Touchpad

The 2019-2020 competitive season was anything but ordinary. For many, the season was cut short and leaving many swimmers unable to achieve the goals they had dreamed of achieving that season. However Hyack swimmers, Peter Huang and Paul Orogo still managed to achieve their goals and break National Swimming Records. We asked them, What did it take? 

Swim BC would typically have announced the awards for the 2019/20 season at the 2020 BC Swimming Congress Awards Banquet.  As we know, the Congress was cancelled this year due to COVID.  When the decision to cancel was made, Swim BC took the opportunity to make much needed revisions to the organizations awards system, realigning to add more swimmer categories and generate quantifiable criteria.

Sport BC has developed initiative to help advocate for sport during the provincial election. They have created a tool that will send a letter on your behalf to the election candidates in your community.

Unlike the young athlete who dreams of becoming a champion, few of us grow up dreaming about joining a board of directors. Many people join a board out of a sense of duty to an organization with which they have been involved, or because they thought it time for new leadership, or were recruited for a specific professional skillset

Congrats to BC Swimming Hall of Fame member Annamay Pierse Oldershaw for being inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame this year. You can check out her UBC Sport Hall of Fame profile here.

Congratulations Jacob Brayshaw and Renate Terpstra, from KISU, on being selected to Petro-Canada's Fuelling Athlete and Coaching Excellence (FACE™) Program! The FACE Program supports up-and-coming athletes when they need it most: when they are striving to represent Canada at the Olympic or Paralympic Games, but don’t yet qualify for government funding.

For National Coaches Week, the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is saying #ThanksCoach by providing several NCCP eLearning courses for FREE throughout the week.  

The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) Council announced that the Halifax 2020 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) will be further postponed due to the ongoing situation with the global COVID-19 pandemic

The 6th annual National Coaches Week runs from September 19th - 27th. National Coaches Week is a time to celebrate the positive impact coaches have on athletes and their communities across Canada. Coaches are an integral part of the swimming community and we want to take the time to celebrate them this week.

There were 2 excellent articles published about our very own Winskill Dolphins this week. The Winskill Dolphins have been training in the ocean at Boundary Bay since the pandemic began in March.

I am in my second week as the Swim BC Technical Director and have been working with our dedicated Swim BC Staff in fully understanding the Swim BC Technical program over the past number of years. I will be continuing to dive deeply into all aspects of the program to ensure that we develop the greatest opportunities for our membership.

Swim BC is excited to have the Dawson Creek Seals join as a new club this upcoming season. They are a joint Swim BC and BCSSA club, who are looking to give their swimmers more opportunities throughout the year.

While the responsibility for providing a safe and nurturing swimming environment falls largely on the shoulders of coaches, there are steps you can take as a parent to ensure your young swimmer is enjoying the most positive sport possible.

What is the best way to support your swimmer? Become an official. Swim meets require 40 to 50 volunteers and they are excellent growth opportunities not only for swimmers but also for parent volunteers. Simon Blunden, a Langley Olympians swim parent, gives us an in-depth look at his officiating experience and why you should consider getting involved.

Thanks to recently implemented video chat, streaming, and smartphone app technology, the Elk Valley Dolphins Swim Club in Fernie, BC, is staying fit, having fun, and learning how to adapt their training while pools remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources for clubs and coaches during COVID-19. Swim BC is not an official authority on COVID-19 but you can find valuable information from these credible sources.

With the removal of Swimming Canada’s “OPEN WATER SAFETY GUIDELINES – Coaching a training group” from their website, Swim BC has developed a replacement document to serve as a resource for your Club’s open water training activity.

The four major governing bodies (Swim BC, Swimming Canada, viaSport, and BCRPA) involved with determining how to return to swimming have released guidelines to help your club build a plan and get swimmers back in the pool.