POOL SWIMMING
Swim BC, in partnership with viaSport, the Province of British Columbia, and the Canadian Sports Institute Pacific provide enhanced support for BC registered swimmers and their coaches through education, programs, benefits, and camps.
This page outlines enhanced programming for pool swimming, where pool swimmers are defined as able bodied swimmers who registered members in good standing with a registered Swim BC club in a Competitive or Varsity category, has a designated coach who is responsible for their overall programming and daily training environment, and must be training full-time in BC or the Yukon.
PODIUM PATHWAY
The podium pathway is about developing high performance athletes capable of winning at the highest levels of international competition, and bringing home medals from Olympic Games, Paralympic Games or World Championships.
Swim BC supports the podium pathway through enhanced programming to support the development towards high-performance, where high-performance in the paralympic program is defined as: “Top 8 World ranking with continual progression towards, and the achievement of, Olympic podium performances.” (Definition Statement)
Resources supporting the long term athlete development strategy are listed below:
- Sport for Life – Long Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity
- Swimming Canada – Athlete Development Overview
- Swimming Canada – Long Term Athlete Development Strategy
- Swimming Canada – Appropriate Athlete Development and Athlete Development Matrix
- Swimming Canada – National Development Team Program
- Swimming Canada National Team Criteria
SWIMMER NOMINATION PROCESS
The following nomination process is required for all para swimmers in the Pacific Wave, Prospects, Advance, Perform, and Elite programs. The nomination process is supported by the following policies and criteria:
- Athlete Selection and Coach Appointment Policy
- Swim BC Appeal Policy
- CSI Pacific Nomination Criteria
Questions regarding the nomination process should be directed to the Swim BC Technical Director.
STEP 1: IDENTIFICATION
Swimmers will be identified for each of the programs, ensuring that the appropriate criteria have been met, including residency, age, gender, and performance standards.
STEP 2: NOTIFICATION & PRE-REQUISITES
The club’s head coach and swimmer contact will be notified of any swimmers who have achieved the program criteria, linking them to the Swim BC Learning Hub to guide them through the completion of all pre-requisites.
STEP 3: NOMINATION & ATHLETE INTAKE
Swim BC will nominate all swimmers who have achieved the program criteria and who have completed their pre-requisites prior to the deadline.
STEP 4: CSI PACIFIC REGISTRATION
Nominated swimmers in the Prospects, Advance, Perform, and Elite groups will be required complete their registration with their local Canadian Sport Institute, PacificSport Centre, or Engage Sport North. Swim BC will contact the members with information on how to complete the registration. Additional CSI Pacific information is available here.
PROVINCIAL PROGRAM SUMMARY
Swim BC enhanced programming has been designed to support swimmers on their competitive swimming journey from entry to competitive swimming through to the High-Performance stage of the Podium Pathway.
The image to the right demonstrates these programming tiers, which support each swimmer’s needs at the appropriate age and performance levels. Program details are summarized below, with details available through the program specific links.
Club Development
Swim BC supports all registered competitive swimmers in a Competitive or Varsity registration category. More information…
Pacific Wave
Pacific Wave programming identifies swimmers who are 12 to 17 years of age as of December 31st and who have achieved a minimum of three Swim BC Pacific Wave time standards. More information…
Prospects
Prospects programming supports 30 women and 30 men aged 13 to 15 years as of December 31st who have three or more Swim BC Prospects time standards. Consideration will also be given to the top ranked swimmer who have achieved three or more Pacific Wave consideration times. More Information…
Advance
The Advance provincial team supports 10 women and 10 men aged 16 to 17 years as of December 31st who have three or more Swim BC Advance time standards. Consideration will also be given to the top ranked swimmer who have achieved three or more Pacific Wave consideration times. More Information…
Perform
The Perform provincial team identifies swimmers aged 18 years and older as of December 31st who have achieved a minimum of one Swimming Canada On-Track 3 time standard or who has been selected to a Canadian Senior National team. More information…
Elite
The Elite program identifies swimmers who appear on the Sport Canada AAP Carding List and verified by Swimming Canada. These athletes are in the High-Performance Train to Win stage of the Podium Pathway. More information…
ENHANCED PROGRAMMING INITIATIVES
The following initiatives will support the developing swimmer. Each initiative is tentative and subject to change.
