Carrie Wightman

When one thinks of swimming in the Bridgetown area, our thoughts go back to the 1980s when the Bridgetown Sea Kings was one of the dominant summer swim teams in the province.

Even though there were many outstanding swimmers on the team, one athlete stands out for her consistant ability to perform well. That athlete was Carrie Wightman.

At the age of eight, Carrie began to show that she was a natural swimmer and after much encouragement from her father and coach Bronson Rafuse, she joined the swim team. Carrie was very shy and it took a lot of effort to get her to enter her first race (the offer of a large bottle of coke from her father was the reward if she entered and finished the race). Carrie went on to win the race and from that point on she enjoyed the swim team and competition thoroughly. She became a mainstay of the Sea Kings in both individual and relay events. In 1981, Carrie was awarded with a trophy as the ”9-10 Age Group Best Swimmer”.

Success for Carrie followed in successive age classes and in 1982 (age 10), at the Provincial Championships in Bridgewater, she won her first provincial medals and broke the first of her 11 provincial records. Carrie, along with many other good swimmers on the Sea Kings, became a strong force at the Provincial Championships during the period from 1982 to 1985.The strong team effort led to winning the Provincial Championships in Lunenburg in 1984. Carrie was awarded with the top female swimmer for the 11 and 12 age group at this swim meet.

In 1985, at the provincial championships in Hantspoprt, Carrie (age 13) won two individual races and set provincial records in both events. Carrie performed very well in this meet and was awarded a plaque as “1985 Best Overall Female“ for 13-14 age class swimmers.

Carrie continued to win many races until 1988 when she was too old to compete in summer swimming. During her swimming years, Carrie had collected 91 first place ribbons, 84 second place ribbons and a large number of medals, many of these from provincial championships. Upon retiring from the Sea Kings, Carrie was honored with a plaque that read “Presented in Appreciation and Recognition of 10 years of Competitive Swimming with the Bridgetown Sea Kings and her Devotion to Excellence”.

Following her years of competitive swimming, Carrie became Pool Director and Swim Team coach for the Lawrencetown Lazers. She passed on her training and skills to this team. In 1993, at the Provincial Championships in Bridgewater, the Lazers were the best small club and Carrie won the “Best Small Club Coach of the Year” award. It is interesting to note that at this meet, Carrie’s first provincial record, set in 1982, was finally broken after 11 years.

In 2001, Carrie moved to Edmonton, Alberta where she joined the swim club at the Commonwealth Games Pool. A highlight of her time there was the swimming competition at the 2005 World Masters Games. She won her heat and was thrilled to see her name displayed in lights at the top of the big electronic scoreboard.

Carrie’s desire to compete led her to try Ironman and Triathlon events. It is not surprising that the swimming portion of these events was her greatest strength.

As we look back at Carrie’s accomplishments during the 1980s, it is easy to see why she has been selected as an honored inductee of the Bridgetown and Area Sports Hall of Fame.