Officially Unofficial Rankings

Dec 2, 2020

This program is intended to be an opportunity for all clubs in BC to share performances, whether they be from a sanctioned time trial, a race rehearsal in workout, a get-out swim or one a last rep in a descending set.  Coaches are encouraged to submit any times; Swim BC will rank and publish daily (or as best we can, pending a high volume of submissions) To view the Rankings, visit the Results Page. For more information including eligibility and how to submit time check out the O.U. Rankings Announcement.    

BC Government announces Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport

Nov 27, 2020

Sport is an important part of BC communities, and many organizations have been striving to see Sport represented in our government. With the announcement of the BC government’s new cabinet, Sport has taken a big step and is now been named to a ministry. Swim BC would like to congratulate The Honourable Melanie Mark, M.L.A Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. We welcome her to the sporting community and are eager to work with her in the future.

Introducing The Swim BC Officially Unofficial Rankings

Nov 26, 2020

The O.U. Rankings

This program is intended to be an opportunity for all clubs in BC to share performances, whether they be from a sanctioned time trial, a race rehearsal in workout, a get-out swim or one a last rep in a descending set.  Coaches are encouraged to submit any times; Swim BC will rank and publish daily (or as best we can, pending a high volume of submissions)

When: November 30 – December 22, 2020 // January 4 – 31, 2021 (collect and submit times over Christmas break, we’ll rank them when staff return from holidays) Where: Club training session or scheduled time trial Who: All Swim BC Swimmers registered in the Competitive Category Why: We know training through COVID is becoming a challenge for all.  With no specific and immediate competitive goal on the horizon we’ve created an opportunity to get a relatively quick sense as to where swimmers stand.  In discussion with several coaches, we thought it would be a positive step to bring the province together, create an opportunity to see what your competitors are doing and how you compare Events: All Olympic, Paralympic and World Championship events Age Groups: 12 & Under; 13 – 14; 15 & Over The Details: Swim BC will be collecting and publishing results from time trial or coach timed swims though December and January. The opportunity is simply to provide an outlet for racing and inspire your swimmer’s competitive spirit.
  • Swimmers must be fully registered in the appropriate “Competitive” category.
  • We’ll accept times from a sanctioned Time Trial, unsanctioned Time Trial, or any other swim deemed fair by the coach. It goes without saying that honesty will be the best policy when submitting times – the only way this program works if an ‘honest watch’ is used!
  • We’ll start with SCM rankings – we’ll consider LCM if we get enough submissions.
  • Results will be compiled and updated daily (or as quickly as possible) on the Swim BC Website.
  • Results will be ranked by Age Group, Gender, and Time.
Coaches submit swimmer’s times to Cory Beatt via the O.U. Rankings Submission Spreadsheet. Please indicated the following information:
  • Name (if Para – classification)
  • Age (at the time of the performance)
  • Club
  • Event
  • Course – SCM (we’ll do LCM if there’s enough demand)
  • Time (mm:ss.00)
  • Type of Start – please correct the time if alternate starts are used (we recognize not everyone has access to an idea racing environment)
    • Blocks start – no time correction
    • No blocks / start from deck – .5 sec correction (time – .5 sec = submitted time)
    • Push start – 1.5 sec correction (time – 1.5 sec = submitted time)
Be Safe – Have Fun – Swim Fast 

Volunteer Criminal Record Checks

Nov 17, 2020

Swim BC has been working diligently over the past year to address gaps in the delivery our SafeSport requirements and responsibilities.  As you’re likely aware, we have been able to address a consolidated Swim BC centric approach to Coaches Criminal Record Checks.  That process is working well, streamlined through the Province of BC Criminal Records Review Program.  Swim BC staff were required to undergo extensive background checks to be able manage this program. With a renewed Screening and Criminal Records Check Policy, Swim BC now requires certain club volunteers to provide CRC’s.  Like all organizational policies, it is the club’s responsibility to adhere to Swim BC policy.  Therefore, it is the club that is responsible to present to Swim BC a list of volunteers that, according to our policy, will require a CRC.  Once this list is presented to Swim BC, the CRC’s we received will be monitored against that list. Please note that volunteer CRC’s are free of charge through the Criminal Record Review Program. Individuals who work closely with children and vulnerable adults, who occupy positions of trust and authority within a member club are expected to submit a Criminal Record Check. This includes team managers, chaperones, and registered Level 3,4 & 5 Officials. The process to submit a Volunteer Criminal Record Check to Swim BC is as follows:
  1. Fill out the Volunteer Criminal Record Check Form. This notifies Swim BC to anticipate a Criminal Record Check from the Volunteer and ensures we match the results with the correct individual.
  2. Submit a Criminal Record Check application through the Criminal Record Review Program. You will need the Swim BC specific access code which will be circulated separately.
Swim BC will receive a Clearance Letter from the CRRP, which indicates whether the volunteer poses a risk to the organization. We will keep a record of who has submitted a Criminal Record Check to Swim BC and these checks will be valid for 5 years. If the volunteer works with multiple clubs or transfers clubs within the 5 years, they do not need to resubmit a Criminal Record Check to Swim BC. Only individuals with relevant offences that required adjudication will be informed of their Criminal Record Check status (see Policy, Section 6 – Relevant Offences). If a club needs to verify if a Volunteer has completed a Criminal Record Check, please reach out to Sam Thoms. She will be able to verify if Swim BC has received a Criminal Record Check from that individual.

Swimmingly Update

Nov 13, 2020

Thank-you to those who have expressed interest in the Swimmingly platform, an easy way to hold Time Trials and Virtual Swim Meets. We have nearly 1/3rd of the BC Teams interested in getting set-up with Swimmingly. Swimmingly is a very simple platform that has three key benefits that are helpful during COVID times:
  1. Easy Set-up: It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to set-up the meet before the first race is off of the blocks.
  1. No Touch Points: The meet is run off of people’s personal devices. There are no stopwatches, clipboards, pencils, or paper.
  1. Virtual Swim Meets: Swimmingly has the ability to merge results from different club’s time trials to make a virtual swim meet.
If you’re interested, but have not yet completed the Swim BC Swimmingly Inquiry Form, please do so as soon as possible. Swim BC will be coordinating the purchase of the Starter Kit in the coming weeks and will be leveraging the bulk purchase to better rates. To assist clubs with the start-up costs for Swimmingly, we’re very pleased to inform you that the BC Swim Coaches Association (BCSCA) will be initiating a $500.00 grant program for each age group club in the province.  Among other eligible expenses, the BCSCA Board has agreed to add the cost of the Swimmingly Starter Kit and Clubhouse Subscription to the allowable expenses.  The BCSCA will be releasing details on this program shortly.  Swim BC thanks the BCSCA for the opportunity and their support of the Swimmingly initiative. If you would like more information regarding Swimmingly, please review our last article, view the swimmingly website, or contact Cory Beatt – Swim BC Technical Director.

Provincial Health Order affecting the Lower Mainland & Fraser Valley

Nov 12, 2020

This bulletin is an update to the bulletin sent November 9th, 2020. Understanding this new Provincial Health Order has created confusion in interpretation at all governing levels including viaSport. Swim BC is attempting to communicate in a timely and accurate manner given the immediacy of the PHO.  Once again, we received new information and interpretations from viaSport last night.  The purpose of this memo is to present this new information to the affected members of Swim BC in a timely fashion.  viaSport and Swim BC thank everyone for their patience as we navigate the many grey areas. The Order and what it means to swimming: The Order States: “No person or municipality may provide or host and no person may participate in an indoor sport unless the sport involves no physical contact between the participants.” Clarification:
  • Indoor sports can only conduct physically distanced activities. This does not mean all indoor sports are in Phase 2. Some Phase 3 activities may be possible as long as physical distance can be maintained along with other safety measures that we have implemented in return to sport (e.g., increased cleaning protocols). It does mean that the cohort concept is suspended, swimmers must maintain physical distancing while training. Lane density during training must accommodate 2m physical distancing at all times.
The Order States: “No person may attend as a spectator at an indoor sport activity unless this is necessary to provide care to a participant.” Clarification:
  • We understand that “unless necessary to provide care to a participant” can be interpreted many ways. viaSport is working with public health to provide more clarity.
The Order States: “No person may travel to or from the affected area or between the regions of the Fraser Health Authority and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority for any sport related activity, including practice, training, games or tournaments, unless they are an identified by Canadian Sports Institute Pacific as a high performance athlete affiliated with an accredited provincial or national sports organization and are already training in the affected area and subject to the safety guidelines of their provincial sports organization.” Clarification:
  • The Order now clearly states that travel is not permitted for any sport activities. However, high performance athletes and their coaches are permitted to travel to, from and between the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal Health regions. High performance athletes are individuals that have been identified to a targeted athlete list with Canadian Sport Institute Pacific by their PSO or NSO.
The Order States: “No person or municipality may provide or host and no person may participate in a group indoor fitness activity until guidelines for group indoor fitness activities have been approved by the provincial health officer and the person or municipality who provides or hosts the activity has submitted an updated safety plan in accordance with those guidelines with respect to the activity to the Medical Health Officer and the safety plan has been approved. Once a safety plan has been approved, it must be posted in a place easily visible to participants.” What it means:
  • Group indoor fitness activities (e.g., dance, spin, etc.) will need to have an approved plan before they are able to reopen and operate again. This Order is NOT a requirement for sport / swimming. viaSport indicates that some sport organizations received conflicting information directly from health officials. Now that the Order has been made available in writing, viaSport will work with health agencies to improve the interpretations and communication.
We know there will be more questions arising as you develop and refine your swimming-specific procedures based on the details of the new Order. Swim BC will continue to work with viaSport to maintain an aligned voice. viaSport will continue to work with the Sport Branch and Public Health to provide updates based on further direction and/or any new information that may arise. If you have any issues in interpreting this memo, please do not hesitate to contact Swim BC.

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