By Dwayne Tingley

Photo by: SPORTDAD

Brooklyn Douthwright is profoundly competitive and the 15 year-old’s most intense rival is herself.

“Swimming is all about pushing myself to be better and the challenge is finding out how far I can go in the sport,” the Riverview, N.B., resident said before a recent practice at the Pat Crossman Memorial Aquatic Centre in her hometown.

Douthwright is one of 18 athletes across the country who have been awarded NextGen Scholarships by Swimming Canada.

The $140,000 in awards are funded through the RBC Future Olympian Program and Swimming Canada’s NextGen High Performance Centre Scholarships.

Douthwright, a Grade 10 student at Riverview High School, has been carded for a second season after she achieved World Class On Track Times in her 200-metre freestyle, 50 free and 100 back. She is ranked second among Canadian 16-and-under swimmers for the 100 free and 200 free.

Douthwright trains at the Riverview pool five mornings and four evenings each week. Each session is about two hours long, except Friday nights, which are about two-and-a-half hours. She’s also in the weight room for more than an hour, three times a week.

“A lot of people think I train a lot, but that’s where I challenge myself,” Douthwright said. “I want to push myself. I understand there are challenges if I want to get better times and improve my techniques.”

Douthwright also competes with the Codiac Vikings Aquatic Club at meets in the Maritimes one weekend each month. Also, one weekend a month she travels to Toronto train at the Ontario Swimming Academy. She has worn the colours of Team Ontario in the Pro Swim Series and also trained in Florida and Tennessee.

“By going to Ontario as often as I do, I am able to open up a bunch of opportunities that wouldn’t exist if I stayed home,” Douthwright said.

“I get to train with the best athletes and the top coaches,” she added. “I appreciate all of the help I get at home, but I need to see what I can do against the best competition.

“When I see the high-performance swimmers, I see how much I have to improve if I want to compete against them in the future. It’s all part of the process of getting better.”

Douthwright said the NextGen Scholarship will provide her with the funds she needs to travel frequently to Ontario.

“The competition is better up there and that’s what I need for my development,” said the soft-spoken New Brunswicker, who has broken more than 50 provincial records in recent years.

Douthwright is preparing for the upcoming Canadian Swimming Trials April 3-7 in Toronto.

Meanwhile, 18 year-old Finlay Knox, of Okotoks, Alta., is also appreciative of being awarded a NextGen Scholarhsip.

“It has helped me travel to training camp and swim meets further away and will allow me to compete and train with world-class athletes,” said the member of the Okotoks Mavericks Swimming Club.

“One major characteristic that helps me improve as an athlete is never putting unnecessary pressure on myself,” he said. “If I’m having fun during training and racing, that’s when I know that I am swimming for the right reason.

“You can always learn something new from every training session and from every race.”

Following is a list of NextGen Scholarship winners. Their club and home coaches are also listed:

Emma O’Croinin – Edmonton Keyano, Paul Birmingham

Joshua Liendo – North York (Ont.), Murray Drudge

Cole Pratt/Sebastian Somerset – Cascade (Calgary), Dave Johnson

Gabe Mastromatteo – Kenora (Ont.), Janet Hyslop

Mehdi Ayoubi – CAMO (Montreal), Greg Arkhurst

Raben Dommann – Chena (North Vancouver), Patrick Paradis

Ryley McRae – Kamloops (B.C.), Brad Dalke

Alex Pratt – HPC-Vancouver, Tom Johnson

Taylor Ruck – HPC-Ontario, Ben Titley

Kyla Leibel – Red Deer (Alta.), Lucien Zucchi

Avery Wiseman – Olympian (Edmonton), Scott Wilson

Alex Milanovich – Etobicoke (Ont.), Kevin Thorburn

Brooklyn Douthwright – Moncton Codiac Vikings, Melanie Melanson

Jacob Gallant – Fredericton, Marta Belsh

Michael McGillivray – Regina, Abderrahmane Tissira

Genevieve Sasseville – Ontario Swimming Academy, Don Burton

Madison Broad – Chatham (Ont.), Don Burton