Bernardes, Allison Berscheid, Sophie Boesch, Rose Budreau, Isabel Burkholder, Abigail Choo, Julien Costa, Felix de Boer, Conor Diaz Donovan, Victoria Dickson, Mehdi ElMoueden, Luka Fehr, Remi Fehr, Ty Fehr, Rainier Finell, Madeline Forseth, Lochlan Foulds, Gemma Friggstad, Shae Frith, Aisling Fusick, Josephine Gauld, Kristina Goncharov, Lucy Gryschuk, George Ha, Frankie Hankewich, Fynn Hankewich, Bafu Hao, Yunze Hao, Everly Haver, Halle Haver, Ellie Helmuth, Ellie Helmuth, Scarlett Highway, Owen Jelinski, Mackinnon Johnson, Jasper Ledingham-Off, Atlas Mah, Rory Mah, Henrik Michel, Aishleen Mundi, Gabriel Myrfield-Wolfe, Sawyer O’Neil, Zoey Painchaud, Mia Piche, Micah Rajakumar, Caitlyn Samonte, Jovi Sampson, Ellie Seto, Kate Seto, Makar Skliar, Maisie Smela, Talia Smith, Luna Tang, Aliece Thompson, Jennifer Thompson, Katherine Thompson-McCrank, Avery Thornhill, Simrin Virdi, Isla Virlics, Eilidh Wakeman, Penny Walter, Winnie White, Anni Wigness, Sienna Wilson, Summer Wilson, Julia Yang, and Ethan Yu.
Top 3 Most Improved Junior Goldfins Bronze Group Swim Events:
Lucy Gryschuk 25 Freestyle 58.0% Improvement “-70.49”
Isabelle Anderson 25 Freestyle 51.7% Improvement “-69.76
Henrik Michel 25 Freestyle 48.8% Improvement “-37.15”
Top 3 Most Improved Junior Goldfins Bronze Group 25M Freestyle Kick Event:
Henrik Michel 25 Freestyle Kick 38.9% Improvement “-23.74”
Ellie Seto 25 Freestyle Kick 21.3% Improvement “- 8.99”
Erik Thompson 25 Freestyle Kick 20.3% Improvement “-12.32”
Top 3 Most Improved Junior Goldfins Silver Group Swim Events:
Summer Wilson 25 Backstroke 42.8% Improvement “-29.73”
Sawyer O’Neil 25 Backstroke 34.6% Improvement “-20.23”
Zoe Boots 50 Freestyle 32.3% Improvement “-44.23”
Top 3 Most Improved Junior Goldfins Silver Group 50M Freestyle Kick Event:
Talia Smith 50 Freestyle Kick 25.9% Improvement “-42.50”
Sawyer O’Neil 50 Freestyle Kick 20.9% Improvement “-19.74”
Andrei Vlaznev 50 Freestyle Kick 17.9% Improvement “-16.83”
Top 3 Most Improved Junior Goldfins Gold Group Swim Events:
Elias Reiter 50 Backstroke 63.1% Improvement “-124.02”
Shae Frith 50 Backstroke 42.1% Improvement “-50.69”
Shae Frith 100 Freestyle 28.7% Improvement “-64.74”
Top 3 Most Improved Junior Goldfins Gold Group 50M Freestyle Kick Event:
Josephine Gauld 50 Freestyle Kick 14.1% Improvement “-10.63”
Ethan Yu 50 Freestyle Kick 11.7% Improvement “- 9.45”
Frankie Hankewich 50 Freestyle Kick 8.7% Improvement “- 6.03”
Top 3 Most Improved Goldfins Competitive Groups Swim Events:
Bronwen Friggstad 50 Backstroke 50.9% Improvement “-51.31”
Eilidh Wakeman 50 Backstroke 30.2% Improvement “-20.06”
Luka Fehr 50 Backstroke 38.5% Improvement “-30.17”
Top 3 Most Improved Goldfins Competitive Groups 50M Freestyle Kick Event:
Eilidh Wakeman 50 Freestyle Kick 19.5% Improvement “-11.39”
Isabel Burkholder 50 Freestyle Kick 19.1% Improvement “-12.28”
Scarlett Highway 50 Freestyle Kick 9.7% Improvement “- 5.19”
Setting New Standards: A Slice of Provincial Success
In addition to personal bests, swimmers aimed to achieve provincial time standards, providing a benchmark for their progress against peers across the province. Victoria Dickson and Aishleen Mundi notably achieved new unofficial provincial time standards in the 50M Backstroke, marking another layer of achievement akin to a perfectly layered pizza.
*The Little Caesars Fun Meets/Friday Night at the Races are non-sanctioned swim meets. Therefore, results are compared to swimmers' previous bests that are logged in the Goldfins Swim Test Database.
Congratulations to the Winter Fun Meet Door Prize Winners:
Bronze: Lochlan
Silver: Lucia
Gold: Zelda
A Toast to Triumph: Gratitude and Celebration
The success of the meet was further enhanced by the generous support of Little Caesars Pizzza, whose delectable offerings capped off an evening of competition and camaraderie. Thank you to Lana Niro and her Team at Little Caesars for providing a hearty serving of pizza and sweet treats, over 200 swimmers, volunteers, and coaches celebrated their achievements and contributions.
The Saskatoon Goldfins would like to thank all the volunteers, coaches, and swimmers for their tremendous efforts in ensuring these Fun Meets continue to be a remarkable success. A special thanks to the Senior Goldfins Officials: Randall Keays & Colleen Patterson, Meet Referees, Ben Mah, Maria Painchaud - Starters, Kae-Lynn Gebhardt – Administration Desk, Recorder/Scorer – Van Ha, Dmitry Goncharov and Ryan MacGillivray - Clock, Tina Zimonick - Chief Judge of Electronics, Ryan Lejbak - Announcer and Nicole Gillis-Fehr - Co-Meet Manager. Thank you to our Senior Goldfins swimmers for supporting our youngest Goldfins during their race. Your encouragement and the delicious pizza you provided after the swim meet truly made a difference. We appreciate your care and attention!
As the Goldfins continue to nurture and develop the skills of young swimmers, the Little Caesars Fun Meet stands as a testament to the power of community, competition, and the joy of shared victories.
Little Caesars 2026 Winter Fun Meet/FNR Results
Please note the following Junior Goldfins Upcoming Schedule Changes:
Good Friday – April 3, 2026 – Junior Goldfins Lessons and Goldfins Programs are Canceled
Easter Week – April 6 – 9, 2026 – Junior Goldfins Lessons are Canceled
Junior Goldfins Lessons Resume – Friday, April 10, 2026
April 16 – 19, 2026 – Bridge City Spring Classic Swim Meet (Hosted by the Saskatoon Lasers Swim Club) – All Junior Goldfins and Goldfins Programs are Canceled
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