With limited racing options, the Whitehorse Glacier Bears Swim Team is faced with coming up with their own opportunities.

“We have no where to go to race,” said head coach Malwina Bukszowana. “We are basically on our own in the entire Yukon.”

For two hours last Saturday, more than 50 Glacier Bears hit the pool in the club’s first time trial of the season.

With the timing system set up, all the swims could count as official times.

Without many opportunities to race, Bukszowana said it’s still important for swimmers to get a taste of that competition.

Before last weekend’s time trial, her older swimmers were training hard, with a two-week block of effort and were tired going into their races.

This was done on purpose by Bukszowana to try and simulate what it’s like to race over multiple days, like what would happen at a bigger-scale meet.

“For the younger kids,” she said, “it’s just another experience of competition before they go away.”

More than 10 events were offered, including 50 freestyle, 50 backstroke, the full gamut of 100-metre events, a handful of 200-metre events and 400 freestyle.

There weren’t any records set, but Bukszowna said that many swimmers set personal bests.

The Glacier Bears only host four swim meets a year: the Ryan Downing Memorial Swim Meet in November, the Yukon Championships in the spring and two time trial events for local club swimmers. Other clubs could attend the time trials, but without much pool time, it often isn’t worth the trip.

Bukszowana is working on adding at least one more event to the calendar.

She is hoping the club will be able to host the Juneau Glacier Swim Club for a meet in mid-January.

“We are trying to move it forward and start a tradition,” said Bukszowana, who has been working out the details with a Glacier coach. “We are really hoping it will work out.”

The meet would be geared towards the older swimmers in the club, since the younger athletes will already be attending a meet in Haines on the same weekend.

Since the Haines pool is in yards and therefore the times posted there won’t count in Canadian standings, Buskzowana said it doesn’t make sense for the older swimmers to compete there as well.

Even with a mini meet, using only six of the pool’s eight lanes, the Glacier Bears can bring out the timing equipment and have the times count as official.

It’s been years since the Glacier Bears and the Juneau club have joined forces for an event.

“This will be something exciting for our kids,” said Bukszowana. “They don’t know what to expect, which is great.”

This weekend 15 Glacier Bears are in Victoria for the Xmas Cracker Swim Meet, a massive event using two pools for the competition.

“It’s a really busy meet,” said Bukszowana. “So a totally different experience for everybody.”