Erica Morningstar
Encyclopedia
Erica Rachelle Morningstar (born March 3, 1989) is a Canadian
swimmer originally from Regina, Saskatchewan
who is now based in Calgary, Alberta. She has competed in events all over the world including the 2008 Olympic games held in Beijing, China. She is sponsored by Speedo Canada, and regularly appears in their annual catalog.
, held in Melbourne, Australia, were Erica's debut on the Canadian National Team. After setting a Canadian record in the 100m Freestyle at the Canadian trials, she had a successful showing at the Commonwealth Games. She finished 5th in the 100m Freestyle, and won two bronze medals in the 4 X 100m Freestyle Relay, as well as the 4 X 100m Medley Relay.
, held in Victoria, British Columbia
, were Erica's second event as a part of the Canadian National Team. These were also held as a trials for the 2007 World Championships for the Canadian team. Erica was able to reach the standard in order to compete in the 2007 World Championships in the 100m Freestyle. The 4 X 100m Freestyle relay that was anchored by Erica won a silver medal, defeating the Australians by 0.01 seconds.
, held in Melbourne, Australia, were Erica's World Championship debut. Her most successful event was the 100m Freestyle. She set a new Canadian record in a time of 54.08 in the semi finals of the event. She went on the finish 5th in the finals. Her Canadian record stills stands, even after 2 years of polyurethane
suits that broke most records.
proved to be extremely successful for Erica as she won 7 golds, including 4 individual in the 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle, and 200 Individual Medley. She also won gold in the 3 relays, leading her Dinos team to their first Women's CIS Championship banner. She also picked up Rookie of the Meet and later that year won Rookie of the Year at the University of Calgary Awards Banquet, for her performance at the CIS Championships.
, went on to represent Canada in the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Erica won Female athlete of the year at the U of C for the first time and once again was unbeatable in the CIS Championships with another 7 gold medals added. She made the final in the 200IM and won a bronze medal in the 4X100m Freestyle relay at the Pan Pacific Championships. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games
, she reached the semi-finals of the 100 metre freestyle
, finished seventh in the 200 metre individual medley
, and was a member of the team representing Canada that was disqualified from the 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay
while lying in fourth place when Geneviève Saumur
started her leg too early. They would have been awarded a silver medal.
as the 6th fastest competitor in the 200IM but finished a disappointing 12th.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
swimmer originally from Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
who is now based in Calgary, Alberta. She has competed in events all over the world including the 2008 Olympic games held in Beijing, China. She is sponsored by Speedo Canada, and regularly appears in their annual catalog.
Early life
Erica began swimming at the age of 9. Initially she was unsure about the sport and her parents had to give her a small push to join a competitive club. She joined the Calgary Patriots and continued to swim with them until the 2008 Olympic Games, when after wards she joined the University of Calgary Varsity Swim Team.2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
, held in Melbourne, Australia, were Erica's debut on the Canadian National Team. After setting a Canadian record in the 100m Freestyle at the Canadian trials, she had a successful showing at the Commonwealth Games. She finished 5th in the 100m Freestyle, and won two bronze medals in the 4 X 100m Freestyle Relay, as well as the 4 X 100m Medley Relay.
2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The tenth edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course event, was held in 2006 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, from August 17–20. Six world records were tallied compared to one from the 2002 edition. This edition was slower than it would have been because of the...
, held in Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, were Erica's second event as a part of the Canadian National Team. These were also held as a trials for the 2007 World Championships for the Canadian team. Erica was able to reach the standard in order to compete in the 2007 World Championships in the 100m Freestyle. The 4 X 100m Freestyle relay that was anchored by Erica won a silver medal, defeating the Australians by 0.01 seconds.
2007 World Aquatics Championships
The 2007 World Aquatics Championships2007 World Aquatics Championships
The 2007 World Aquatics Championships or the XII FINA World Championships were held in Melbourne, Australia from 17 March to 1 April 2007...
, held in Melbourne, Australia, were Erica's World Championship debut. Her most successful event was the 100m Freestyle. She set a new Canadian record in a time of 54.08 in the semi finals of the event. She went on the finish 5th in the finals. Her Canadian record stills stands, even after 2 years of polyurethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
suits that broke most records.
2008 Olympic Games
The 2008 Olympic Games, held in Beijing, China, were Erica's first Olympics. She competed in 5 events at the games. Including the 100m Freestyle, 200 Individual Medley, 4 X 100m Freestyle Relay, 4 X 200m Freestyle Relay, and the 4 X 100m Medley Relay. The 4 X 100m Freestyle Relay and 4 X 100m Medley Relay finished 8th and 7th respectively at the games.2009 CIS Championships
After returning from the 2008 Olympics, Erica joined the University of Calgary Varsity Swim Club, and started pursuing a degree in Communications. The 2009 CIS Championships, hosted by the University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
proved to be extremely successful for Erica as she won 7 golds, including 4 individual in the 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle, and 200 Individual Medley. She also won gold in the 3 relays, leading her Dinos team to their first Women's CIS Championship banner. She also picked up Rookie of the Meet and later that year won Rookie of the Year at the University of Calgary Awards Banquet, for her performance at the CIS Championships.
2009 FINA World Aquatic Championships
Erica competed in her second World Aquatic Championships in 2009 when they were held in Rome, Italy. She competed in the 200IM and finished 14th.2010 Season
2010 proved to be a rather exceptional season for Erica. She excelled at the Varsity level with the University of CalgaryUniversity of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
, went on to represent Canada in the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Erica won Female athlete of the year at the U of C for the first time and once again was unbeatable in the CIS Championships with another 7 gold medals added. She made the final in the 200IM and won a bronze medal in the 4X100m Freestyle relay at the Pan Pacific Championships. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
, she reached the semi-finals of the 100 metre freestyle
Swimming at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – Women's 100 metre freestyle
The Women's 100 metre freestyle event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games took place on October 5 and 6, 2010, at the SPM Swimming Pool Complex.Six heats were held, with most containing the maximum number of swimmers...
, finished seventh in the 200 metre individual medley
Swimming at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – Women's 200 metre individual medley
The Women's 200 individual medley event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games took place on October 4, 2010, at the SPM Swimming Pool Complex.Two heats were held, with both containing the seven swimmers...
, and was a member of the team representing Canada that was disqualified from the 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay
Swimming at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – Women's 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay
The Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games took place on October 8, 2010, at the SPM Swimming Pool Complex.A final was held only, containing eight countries. -Final:-References:...
while lying in fourth place when Geneviève Saumur
Geneviève Saumur
Geneviève Saumur is a Canadian Olympic swimmer. She swam for Canada at the 2008 Olympics.She currently holds the 200m freestyle Canadian Record.She has swam for Canada at:...
started her leg too early. They would have been awarded a silver medal.
2011 Season
Erica continued into 2011 building on the momentum she had gained from 2010. She once again won Female athlete of the year at the U of C, this time posting 6 golds and 1 silver at the CIS Championships. In the 100m Breastroke, Erica showed her versatility in the water by swimming the 5th fastest short course time in the world in 2011. Erica continued her success into the World Championship trials where she set a new Canadian record in the 200IM, and asserted herself as one of the premier Canadian swimming talents once again. She went into the 2011 World Aquatics Championships2011 World Aquatics Championships
The 14th FINA World Championships were held at July 16–31, 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synchronised swimming...
as the 6th fastest competitor in the 200IM but finished a disappointing 12th.
Canadian Records
| Event | Long Course/Short Course | Year Set | Time | Meet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100m Freestyle | Long Course | 2007 | 54.08 | 2007 FINA World Aquatic Championships |
| 200m Individual Medley | Long Course | 2011 | 2:11.23 | 2011 Canadian World Championship Trials |
| 4 X 100m Medley Relay | Long Course | 2010 | 3:38.14 | 2010 Pan Pacific Championships |
| 200m Individual Medley | Short Course | 2011 | 2:06.97 | 2011 FINA World Swimming Cup |
| 4 X 200m Freestyle Relay (Club Record) | Short Course | 2009 | 7:51.80 | 2009 CIS Championships |
| 4 X 100m Medley Relay (Club Record) | Short Course | 2010 | 4:03.28 | 2010 CIS Championships |