| Jul 02, 2009


Back to HomeFeature Article - July 2, 2009 Local Harrowsmith athlete brings home a goldBy Julie Druker

Harrowsmith’s Brittanie Grant’s synchro-swim team won gold at the Canadian Nationals in May

Eighteen-year-old Brittanie Grant of Harrowsmith left home two years ago to pursue her synchronized swimming dreams. She moved to Quebec City and joined the well-known Synchro-Elite team that trains there. On average she trained for 30 hours per week, about five and a half hours a day and carried on her school studies by correspondence.

In May all of her hard work paid off. Her eight-member team won gold with their free routine at the Canadian Nationals held at the University of Laval, Quebec, making her team the top senior sychro-swim team in all of Canada.

For Brittanie it was a dream come true and she admitted that realizing her dreams did not come without some sacrifices. During her first year away she lived with a French family and this past year had her own apartment in Quebec City. Immersed in a French-speaking culture she had to balance school work and training pretty much in isolation while living independently of her family and friends.

Still she managed to keep up with her studies while training and received an award for high academic achievement from the Limestone District School Board when she graduated from high school this year.

She’s recently accepted a swimming and academic scholarship to Canisius College in Buffalo, New York where she will be swimming on their collegiate team while pursuing a biology degree. She is hoping to go on to vet school.

Even though Brittanie will be heading to the U.S. to study and swim she still has the option of returning to the Centre of Excellence in Montreal with her coach to train, and be identified or try out for the Canadian Olympic team.

As far as accomplishing so much this year Brittanie is humble. “ I just try my best. It feels really good to have swum with one of the top clubs in Canada and I’ve learned so much from my coaches and am grateful for the opportunity. I am also very excited to continue on.”

Rhonda Grant, Brittanie's Mom is obviously very proud and said, "I think it's pretty incredible what she's experienced and done at such a young age."

Brittanie is looking forward to heading off to school later this summer and feels that her time spent in Quebec has prepared her well for college in Buffalo. She is especially looking forward to studying and training in the future alongside her peers.

In the meantime she will be spending the summer in Harrowsmith and looking for a summer job until she heads to Buffalo in August. Brittanie and her mom are thankful to everyone who helped Brittanie with her studies throughout these last two years.

Support local
independant journalism by becoming a patron of the Frontenac News.