By Ella Milloy

QUEBEC – After a three-year pause since the last national competition, 87-year-old Mae Waldie of the Pointe-Claire Masters Swim Club competed in five events on the second day of the 2022 Speedo Masters Canadian Swimming Championships.

On top of her busy racing schedule, Waldie was awarded the 2022 Swimming Excellence Award. The annual award is presented to a Masters swimmer who has demonstrated consistent and outstanding results at the highest levels of competition in Masters swimming.

Waldie joined the sport as a child while living in Great Britain. She has continued to swim for another 45 years. After she moved to Canada, she started swimming with the Pointe-Claire Masters. She has stayed with the club ever since. Waldie explained that her teammates keep her motivated.

“I think my favourite part [of swimming with Masters] is that it’s really fun most of the time,” Waldie said. “The training keeps me in shape and I love the companionship of training with your lane-mates. They’re always excited.”

Waldie has 17 Canadian records and 81 Quebec provincial records across five age group categories. In the 80-84 category, Waldie holds all the long-course records and 17 of the 18 short-course records. She has represented Canada at four Masters World Championships. Ever humble despite her success in the pool, Waldie expressed surprise at the recognition.

“It’s a surprise. I’m quite humble about it actually because there are so many good swimmers out there,” Waldie said. “I think it’s a reflection of my training, Pointe-Claire and my coach. They motivate me, they correct my stroke, which is showing up very well at this meet. I’m still surprised at the times I’m going. To get the award is like icing on the cake.”

Benoit Grenier of the Maitres-à-Contre-Courant was presented with the Long-Term Contribution Award, awarded annually to a swimmer, coach, volunteer or an administrator in recognition of outstanding long-term contribution to Masters swimming in Canada.

Grenier has shared his passion for the sport with his athletes for 35 years and has been involved in the world of Masters swimming for almost 20 years. He started coaching with his current club in 2018 and is still active as both a coach and as a swimmer. For him, the best part of the Masters community is its well-rounded nature.

“The friendship, staying in shape, and having the chance to travel around the world,” Grenier said. “That’s what I like the most.”

Grenier is grateful for being recognized for all of his years of coaching experience and service to the swimming community.

“It means a lot,” Grenier said. “It means I’ve been recognized. I’ve been around a pool for a long time but I didn’t expect to win this award. It’s such an honour. I was really touched.”

The third award of the afternoon was presented to Amélie Racine of the Club des maitres Saint-Laurent. The Excellence in Coaching award is presented to a coach who is recognized as an exceptional coach, devoting time, energy and enthusiasm to inspire, advise, challenge and support their swimmers attain their goals.

The 2020 awards were presented to Gaël Chaubet, Charlie Lane, Kalis Rasmussen and Pablo Conde.