Back to Touchpad
2025 BC Swimming Hall of Fame Inductees
October 14, 2025
Swim BC is proud to announce the 2025 BC Swimming Hall of Fame inductees, Dr. Peter Vizsolyi (Coach & Builder), Ann Carmichael (Builder), Tom Bryce (Builder), and Saanich Commonwealth Place (Legacy Facility), each recognized for their outstanding contributions and lasting impact on swimming in British Columbia.
Ann Carmichael – Builder
For more than 30 years, Ann Carmichael has been a cornerstone of the Victoria swimming community and a driving force behind the growth of aquatic sport in British Columbia.
Originally from Ontario, Ann joined the District of Saanich in 1993, just before the 1994 Commonwealth Games, playing a key role in establishing Saanich Commonwealth Place as both a world-class competition venue and a vibrant community facility. Under her leadership, the centre hosted Swim BC Provincial Championships, National and International events, national training camps, international diving competitions, and countless local meets, all while serving thousands of community swimmers and families.
Renowned for her people-first approach, Ann supported athletes, coaches, and staff with unwavering commitment, helping others succeed through mentorship, collaboration, and quiet leadership. During the pandemic, she was instrumental in bringing athletes safely back to the water, particularly within diving programs.
Her influence has touched generations of swimmers and coaches, including Hall of Fame inductees Richard Weinberger, Ryan Cochrane, Rick Say, Randy Bennett, Ron Jacks, Peter Vizsolyi, and Hilary Caldwell.
Ann Carmichael’s enduring legacy lies in her ability to unite high-performance sport and community recreation – building a model for excellence that continues to define BC swimming today.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Peter Vizsolyi – Builder & Coach
For more than four decades, Dr. Peter Vizsolyi has shaped the landscape of swimming in British Columbia and across Canada through his vision, leadership, and unwavering commitment to excellence. He is the first individual to be inducted into the BC Swimming Hall of Fame in two categories – Builder and Coach – a testament to the depth and breadth of his impact on the sport.
Born in Budapest and raised in British Columbia, Dr. Vizsolyi’s lifelong dedication to swimming began as an athlete in the 1960s and 1970s before he transitioned to coaching in 1976. Since 1983, he has served as Head Coach of the University of Victoria Swim Team, where he built one of the country’s most successful and enduring university programs. Through his leadership, university swimming evolved from a recreational pursuit into a true high-performance pathway, providing Canadian athletes with the opportunity to achieve international success while studying at home.
As a coach, Dr. Vizsolyi’s record is extraordinary:
17 Olympians developed under his guidance
100+ international team appointments
73 international medals
Over 400 national and U Sports medals
His athletes have reached podiums at the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, World Championships, and Commonwealth Games, representing Canada with distinction.
Beyond coaching, Dr. Vizsolyi’s influence as a builder has been equally transformative. As Sport Chair for the 1994 Commonwealth Games, he played a pivotal role in the creation and legacy of Saanich Commonwealth Place, contributing to the design, governance, and long-term sustainability of one of Canada’s premier aquatic facilities. His work on the High-Performance User Committee and Operating Agreement Review Board helped ensure that the venue continues to serve both community and high-performance needs.
A respected figure in sport governance, Dr. Vizsolyi has contributed extensively to Swim BC, Swimming Canada, and the Canadian Swimming Coaches Association, where he has served for over 20 years on the Board of Directors, advancing coach education, ethics, and high-performance standards nationwide. As a professor, lecturer, and Master Coach at the National Coaching Institute, he has mentored generations of coaches who now carry forward his influence across Canada and beyond.
A coach, a builder, and a visionary, Dr. Peter Vizsolyi has left an indelible mark on Canadian swimming – one defined not only by medals and records, but by the lasting opportunities he created for athletes, coaches, and the entire swimming community.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Saanich Commonwealth Place – Legacy Facility
For more than three decades, Saanich Commonwealth Place has stood at the heart of Canadian swimming – a world-class aquatic centre that bridges community recreation and international excellence.
Built for the 1994 Commonwealth Games and opened in 1993, the facility was designed with a dual vision: to host elite competition and to serve as a lasting community legacy. That vision has been fully realized. Since its inception, Saanich Commonwealth Place has hosted some of the most significant events in Canadian swimming history, including the 1994 Commonwealth Games, the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, and the Canadian Swimming Trials in 2014, 2017, 2022, and 2025.
Across these decades, its pool has witnessed extraordinary performances – six world records, among them Kieran Perkins’ double world record in the 800m and 1500m freestyle at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, and Summer McIntosh’s three world records at the 2025 Canadian Trials. The facility also saw historic swims from Michael Phelps in 2006, as well as Jessica Schipper, Brendan Hansen, Aaron Peirsol, and the USA 4x100m freestyle relay, all setting world records during the Pan Pacific Championships.
Beyond these iconic moments, Saanich Commonwealth Place has been home to multiple Para Swimming Canadian and World Records, set by athletes including Stephanie Dixon, Nicholas Bennett, Walter Wu, Sebastian Massabie, Nathan Stein, and Donovan Tildesley.
Yet its most powerful legacy lies beyond the record books. The facility has served as a daily home for Olympians, national team members, university athletes, club swimmers, and community participants alike. Its model – built through collaboration between the District of Saanich, Swim BC, and the broader sport community – has become a national benchmark for how elite sport and community recreation can successfully coexist.
Today, Saanich Commonwealth Place continues to embody the spirit of Canadian aquatics: inclusive, high-performing, and community-driven. From a child taking their first swimming lesson to an Olympian preparing for the world stage, every lane tells part of its story.
The induction of Saanich Commonwealth Place into the BC Swimming Hall of Fame recognizes not only its record-setting history, but also its enduring role in shaping generations of swimmers, coaches, and aquatic leaders – a true legacy facility whose impact reaches far beyond its pool deck.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tom Bryce – Builder
For more than four decades, Tom Bryce has been a defining figure in Canadian aquatics, a visionary leader whose work has shaped both community recreation and high-performance sport in British Columbia.
Born and raised in Montreal’s West Island, Bryce began his aquatic career at the Pointe-Claire Aquatic Centre, one of Canada’s most respected swimming programs. In the late 1970s, he brought his passion west to Vernon, BC, where he transformed a small community swim club into a thriving program that emphasized both excellence and participation.
After nearly a decade on the pool deck, Bryce transitioned from coaching to aquatic management, first in Saint John, New Brunswick, and later returning to British Columbia in 1993 to become the inaugural Manager of Saanich Commonwealth Place.
Over the next 25 years, Bryce guided the facility into one of Canada’s premier aquatic centres. Under his leadership, Saanich Commonwealth Place hosted the 1994 Commonwealth Games, the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships, multiple Canadian Swimming Trials, and countless provincial and national competitions, all while welcoming hundreds of thousands of community swimmers each year. His ability to balance elite sport with accessible community programming made the facility a model of inclusion and excellence.
Bryce’s vision went beyond operations. He launched initiatives that upheld world-class standards and strengthened community impact. For over two decades, he united BC’s swimming leaders and mentored many who now shape the sport today.
Under his stewardship, Saanich Commonwealth Place received national recognition, including the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association’s Award of Merit and the BC Parks and Recreation Association’s Facility Excellence Award. Yet Bryce’s proudest achievement was not the awards, but the spirit of cooperation and community that fueled the facility’s enduring success.
In his own words, Tom Bryce has “always liked to build things.” What he built, a facility, a culture, and a legacy of collaboration, continues to define BC swimming and stands as a testament to what visionary leadership can achieve.
His induction into the BC Swimming Hall of Fame honours a true builder whose influence will continue to ripple through Canadian aquatics for generations to come.