THUNDER BAY - Lindsay Puhalski is used to competing away from home.
But this weekend, the 12-year-old will get to race in a familiar setting.
The Thunder Bay Thunderbolts swimmer will be one of more than 70 team members competing in the second annual Sun Life Grand Prix, which will be held Friday through Sunday at the Canada Games Complex.
The meet is attracting more than 350 swimmers from clubs spanning across the region, as well as southern Ontario and the United States.
“It means a lot to have you friends and family come to support you,” she said. “I get to sleep in my own bed and feel comfortable at my house and not be in a hotel room.”
Puhalski has her eyes set on achieving national meet qualifying times in both the 50-metre and 100-metre butterfly.
Thunderbolts head coach Stu McLean said Puhalski is just one of a number of swimmers to watch over the course of the weekend.
“We have a few athletes who are on a performance track towards national meets over the summer,” McLean said.
“They are working pretty hard right now. We’re trying to get some racing mileage in while they’re a little tired, a little sore and working hard every day. We’re hoping to see some results from that.”
Some of the toughest competition will come from the highly decorated Oakville Aquatic Club, which is the largest team in the meet.
Oakville recently captured a national title and McLean said the club has a number of athletes representing the nation at the upcoming Pan Am Games and world championships.
There are cash prizes for the top teams, with the first place team of more than 40 swimmers earning $5,000, the leading team of 20 to 39 swimmers takes $3,000 while the top team of fewer than 20 swimmers wins $1,000.
There will be three sessions each day, starting with preliminaries at 8 a.m. and finals taking place at 6:30 p.m.
