On January 9th, 2022, Swim BC swimmers and their coaches participated in an Olympian panel, hosted by Head to Head.
The first hour was moderated by two-time Olympian and CBC Sportscaster, Brittany MacLean and featured Olympians Rebecca Smith, Yuri Kisil, Brent Hayden, and Maggie Mac Neil. The Olympians shared their experience at the Tokyo Olympics, told stories, and imparted their wisdom.
In the second hour swimmers went into breakout groups of 5 to 6 swimmers per Olympian mentor to discuss one of the following topics:
Resilience: Coping with or bouncing back from difficulty or failure
Mental performance: Managing nerves and building focus
Healthy habits: Building accountability for recovery
Managing pressure and competing demands: Time Management
Thank-you to each participant and to the Olympian mentors for their time and support of our BC swimmers.
Each year in Canada the last Wednesday of February is designated as Anti-Bullying Day. It is a day when people come together by wearing pink shirts to school or work to show they are against bullying. This year, Swim BC is taking the step to help all our members send a message that our sport does not tolerate bullying, and to emphasize that kindness and compassion are critical to making our sport a safe place to be.
To help send this message of anti-bullying, Swim BC is providing a “Pink Cap” for swimmers throughout the province. We’re encouraging our clubs to make a statement in their local pool and wear their Pink Caps on Wednesday, February 23rd. Here’s what we need from each club, age group and masters – please send us an estimate of the total number of Pink Caps you’ll need for February 23rd. If you want to set up a special workout where all your swimmers come to participate, send us that number. Please be as accurate as possible, it’s fine to ask for a few extra but let’s try to use all that is ordered.
We’re also encouraging you to profile your Pink Cap Day on your club’s social media and consider fundraisers through www.pinkshirtday.ca
To place your order please fill out this form. There is no cost to you as a club. Orders are due by Friday, January 14th, 2022.
The information contained in this bulletin is current as of Dec 24, 2021.
The purpose of this update is to assist Swim BC membership in interpreting the December 22nd update to the Gathering and Events Provincial Health Order. As has been the case over the past few PHO’s, the language pertaining to sport is confusing. viaSport held a sport sector meeting yesterday (Dec 23) to clarify the key elements of the new order and released written guidance at 6:00 pm on the 23rd. The following information will be of particular importance to clubs seeking clarification as to whether their January competition hosting plans may proceed or not.
Sport Restrictions:
“Sport tournaments” are not permitted at this time – tournaments are defined as a single or multi-day gathering of three or more sport teams, who come together outside regular league play, but does not include:
A gathering where team members compete on an individual basis against members of other teams.
At this time, all sanctioned swim meets, swim competitions and regular training activities are permitted to proceed.Further:
Interprovincial travel and international travel for sport is not advised.
All other activities that would be considered typical to your clubs’ operations and programming (ie/ standard dryland training at your pool) may continue. If you conduct strength training at a gymnasium, please note that these facilities have been ordered closed by the PHO and such training should not continue.
As has been the case in previous Orders, High performance athletes are exempt. They can train, travel, or compete in accordance with safety protocols. (NB – HP athlete means a person who is identified by CSI-Pacific as a high-performance athlete affiliated with Swim BC)
Adult and mixed-age sport and recreation programs (ie/ Masters programs) are to be conducted at 50% of capacity/occupancy of the space (including pool-based). Please consult with your facility to determine the application of this new language.
Group Size: There is no maximum group size for participants, coaches, volunteers, staff, and officials.
Physical distance does not need to be maintained in or out of the pool
Masks: mandatory when out of the pool.
Sport organizations are no longer required to have a COVID-19 safety plan, although Swim BC clubs hosting competitions should strongly consider developing a communicable disease prevention plan as per WorkSafe BC guidance to reduce the risk of communicable disease.
Proof of Vaccination reminder:
NOT REQUIRED for Youth (21 and younger) participating in sport events and programming
REQUIRED for supervisors* (12 and older) for youth sport events and programming.
REQUIRED for Youth (12 and older) participating in sport programming and events primarily intended for adults
REQUIRED for all Adult sport participants (Masters) and all employed and non-employed supervisors* accessing swimming pools
REQUIRED for spectators (12 years and older) at all sport events and programs
* – supervisors refers to a person leading, supporting, or assisting a sport activity, but who is not working as an employee. This includes parents required to be present at a child/youth program
If you require further information to assess your competition or training status over the holiday break, please email Executive Director Ken Radford. Email will be monitored regularly.
DisclaimerSwim BC Return to Swimming GuidanceSwim BC’s role in the Return to Swimming process is to communicate timely updates and information to help th swimming community plan safe conduct of activities. This information from Swim BC is not intended for legal purposes and all Swim BC members are reminded to follow current health orders and recommendations set out by the Office of the Provincial Health Officer.Facilities and organizations may implement stricter requirements at their discretion
SWIM BC AND TEAM AQUATIC SUPPLIES RE-COMMIT TO SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT
Swim BC is extremely proud to announce the signing of a new multi-year agreement with long-standing sponsor Team Aquatic Supplies (TAS). Swim BC’s longest partnership, the TAS agreement is extremely important to Swim BC and we couldn’t be more pleased to continue working together. Led by TAS General Manager Greg Sanderson and President Doug Perks, Team Aquatic Supplies represents a made in BC success story, a trait that Swim BC is eager to be part of and a culture we wish to embrace and evolve for all clubs in BC.
The new agreement extends to 2024 and continues Team Aquatic Supplies role as Swim BC’s exclusive competitive equipment supplier and title sponsor of the BC Swim Coaches Conference. TAS will provide VIK support for outfitting Swim BC selected teams, support for the “Golden Flipper Challenge” and other “challenge” programs over the next three years.
Swim BC is grateful for Team Aquatic Supplies unwavering support for swimming in BC, we look forward to a strong partnership and continued success.
Below is a collection of Membership Bulletins released over the past few weeks. If you are looking for older bulletins or specific news, please reach out to Swim BC.
