Campbell River swimmers head to Bell Canadian Trials in Montreal
Published 5:30 am Sunday, June 28, 2026
Eight Campbell River swimmers will be heading to the Canadian Swimming Trials in Montreal this year.
The swimmers are from the local Campbell River Killer Whales club, which has nine swimmers at the national level. They have been training for years to be able to compete in the highest level of swimming in Canada.
This Canadian Trials is where the National Sporting Organization selects both the Senior and Junior National team. These teams will represent Canada at the Pan Pacific Championships and the Junior Pan Pacific Championships this summer.
“For a town our size it is a miracle to send one swimmer to a competition of this caliber, and the Killer Whales will be sending eight,” said coach Richard Millns, who added that it was “a testament that fast swimming in Campbell River is the rule and not the exception.”
There are a number of swimmers who are in the mix to make it to the National team, including Zac Millns, who has been on the National ID team for years.
“Competing at the Senior National level requires an incredible amount of dedication and high level of focus,” the coach said. “Competitions like the Canadian Trials is where many of our swimmers can network for post secondary scholarships with both the Canadian U Sport system and the USA NCAA system.”
Richard Millns added that the team punches “well outside their weight class,” and will have one of the largest teams at the trials, inspiring the rest of the team back home and the community at large.
“We are living proof that greatness and elite performance can come from anywhere and from anyone who is willing to believe greatness is natural, and is much more often a choice,” said Millns.