Since 2015, MacEwan’s aquatic centre has been home to the masters swim team Fast Eddie’s Swim Club. Formally known as Penguin Masters Swimming, they originally swam at the U of A. Rental time fees increased at the U of A, according to treasurer and coach Heather Larson, so Penguin Masters Swimming shifted gears with a rebrand to Fast Eddie’s and relocated to MacEwan’s pool.
When asked what their program would look like without MacEwan, the program’s president, Martin Wiedemeyer, said: “I don’t think we would have a program.”
“I don’t think we would have a program.”
— Fast Eddies President, Martin Wiedemeyer,
Fast Eddie’s is one of several community organizations that use the facility and are not directly affiliated with MacEwan. Other swim clubs that frequent the aquatic centre are Making Waves, UofA Masters, Special Olympics, a youth Olympic team, and North Edmonton Swim Club.
The MacEwan Griffins used to have a swim team that competed in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC). The program ran from 1993 to 2008, with 12 combined men’s and women’s ACAC team championships within that time. MacEwan is no longer a part of ACAC and now competes in U Sports, which is a different governing body for university sports. MacEwan does not have a swimming team competing in U Sports. Fast Eddie’s has stepped in to fill that void. Some of the club members are MacEwan students.
Fast Eddie’s also supports students by waiving the $75 annual fee for students in their program.
Busy student schedules can always affect the level of commitment a student can give to a demanding club like a swim team. Fast Eddie’s has four practices a week and their athletes can choose whether or not to attend.
“Some people will show up like every practice, and other people we see a couple of times a month.”
Local organizations not only use MacEwan’s space but also help fund it, with over half of Fast Eddie’s’ operational costs going towards securing swim lane access at MacEwan. The swim lanes play a financial role in the university’s Sports and Wellness Centre by helping offset operating costs by filling pool space during times of low student usage.
With many universities in Canada no longer offering a swim program, it seems unlikely that MacEwan would bring the program back at the U Sports level.
MacEwan Athletics has brought back “discontinued sports” like Badminton, before giving it new life and allowing students to build a community around the sport through MacEwan-operated rec leagues. Perhaps in the future we will see a similar revival of swimming, but as of now, swim programs operating out of MacEwan’s campus give student athletes the space to pursue swimming.
