Swimmer stroked to final

By Natalie Alcoba

David Quane, star of Ryerson’s swim team, hopes his performance at the CIAU finals next weekend will propel him to his Olympic dream.

The second-year aerospace engineering student placed sixth in the 100-meter breastroke, and eighth in the 50-meter breastroke at the OUA finals at Brock University last weekend.

But the event was just a tuneup for Quane. He had already qualified for the nationals after a stellar performance at a meet in November at the University of Toronto.

He is the only member on the swim team who will represent Ryerson in the CIAU finals, to be held at the University of Guelph Feb. 25-27.

If Quane can break the qualifying time set out by the Canadian Olympic swimming team, he will earn a chance to compete in the Olympic trials at the beginning of June.

“My long-term goal is to be a member of the Canadian team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens,” he says.

Although Quane’s goal of reaching the Olympics will be a challenge, his coach, Victor Delac, supports him.

He says that Quane has the attitude of a race. “When he’s on the racing blocks, he wants to win,” he says.

Quane, who has been swimming since he was seven years old, says the atmosphere at Ryerson has helped him perfect his style.
“It’s a pretty good mix,” he says. “Everyone on the team is competitive yet it’s a relaxed atmosphere.”

Ryerson’s team earned 25 points at the Brock meet due to Quane’s sixth and eighth-place finishes.

No other athletes on the team qualified for the finals but coach Delac says the team swam well.

“The swimmer did exceptionally well, achieving personal best times,” he says.