For the first time in four years, Trent University will be represented at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Swimming Championship as third-year student and varsity swimmer Daniela Sheinin recently qualified for the chance to compete at the upcoming 2011 championships, to be held February 24-26, 2011 at the University of Calgary Aquatic Centre.

Ms. Sheinin, a History and Sociology major at Trent and a Peterborough native, will race amongst the top swimmers in Canada in the 50, 100 and 200 butterfly and in the 200 backstroke. She qualified for the national event after a strong showing at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships earlier this month where she broke the Trent record for the 50 butterfly and the 100 butterfly.

“It’s extremely rewarding to qualify and to know that these months of training have finally paid off,” said Ms. Sheinin. “I’m looking forward to swimming in such an intense environment. This is what everyone has been working towards all year so you know there is going to be some really fast swimming. Coming from such a small team, it’s a great opportunity to be able to swim at a national level competition. I’m just excited to see how much faster I can go.”

Ms. Sheinin has been swimming competitively since the age of eight when she first joined the Trent Swim Club. This is her second year on the varsity swim team at Trent University. On top of regular varsity practices, Ms. Sheinin has also been doing additional training to prepare for her meets. On average, she is training eight to nine times a week in the Allan Marshall Pool in the new Trent Community Sport & Recreation Centre, in addition to two dry land training sessions per week.

“My favourite part of swimming at Trent is the group dynamic of the team. It’s a very close and supportive environment,” Ms. Sheinin says, adding, “The coaching staff, led by Sean Dwyer, is also really great. Our coaches motivate us to work hard and to push ourselves to do things beyond what we thought was possible, both in the pool and in the weight room. They somehow manage make the most painful experiences fun and that is something that I am extremely grateful for.”