The youngest of three swimming sisters – eldest sister Ceilidh swam the past four years at Dalhousie, while second sister Kristen the past two years at Acadia – MacPherson, 18, started swimming when she was about six years old.
She spent 11 years with the Wolfville Tritons, for most of which she was coached by Chris Stone, who also coached the Acadia swim teams from 2008 until he resigned late this summer to take a position in Alberta.
MacPherson began as a freestyle swimmer, but in more recent years, has added other strokes, becoming equally proficient in backstroke.
A natural fit
When the time came for the Canning resident and 2014 Horton graduate to choose which university she would attend, she briefly considered Dalhousie, but ultimately chose Acadia.
She didn’t beat around the bush, either, committing to Acadia in December 2013. She hasn’t regretted her choice for even a minute since.
“I love it here,” she said. “I love that it’s the size it is, and the community feel, and that it’s close to home. I’m really happy with my decision.”
MacPherson came to Acadia highly regarded. She held several provincial records and had been co-captain of the 2013 Nova Scotia Canada Games swim team.
She was recruited by Stone, and admitted to being disappointed when her long-time coach left Acadia over the summer.
“It was a shock, and I was sad to see him go. He had been my coach for eight years, more than half my life as a swimmer,” she said, but recognized he had to pursue other opportunities. “Fort Mac was a great opportunity for him, and I know he loves it out there.”
Less than a week after Stone resigned, former Dalhousie head coach David Fry signed on to replace him.
“I love Dave as a coach,” MacPherson said. “He has so much great experience. We’re so fortunate to get him, for as long as he chooses to stay. He and Peter Porskamp and Sherri Deutsch make a really great team, and work really well together.”
Family affair
MacPherson also admitted to being a little disappointed her sister Kristen chose not to swim this year, opting instead to concentrate on her studies.
“I was looking forward to being on the same team with her again.”
Growing up, there was “friendly competition” between the three sisters, but no real rivalry.
“Ceilidh is four years older, and Kristen two years older, so we were always at different stages in our development,” MacPherson said.
“We’ve always been really supportive of each other, but there’s never really been any competition,” even when all three were swimming for the Tritons.
She did learn from them, however.
“I always looked up to them in their swimming, and I always hoped I’d do as well as them,” she said.
Many of her teammates are nearly family at Acadia.
“A lot of the people I swam with the past several years are now here,” she said. “It’s really nice, probably half the team are former Tritons. We’ve known each other for a long time, and we’re really quite close as a group.”
As for the rest of the team, they’ve gotten to know each other very well really quickly.
“We’ve developed a real family atmosphere it’s great to be a part of,” she said.
Starting with a splash
MacPherson got her Acadia career off to a great start, achieving the CIS national standard in the 200-metre backstroke at her second AUS meet earlier this month in New Brunswick.
“My season goals included qualifying for CIS. I’m really happy I’ve been able to do that, and so early in the season,” she said.
Don’t expect her to slow down now, however.
“Because I’ve done it, I’m not going to back off. I still have goals to achieve, and the rest of the team to support,” she said, adding that she wants to go after the CIS standards in other events.
Acadia has a relatively young team this season, though there is a nice mix of veteran swimmers, including former Tritons Luc Boudreau and Hayden Adams.
“It’s nice to have Luc as a teammate again,” she said. “The last time we were teammates, he was in Grade 12 and I was in Grade 8.”
She described Boudreau, a perennial CIS qualifier, as “a great team leader and role model.”
Improving her skills
MacPherson has only been part of the Acadia team for a short time, but she can already see improvement.
“The last two months, both the men’s and women’s teams have improved a lot. I can’t believe how much, and I’m really looking forward to seeing us continue to improve,” she said.
MacPherson is studying engineering, which is normally a three-year program.
“My goal is to qualify for CIS every year I’m here,” she said.
“One of our goals as a team is to qualify a women’s relay team for CIS. I feel it’s an attainable goal,” possibly even before the end of this season.
To complete her engineering degree, she is looking at either Dal or the University of New Brunswick. Both those schools have swim teams.
“I’ll have a decision to make as to whether I’d really like to swim for another school,” she said.
Swimming at Acadia
Growing up swimming with the Tritons, and with Stone as coach, MacPherson has had a front-row seat for the resurrection of swimming at Acadia.
“I really can’t believe how fast it’s grown in such a short time,” she said.
Only two months into her career as an Acadia student-athlete, MacPherson hasn’t really had the time to pursue any volunteer or community activities.
“I’d really like to do SMILE, maybe next year or even next semester if my time schedules work out.”
For now, though, her goal is to work hard, both in the classroom and in the pool, helping to make the Acadia swim team the best it can possibly be.
The youngest of three swimming sisters – eldest sister Ceilidh swam the past four years at Dalhousie, while second sister Kristen the past two years at Acadia – MacPherson, 18, started swimming when she was about six years old.
She spent 11 years with the Wolfville Tritons, for most of which she was coached by Chris Stone, who also coached the Acadia swim teams from 2008 until he resigned late this summer to take a position in Alberta.
MacPherson began as a freestyle swimmer, but in more recent years, has added other strokes, becoming equally proficient in backstroke.
A natural fit
When the time came for the Canning resident and 2014 Horton graduate to choose which university she would attend, she briefly considered Dalhousie, but ultimately chose Acadia.
She didn’t beat around the bush, either, committing to Acadia in December 2013. She hasn’t regretted her choice for even a minute since.
“I love it here,” she said. “I love that it’s the size it is, and the community feel, and that it’s close to home. I’m really happy with my decision.”
MacPherson came to Acadia highly regarded. She held several provincial records and had been co-captain of the 2013 Nova Scotia Canada Games swim team.
She was recruited by Stone, and admitted to being disappointed when her long-time coach left Acadia over the summer.
“It was a shock, and I was sad to see him go. He had been my coach for eight years, more than half my life as a swimmer,” she said, but recognized he had to pursue other opportunities. “Fort Mac was a great opportunity for him, and I know he loves it out there.”
Less than a week after Stone resigned, former Dalhousie head coach David Fry signed on to replace him.
“I love Dave as a coach,” MacPherson said. “He has so much great experience. We’re so fortunate to get him, for as long as he chooses to stay. He and Peter Porskamp and Sherri Deutsch make a really great team, and work really well together.”
Family affair
MacPherson also admitted to being a little disappointed her sister Kristen chose not to swim this year, opting instead to concentrate on her studies.
“I was looking forward to being on the same team with her again.”
Growing up, there was “friendly competition” between the three sisters, but no real rivalry.
“Ceilidh is four years older, and Kristen two years older, so we were always at different stages in our development,” MacPherson said.
“We’ve always been really supportive of each other, but there’s never really been any competition,” even when all three were swimming for the Tritons.
She did learn from them, however.
“I always looked up to them in their swimming, and I always hoped I’d do as well as them,” she said.
Many of her teammates are nearly family at Acadia.
“A lot of the people I swam with the past several years are now here,” she said. “It’s really nice, probably half the team are former Tritons. We’ve known each other for a long time, and we’re really quite close as a group.”
As for the rest of the team, they’ve gotten to know each other very well really quickly.
“We’ve developed a real family atmosphere it’s great to be a part of,” she said.
Starting with a splash
MacPherson got her Acadia career off to a great start, achieving the CIS national standard in the 200-metre backstroke at her second AUS meet earlier this month in New Brunswick.
“My season goals included qualifying for CIS. I’m really happy I’ve been able to do that, and so early in the season,” she said.
Don’t expect her to slow down now, however.
“Because I’ve done it, I’m not going to back off. I still have goals to achieve, and the rest of the team to support,” she said, adding that she wants to go after the CIS standards in other events.
Acadia has a relatively young team this season, though there is a nice mix of veteran swimmers, including former Tritons Luc Boudreau and Hayden Adams.
“It’s nice to have Luc as a teammate again,” she said. “The last time we were teammates, he was in Grade 12 and I was in Grade 8.”
She described Boudreau, a perennial CIS qualifier, as “a great team leader and role model.”
Improving her skills
MacPherson has only been part of the Acadia team for a short time, but she can already see improvement.
“The last two months, both the men’s and women’s teams have improved a lot. I can’t believe how much, and I’m really looking forward to seeing us continue to improve,” she said.
MacPherson is studying engineering, which is normally a three-year program.
“My goal is to qualify for CIS every year I’m here,” she said.
“One of our goals as a team is to qualify a women’s relay team for CIS. I feel it’s an attainable goal,” possibly even before the end of this season.
To complete her engineering degree, she is looking at either Dal or the University of New Brunswick. Both those schools have swim teams.
“I’ll have a decision to make as to whether I’d really like to swim for another school,” she said.
Swimming at Acadia
Growing up swimming with the Tritons, and with Stone as coach, MacPherson has had a front-row seat for the resurrection of swimming at Acadia.
“I really can’t believe how fast it’s grown in such a short time,” she said.
Only two months into her career as an Acadia student-athlete, MacPherson hasn’t really had the time to pursue any volunteer or community activities.
“I’d really like to do SMILE, maybe next year or even next semester if my time schedules work out.”
For now, though, her goal is to work hard, both in the classroom and in the pool, helping to make the Acadia swim team the best it can possibly be.
