SANDY ROBERTS

Although most of her athletes’ training took place at Swift Current’s Imperial 400 motel pool, Sandy Roberts’ incredible coaching skills led her synchronized swimmers to take home one gold, one silver and two bronze medals in the solo and duet categories at the 1978 Saskatchewan Winter Games in Moose Jaw. She went on to coach again at the 1982 Games in Prince Albert and the 1986 Games in Yorkton. When Swift Current’s synchro club first entered the Games in 1978, Sandy said it was a challenge as a coach, and although they usually dominated in the annual summer competition, going up against swimmers who had year-round access to a pool was a huge step in her coaching development. “When Swift Current became an indoor club, the Games became ‘the’ event of the competitive cycle for most of the swimmers,” she said. Sandy’s career with synchronized swimming grew extensively after the Games to 25 years of coaching, 35 years as a judge at the provincial, nation and international levels and about 10 years as a clinician, judge trainer and evaluator. She also served as an administrator for 30 years on a number of committees and boards. Looking back on her time at the Games, Sandy believes that their legacy is instilled through the talented and driven athletes who move on to compete at national and international levels of competition.