The Comox Valley Aquatic Club Sharks are bidding a fond farewell to longtime club members Drew Kuhnert and Kyle Brush.
Both started their swimming careers with the summer swim club and transitioned to the Sharks winter club; swimming 10 to 11 months of the year up to 17 hours a week.
Their successes both academically and at higher levels of competition are a testament to their dedication, commitment and organizational abilities. Both Drew and Kyle maintained honour roll marks and were also involved in music and volunteer groups in high school – both are 2012 graduates from Mark Isfeld Secondary School.
Kyle won the prestigious Mark Isfeld award as the top all-round graduating student. He is a strong swimmer having qualified and medalled at the Swim BC AA Championships in both short course (25m) and long course (50m) swimming.
Kyle always came to workout with a smile and put forth a great effort during each session. He is admired by his teammates for his good humour and pleasant disposition. His specialty was the butterfly and sprint free events.
Drew is an accomplished swimmer, having qualified for the Age Group Championships the last two seasons. His specialties are the breaststroke events and the sprint freestyle. He was renowned for leading the "rollercoaster" cheer.
He is soft-spoken but a true leader – leading by example. He was a great trainer and pushed both himself and his peers in training and at competitions. Drew's outside interests/talents include being an accomplished musician and a hockey player.
Drew and Kyle took on the role of team leader/captain when other senior swimmers left the club last year to attend university. This year they were the senior swimmers and willingly took on a leadership role on deck, in workouts and in competitions – setting the pace for some of their "younger" teammates.
Both swimmers are leaving the Valley to pursue university. Drew is off to Ontario to study and swim at Queens University. Kyle is off to study physics at SFU.
"We wish them well and thank them for their contribution to the success to the Sharks," a CVAC spokesperson said.
– Comox Valley Aquatic Club Sharks