Vetter looking forward to the heightened expectations this season

Commentator/Courier File Photo AMAC swimmer Delrae Vetter

By Justin Seward

Commentator/Courier

After a season of personal best times and competing at her age group nationals in Winnipeg last summer, Alberta Marlins Aquatic Club swimmer and Redcliff native Delrae Vetter is poised to get more out of the pool this season.
She had respectable results in Manitoba with her 1,500 metre race where she carved up and down the lane in 20 seconds, placing her 19th in Canada, while her other races were within the top 30.
“Once I was done in July, I just stopped,” she said on the prolonged season.
“I was like ‘this has been going on too long. I need a break.’”
It has only been three months into a new swimming season and Vetter is already wearing medals around her neck after taking seven medals (six gold and one silver)home at the Marlins meet two weeks ago.
“Everyone did really good,” she said.
“It was a really good atmosphere because everyone wanted to do well and push each other to do well. For me, I did pretty well just racing not necessarily people with me, but more just myself.”
That was AMAC’s third swim meet of the season.
Having early success is new for her because last year it was more about progression in the lanes as opposed to immediate success.
“This year, it just happened right away, which was pretty surprising,” she said.
“Just more believing in myself and knowing whatever I put my mind to, I can do it and not doubting myself and not worrying about people around me.”
AMAC head coach Jordan Harper has coached Vetter for awhile and after seeing her swim at nationals, he felt it was an eye-opener to see where she stood with the rest of country.
“When she comes out this year, she has pretty good confidence coming off that meet and from Day 1, setting goals high,” he said.
“The group around her definitely benefits from it because everyone wants to chase it, everyone wants to be at age group nationals competing.
You look at her ranking for Alberta, for her age, she’s top in every swim that she’s in, which is a every good thing to have, considering as we get older we might be a little more specific on what strokes we want to pursue. I think in the future, her strokes are going to be a little bit more middle distance still, but some more 400 IMs (nonstandard strokes).”
The difference Harper notices in her stroke is she is willing to do more butterflys.
“When she was young, she really hated that stroke, just because she had one bad experience with the 100 metre fly at a Lethbridge meet and she was terrified of it ,” he said.
“And her making that adaptation, to butterfly, trying to breathe every two strokes, I’d say that’s probably her strongest point is willing to make a change