INTRODUCTION     

Welcome to the Surrey Sea Lions swim club. The purpose of this handbook is to explain to new members just what the Surrey Sea Lions Swim Club is all about and to outline various policies that affect all swimmers, year after year. It should be read by all families so that they may become familiar with important facts and rules of the club.

The intent of the Sea Lions swim club board, which is comprised of parents just like you, is to make our summer swimming program an enjoyable and constructive experience for your children. The SSLC program is a structured recreational activity in which your child can learn the value of clean competition, sportsmanship, teamwork, as well as individual achievement, making new friends and having lots of fun. Our primary goal is to promote and develop amateur swimming and associated water sports in Surrey, British Columbia.

SUMMER SWIMMING?

A summer swim club is a club whose organized aquatic program occurs between May 1^st and September 30^th each year, unlike the winter clubs which train and practice practically all year round. Our club swims from mid-May to mid-August. There are two tiers of swimmers:

·   “S” Summer – swimmers who participate in aquatic activities in the summer and a maximum of two hours (coached) per week in the off season.  With exceptions between October 1^st and December 30th swimming activities for the purpose of competing in any swim meet recognized in the Official Program Schedule of the Annual Swimming Championship organized by any school athletic association. This training cannot be under the direction of a winter swim club.

·   “O” Winter – swimmers who participate in organized aquatic activity (ies) during the winter season (October 1^st – April 30^th) if the activity (ies) was in excess of two hours each calendar week accumulative. A winter swimmer who has attained a current CASA Senior National time in any stroke will not be allowed to swim that stroke but will be eligible to swim the other strokes. Exceptions: A winter swimmer who trains and competes in diving only may be classified as an “S” swimmer in all categories except diving.

SWIMMING CATEGORIES            

Summer swimmers compete in separate age groups called divisions. Age eligibility is taken as of April 30^th. There are eight divisions as follows:

Div.      1          8 year olds and under

Div.      2          9 - 10½ year old

Div.      3          10½ - 12 year olds

Div.      4          12 - 13½ year olds

Div.      5          13½- 15 year olds

Div.      6          15 – 16 year olds

Div.      7          17 – 18 year olds

Div.      8          19 year olds and over

Swimmers are categorized into the following groups:

·    Developmental:  These are usually younger swimmers and are new members to the club. They will learn the four competitive swim strokes, learn to read the pace clock and learn proper starts and turns.

·    “B” Swimmers:  These are returning swimmers who have slower times than the Fraser South Region B cutoff times.

·    “A” Swimmers:  These swimmers are those individuals who have earned “A” times (the same times or faster times than the cutoff times).

Most swim meets attended are combined A/B meets so the distinction between what events may be swum at which meets is not applicable. To move up from a “B” stroke to an “A” stroke the qualifying time must be reached.

HISTORY                  

The SSLC began in 1971 with approximately 60 swimmers. Over the years, the membership has fluctuated between 60 - 90 swimmers. Our top enrollment was 120 swimmers when the club was swimming out of five pools in the various areas of Surrey. In 1983, the club amalgamated to one pool and we now swim at Bear Creek Pool located at 13820 88^th Avenue. Our club is a member of the BCSAA (British Columbia Summer Swimming Association). The 60 – 70 clubs in BCSSA are divided into regions. The Sea Lions are part of the Fraser South Region, which consists of seven other clubs – Boundary Bay, Crescent Beach, Ladner, North Delta, Richmond, White Rock and Cloverdale.

WHY SWIM?            

Swimming is considered the ideal activity for developing muscular and skeletal growth by many physicians and pediatrici­ans. Why do doctors like it so much?

·   Swimming develops high quality aerobic endurance, the most important key to physical fitness. In other sports an hour of practice may yield as little as 10 minutes of meaningful exercise. Age group swim­ming teams use every precious minute of practice time developing fitness and teaching skills.

·   Swimming does a better job in proportional muscular development by using all the body's major muscle groups. No other sport does this as well.

·   Swimming enhances children's natural flexibility (at a time when they ordinarily begin to lose it) by exercising all of their major joints through a full range of motion.

·   Swimming helps develop superior coordination because it requires combinations of complex movements of all parts of the body, enhancing harmonious muscle func­tion, grace, and fluidity of movement.

·  Swimming is the most injury-free of all children's sports.

·  Swimming is a sport that will bring kids fitness and enjoyment for life. 

INTELLECTUAL COMPETENCE        

In addition to physical development, children can develop greater intellectual competence by participating in a guided program of physical activity. Learning and using swimming skills engages the thinking processes. As they learn new techniques, children must develop and plan movement sequences. They improve by exploring new ideas. They learn that greater progress results from using their creative talents. Self-expression can be just as much physical as intellectual. Finally their accomplishments in learning and using new skills contribute to a stronger self image.

"Preparation for Life" by Phil Hansel, reprinted from: Swimming World magazine February 1988

Not everything we do in life is a pleasant experience. Not everything we do is beneficial. Not everything is productive. Not everything is a nurturing, loving experience. Life is full of negative, destructive experiences. Rejection, defeat and failure surround all of us. The trick is to be prepared to deal with this side of life and learn to overcome discouragement.

I have always felt that the great value of swimming as a sport is that it prepares one for life. The total swimming experience is made up of people, attitudes, beliefs, work habits, fitness, health, winning and losing, and so much more. Swimming is a cross section of lifetime experiences. It can provide so many learning situations. A swimmer learns to deal with pressure and stress, sometimes self-imposed, sometimes applied by others. One learns to deal with success and failure. One learns teamwork and discipline.

Swimming becomes a self-achievement activity. There is only one person in the water in a given lane in any race. The responsibility for performance ultimately lies with the individual. How well the individual has prepared physically and mentally to a large degree will determine the perfor­mance level.

Many swimming experiences can be of the disruptive, discouraging type. But at least a young swimmer learns that this is part of life, and the swimmer must learn to cope. By learning how to handle frustration and disappointment, the young swimmer gains confidence. The swimmer learns dedication and commit­ment. Through perseverance, a swimmer learns to overcome adversity. All of these experienc­es tend to develop an individual who is better able to handle life's hardships and face problems.

As coaches and parents, we tend to preach that hard work will lead to victory. We preach that clean living and proper training such as diet, sleep and regular attendance at workouts will lead to winning. Though in the long run for a productive successful life, these are probably truthful con­cepts that don't always work in short term situations.

We have all been in situations where a bigger, more gifted person with poor work habits is the victor in race after race. Or we've known others who never seem to study, yet get good grades. We've known business people who never seem to lift a finger, yet for one reason or another, they close deal after deal.

These things just are not fair. Yet this is one of the valuable lessons that swimmers learn: "Life is not fair." We don't all start out in life with the same physical, mental, emotional and financial resources. In that respect, "Life is not fair."

A swimmer must learn what is fair for one is not necessarily fair for another. A swimmer learns we are all different and each individual controls his or her own destiny. A swimmer learns to emphasize given talents and skills. A swimmer learns to improve on a regular basis. By not setting limits and restrictions, this improvement will surely lead to success. A swimmer learns if he or she does their best, then there are no failures. A swimmer learns to set realistic goals. Once a goal is reached, then new goals must be established. A swimmer learns that effort becomes an individual crusade. If the ultimate goal is an Olympic gold medal, then with the proper talent, dedication, belief and support, all swimmers believe it can be done.

This is the positive achievement side of swimming that I like so much. Through experience in swimming, our young people learn attitudes and habits that will remain with them throughout the rest of their life. Most swimmers learn to be "can do" people.

Generally, these positive attitudes, belief in self and solid work habits will produce a terrific adult. Our society and our world are enriched by these former swimmers as they become adults. Because of their training, they handle life with a smile. They contribute time and energy to others in every way imaginable.

We can be proud of what swimming contributes to this world. Though "life is not fair," a swimmer knows how to deal with that and can achieve a balance. For the most part, former swimmers grow up to be ordinary people, but they always have that extra plus from the swimming experience.

We are different and can be proud of it. It's a pity and truly "unfair" that thousands and thousands of young people are missing the swimming experience. We must open our programs to everyone. We must find ways to share our fantastic sport.

PARENT PARTICIPATION            

Our summer swim club literally could not function without the generous work of parent volunteers. All the work of putting together a team of volunteers, keeping within a financial budget, arranging schedules, providing information for parents, to actually conducting our swim meets is up to ALL OF US.                                     

The peak times for volunteers are when we host our swim meets, 100% club participation is a must in order to run a swim meet. Each family is asked to help in a volunteer position at each swim meet. Be informed and learn which jobs are required to make our swim club a success. None of the jobs are difficult and simple training is provided as needed, but you can easily learn how to do most jobs in a few minutes. If you are brand new to summer swimming, the jobs of timer and runner are pretty good places to start. Other positions can be learned at clinics and through on the job training. One thing to remember, as a volunteer you will definitely feel a part of the team, and it actually makes the day go a lot faster.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS   

The only volunteer positions requiring election by the parents are the Board of directors. At the end of the previous season, board members are elected. Any parent wishing to be a candidate for any board position may submit their name to the club president or another board member.

With the main focus of the club always on the swimmer, the Board of Directors exists to ensure the continuation and excellence of the Surrey Sea Lions Swim Club by providing necessary business functions, assisting and supporting the coaching staff and communicating, communicating, communicating .                                                                                                                                      

GENERAL CONCERNS      

It is the intention of the executive to hear all concerns. It is the responsibility of the membership to bring all concerns to the attention of the Board of Directors, in writing, offering feasible solutions for consideration. If urgency requires, any executive member could be advised of the concerns in writing. This can then be brought to the next executive meeting, and a written decision rendered to the complainant.

COMMUNICATION            

Most written communication, such as the newsletter, meet information ribbons Best times, etc., will be put in a mail slot that has your family name on it located on the doors of the shed. It is the swimmer's responsibility to check their slot daily. The Surrey Sea Lions has a weekly newsletter called the Sea Lion Splash. News, coach’s messages, general information and announcements from the Board of Directors are covered in the newsletter. Make sure you and your swimmers read the contents of this when it is distributed.     

The bulletin boards on the shed wall at the pool provide meet information in detail and entry summaries for upcoming meets. There is also a sign up sheet where swimmers can sign up for up-coming meets. It is the swimmer or parent’s responsibility to double check each meet entry after it is posted. Mistakes sometimes happen in meet entries; however, it is much easier to fix them prior to a meet than on the actual day of the meet.

When contacting the coaches, please be considerate.  The best way to speak with the coaches is to meet them after practice.  They usually make themselves available for 10 minutes to answer questions, provide information, etc.  Sending a note to the coach with your swimmer is a good way to get information to them.                                               

                                                The Surrey Sea Lions web site is http://www.surreysealions.com/

PARENT’S ROLE                 

1.      It is the coach’s job to offer constructive criticism of swimmers certain performance. Parents should offer love, support, recognition, and encouragement. Parents are not coaches and our coaches are not expected to be parents or babysitters.

2.     Swimmers in practice should not be distracted and be given the opportunity to concentrate. Therefore, parents are asked to stay off the pool deck and let the coaches do their jobs.

3.     Parents are asked to provide well-balanced, nutritious meals and snacks. Food is the fuel for swimmers. Soft drinks and sweets need to be limited. Parents can benefit their swimmers by providing a good diet, plenty of rest, and a proper distribution of time for family and social activities.

4.     It is important for the swimmers parents to have realistic expectations. Every swimmer will have high and low points. At some point in time, every swimmer will reach plateaus in both competition and training, and may be inconsistent in their performance. A parent’s constant love and support are crucial.

5.     Please discourage swimmers from wearing or bringing jewelry, money or expensive items to the pool.

REGISTRATION                  

During registration you were asked to complete a document relating to your child’s medical information and emergency contacts. This information is obviously very important for the safety of your child, though we hope it will never be used. If any information changes during the course of the season, please give the updated information to our Registrar so that she/he can revise our records.

REGISTRATION FEES    

Swim club registration fees are determined each swim season. The registration fees cover the following :

·    Insurance

·    Club Speedo swimsuit depending on swim group (not included if paying a July 1st fee)

·    Meet fees depending on swim group.  (if joining July 1st, the club will cover our own meet fees, Regionals and Provincial meet fees)

·    Ribbons and awards

Athletes may not enter the water until all registration forms are complete. You can pay with 3 post dated cheques as per the print-out on your registration form. New swimmers joining the club must bring a photocopy of their birth certificate. See our Registration page for fees and discounts.

Late registration will occur after July 1st . Talk to our registrar regarding the reduced cost.

FUNDRAISING

There is a fund raising obligation for each  Sea Lions Swim Club family. This obligation will encourage each family to participate in the clubs fund raising efforts of their  choice.  In the event that a family falls short with their fundraising commitment, the cheque will be cashed with a refund to the family for the amount raised.  See our Registration page for more info.

PARENT PARTICIPATION

 A post-dated cheque is collected in lieu of  parent participation per Sea Lions Swim Club family. This obligation is to encourage parents to volunteer for various duties throughout the swim season. The cheque is returned if the obligation is successfully completed.  See our Registration page for more info.

COACHES                            

The coach is responsible for the training sessions and must arrive on deck before the session begins. The coach has the authority to dismiss a swimmer for the practice, if in his/her opinion, that swimmer disrupts the practice or fails to comply with instructions. Nothing has a greater influence on the quality of children's sports than the excellence of the coach. Our coaching staff provides the assurances that the time your children spend in swimming will be quality time.

PRACTICES                        

Swimming practice will start on the first Monday in May after Mother’s day. The single most important rule of the Surrey Sea lions is to be there! Punctuality is important, as is regular attendance. It is the parent’s responsibility to pick up their child directly after practice.

Let’s face it, getting up early on a summer morning may not seem like a great option. However, being there and on time, every time, is how our swimmers learn self-discipline and how to be responsible contributing members of our Team. Please do your part and make sure that your child takes practices seriously. During practice sessions parents and other non-swimmers are reminded to stay off the pool deck, and not to approach the coaching staff Practice schedules will be posted on the web and a copy will be found in your mail slot.

SWIMMERS TRAINING

RESPONSIBILITIES

As a swimmer's level of swimming ability increases so does his/her responsibility.  The program is designed to encourage all swimmers to be Senior Swimming bound.  As swimmers improve this is a deep commitment that requires great effort on all parts. A swimmer has responsibilities to the team, the coach, his/her parents, and most importantly to themselves. Swimmers need to prepare themselves for a 100% effort each time they come to practice.     

CODE OF CONDUCT          

1.       Make every effort to attend as many practices and meets as possible.

2.       Cheer in a positive manner.

3.       Respect all decisions of officials.

4.       Be courteous and respectful to other spectators, competitors, coaches, volunteers and officials.

5.       Refrain from the use of foal language and / or aggressive behavior.

6.       A swimmer will be responsible and held liable for any damages caused by their actions.

7.       Not use anything to intimidate, threaten or harm another person.

8.       Any swimmer who is known to use alcohol, drugs, or tobacco is subject to suspension from the team.

9.       Never interfere with the progress of another swimmer, during practice or otherwise.

10.   At all club functions, whether practice, meets, or social gatherings, we expect each swimmer to behave in such a way that their actions reflect positively on the team.

11.   All members of the club, whether parents or swimmers, should protect and improve the excellent reputation the club has.

12.   Normal pool rules are to be observed at all times.

13.   All Sea Lion swimmers are required to sign the Code of Conduct form.  A copy of this is given with registration forms.

THE SWIM MEETS    

With the exception of the development meets all swim meets are held on the weekends. Meets are held in either indoor or outdoor facilities rain or shine. Please come prepared for any form of weather.

Prior to the official start of the meet (which normally occurs at 8 am), there are WARM-UPS. Warm-up times will be posted on the bulletin board at the pool the week before the meet. Please see club policy on warm-ups. Meets are generally scheduled to end late afternoon.

Meets are usually half a day and are held on Wednesday evenings, while A/B meets are scheduled both Saturday and Sunday.

It is up to the swimmer and parents if they wish to attend a meet. Participation is not compulsory, however most swimmers enjoy the participation. Each individual family and swimmer is responsible for signing up for the meet before the deadline which is normally 2 or 3 weeks in advance of the meet in order for entries to be submitted. Alumni swimmers must pay meet entry fees when signing up.

When swimmers are entered in a meet the club pays for the events and relays. The club pays an ENTRY FEE of approximately $6 per swimmer per event, and $7 per relay per meet. One absent swimmer could generate a $30 loss. Once you have signed up for a meet, cancellation can only be accepted if the meet entry fees have not been submitted to the host club. If you say “YES” to a meet and do not attend you will be presented with a bill for the lost entry fee the following week. It is not the coach’s responsibility to scratch a swimmer from a meet. On occasion swimmers are involved in other activities that may conflict with swimming and swim meets. If you cannot be sure that your swimmer will be able to attend a meet, don’t enter the swimmer in that meet. If you do and the swimmer is unable to attend then you will be charged for the events missed.          

WARM UP POLICY         

If a swimmer does not appear and participate in meet warm ups (unless extenuating circumstances occur and the coach has been notified of those circumstances) the swimmer will be considered absent and may be scratched from the events on that day.

RELAY POLICY                  

Relays will be made up throughout the season to utilize as many swimmers as possible, with the exception of Regionals. If your child cannot stay for a relay, the coaches must know by 9:00 am that morning or they will be entered as being there. As many children as possible will be used to make up relays regardless of their age group (i.e.: may have to swim up in another division) to make as many relays as possible for the club. This will give as many swimmers as possible the chance to experience the excitement of swimming on a relay team.

REGIONAL RELAYS                     

It is the goal of our club to qualify as many swimmers as possible to go to Provincials. The relay teams will be put together accordingly. The swimmers should be working throughout the summers to have the fastest times needed to make the relay team. If the coaches decide that a swimmer or swimmers need to be moved up a division in order to qualify other swimmers in the older division, this will happen. The Coaches in consultation with the President will determine the Regional relay teams after the final swim at the Surrey A/B.

The selection of the relay teams is based on the paragraph above. The relay teams will be posted on the bulletin board by Monday (after the Surrey A/B) at 5:00 PM. Once the relays are posted, parents or swimmers who do not agree with the selection, have one day to appeal to the President by telephoning or writing by Tuesday evening at 6:30 pmThe appeal will then be heard in a meeting between the appellant(s) and a panel comprised of the Head Coach, The President, The Coaches Liaison and two other members (anyone of the committee who’s child is involved will replaced by an appropriate member of the executive). Following the meeting, the panel must decide on the appeal and the panel’s decision is final. Final decisions will be posted by Thursday morning at 8:30 am. This will allow for the swimmers to adjust to any changes and focus on their races for the upcoming championships. These relay teams will stand.

PROVINCIAL RELAYS

 Any relay team, which qualifies for Provincials, will be swam as is. Any changes due to special or extenuating circumstances due to illness, injury, or inability to attend, will be posted as soon as possible and any appeals will be handled according to the appeal process set out for Regionals.

PRIDE AND SPIRIT             

All swimmers are required to wear a club suit or a solid navy colour suit at swim meets or whenever representing the club in an aquatic event. Only club swim caps are permitted at swim meets.  Swimmers are encouraged to wear a cap as this provides easy identification for coaches from the coaches table when the kids are swimming and encourages team spirit. Club suits should not be worn to practices if they are going to be worn at meets. (Wearing the suit to practice daily fades the colour).  Sea Lions T-shirts, Sweatshirts etc are available for purchase to show support for the team.

MEET ETIQUETTE            

·         Swimmers must check in with the coach upon arrival in the morning, before an after each event entered.

·         Swimmer may not leave the meet early without notifying the coach.

·         During the meet swimmers and parents should not loiter at the coach’s table due to the restricted amount of space.

·         Good behavior is expected. See the code of conduct.

CLUB MEETS         

Our summer swim club hosts three swim meets each season. They are:

·  Surrey Quad meet – there are only three other clubs from the Fraser South region that participate in this meet. They are the Boundary Bay Bluebacks, White Rock Amateur Swimming Association, and the Cloverdale Tritons. This is an excellent opportunity for swimmers to get back into the “swim of things” and is a good venue for new members to learn the ropes with regard to swim meets and the various roles require running one.

·  Surrey Development meet – this meet is held on a Wednesday evening, as are most development meets, and is for new members or “B” swimmers who have not placed. Development meets are intended to introduce these swimmers to compition without having to swim against experienced swimmers, giving them the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat without the discrepancies in times and skills that might be apparent at a higher category meet. These meets as well as the Quad meet are great experience/confidence builders for the kids.

·  Surrey A/B meet – In the past years, this meet has been extremely popular and we expect this meet to be the same for this year. It is for “A” and “B” swimmers and is the last opportunity for swimmers to prepare for Regionals. This meet is one of our biggest fundraisers and all parents and adult swimmers are needed to sign-up and help out during the meet.

HOME MEET PREPARATION   

Sign up sheets will be posted on the notice board.

WORK PARTY – Requires approximately 5 people, usually on a Wednesday night preceding a home meet. The meet entries from all clubs and events need to be entered into the computer, and swim cards get printed, collated and sorted. This usually takes several hours.                                                                                   

POOL SET-UP AND TAKE DOWN – Requires 10 -15 people to put up all the tables, chairs, starting blocks, tarps, lane markers, P.A. system, timing system etc at Bear Creek Park. This usually takes 3 – 5 hours. Take down entails putting everything away after the meet.                                                                        

CONCESSION – Requires approx. 20 people to help with cashiering, food preparation, cooking, cleaning etc.

CLUB AWARDS        

Individual age group aggregates – based on total “A” points made for the club at “A” meets or Open meets. This does not include B.C. Championships. Points are awarded as follows:                                               

Criteria for Surrey Sea Lions Club Awards

Rookie of the Year

            -           Coaching decision

-                      1^st year of swimming.  Must have completed a full season.

-                      Time taken off in swims, and does not necessarily have to be in meets.

-                      Hard work, attendance, attitude, etc…

-                      No minimum division or age required.

Most Improved Girl – Division 2 and Younger

-           Strictly based on best time calculations from all meets including development, but does not include the Provincial meet.   The base time will be the best time from the previous year.

            -           Must have swum more than one season. 

Most Improved Boy – Division 2 and Younger

-                      Strictly based on best time calculations from all meets including development, but does not include the Provincial meet. The base time will be the best time from the previous year.

-                      Must have swum more than one season.

Most Improved Girl – Division 3 and Up

-           Strictly based on best time calculations from all meets including development, but does not include the Provincial Meet. The base time will be the best time from the previous year.

-                      Must have swum more than one season.

Most Improved Boy – Division 3 and Up

-                      Strictly based on best time calculations from all meets including development, but does not include the Provincial Meet.  The base time will be the best time from the previous year.

-                      Must have swum more than one season.

Best All Round Girl

-                      Coaching decision.

-                      Must have completed a full season.

-                      Time taken off in swims, and does not necessarily have to be in meets.

-                      Hard work, attendance, attitude, etc…

-                      No minimum division or age  required

Best All Round Boy

-                      Coaching decision

-                      Must have completed a full season.

-                      Time taken off in swims, and does not necessarily have to be in meets.

-                      Hard work, attendance, attitude, etc…

-                      No minimum division or age  required

Karen Williams Memorial

Awarded for unusual perseverance, sportsmanship, and an unique, quiet dedication born of the sheer love of swimming.

-                      Coaching decision

-                      Must be in division 1 or 2

-                      Can be a female or male swimmer. 

Max Bruce Memorial

Max and his wife Phyllis were very involved in their granddaughters’ (Amber and Shauna Kanuka) swimming. The girls swam for Surrey from 1989--1994 and then were at White Rock from 1995-1996.  Max and Phyllis just loved the summer swim program and they attended, worked and watched EVERY meet the girls were entered in.  Max would sit right on deck and listen to everything some of the coaches said to the group and sometimes even take notes. He died of lung cancer around the year 2000.  Phyllis donated a trophy in his name to both SUR and WRASA.

-                      Coaching decision

-                      Can be any division or age, but normally it is awarded to someone in the older division that has been with the club for a few years.

-                      Hard work, 100% effort and time, great attitude & team player, love of swimming, etc and does not necessarily always achieve “A” times.

-                      Can be a female or male swimmer.

Aggregate Division Winners and Runner-ups

-                      Award for each Divisions 1 – 7 winner and runner-up. 

-                      Strictly based on “A” points obtained from club approved sanctioned meets.

-                      Does not include points from the Provincial Meet.

Best Time Awards

            -           Strictly based on time calculations.

-           Awarded to any swimmers who have swum in more than one swim meet.

-           Includes best times from all meets including Provincials.

-           A “best time” is counted when you have beaten your previous best time in any

BCSSA race category.

 B.C.S.S.A.             

The B.C Summer Swimming Association (BCSSA) is an organization of member clubs that promote the development of its athletes through participation in competitive aquatic sports.

Parts reprinted from the B.C.S.S.A. web page

·         BCSSA is the largest aquatic association in British Columbia. 

·         BCSSA has been in operation since 1958 and incorporated in 1967. 

·         BCSSA affiliates 65 clubs throughout B.C. and Washington State 

·         BCSSA supports 4 competitive Aquatic Sports: Speed Swimming, Diving, Synchronized Swimming and Water Polo. 

·         BCSSA is a family oriented association. 

·         BCSSA enrolls 6,700 individual competitors, ages 5 and over. 

·         BCSSA holds 77 competitions during its active season from May to August, each competition drawing an average of 300-350 competitors. 

·         BCSSA Provincial Championship Meet generates in excess of $3 million in cash flow within the Host Community during its 7 day event:

·         BCSSA often leaves a legacy of improved facilities in the Championship Host Community. 

BCSSA musters 100 volunteers to run each swim meet. That yields a total of 7,700 volunteers, who each contribute an average of 10 hours each day, for a total of over 150,000 volunteer hours DEDICATED TO THE YOUTH OF BRITISH COLUMBIA.

Provincial Office

Suite 205 – 2323 Boundary Road, Vancouver, B.C. V5M 4V8

Telephone: 604-473-9447   Fax: 604-473-9660                                               

POOL LOCATIONS