April 27, 2021

BCSSA is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with the Swimmingly App for 2021 .

We will be working together to support BCSSA clubs in delivery of virtual competitions for our swimmers this upcoming season, as Provincial Health Orders allow.

Over the past 12 months, BCSSA’s Return to Competition committee has been working hard to find solutions for the challenges facing our sport with the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly as it relates to Provincial level competitions. Under the leadership of Sean Cauley, Director of Competitions, they released the BCSSA Return to Competition guidelines in February 2021. (https://bcsummerswimming.com/clubs/6594/documents/538670)

While these guidelines provide an outline of requirements necessary to host various types of competitions (from single cohort to multi-cohorts) in person, we recognized that large person gatherings were unlikely again this summer and therefore a solution was needed to allow for competition to take place outside of a single-club/cohort scenario.

“With no in-person Provincials possible for the second year in a row, being able to host virtual competitions and to provincially rank our competitors is an exciting step in the right direction. I cannot wait to experience results coming in as soon as we are given the go-ahead by the PHO! It will mean kids are back in the water swimming, and improving their own personal bests!” Penny Bartel, BCSSA Provincial Manager.

Sean Cauley echoed that sentiment, ”The kids love to train, but they also need the chance to compete – against themselves and also against their peers. Swimmingly makes it that much easier for us to offer competitions which are as close to ‘normal’ as possible, but still safe.”

Swimmingly has proven to be a great option with flexibility for competitive strategies this year and beyond. They have provided us with an incredible entry-level price-point which will allow our swim clubs to purchase a “Starter Kit” and start hosting virtual competitions, as soon as the Provincial Health Officer loosens restrictions around competitions. Swimmingly is the brainchild of US Olympian Charlie Houchin (CEO) and Hayes Johnson (President), who both had their swimming start in summer swimming clubs, and has grassroots clubs in mind with an easy to learn and use platform, low price-point, and a streamlined process for parent volunteers. The platform interfaces well with the ACTIVE Hytek platform, which was an important consideration for our clubs.

Clubs can purchase a “Starter Kit” directly from Swimmingly for a discounted rate of $300 USD (regularly $400), as well as highly discounted parent access . These are limited time introductory offers that are available only until August 2021. In order to receive the discounted price, clubs should use the discount code BCSSA2021 at checkout. Only BCSSA affiliated clubs will be eligible to receive this discounted rate.

In the words of Swimmingly President Hayes Johnson, “Swimmingly is honored to serve the clubs of BCSSA, particularly given the great leadership, positive energy, and excitement from clubs around “what’s next?” with summer swimming moving towards a post-Covid era. 2021 will prove to be a fantastic year for forward-thinking swimming organizations to spotlight all the benefits of our sport for families everywhere – you don’t have to look any further than the partnership of BCSSA and Swimmingly as the shining example!"

If you have questions about ordering Swimmingly and the partnership with BCSSA, please contact our office at office@bcsummerswimming.com

All Scholarship Deadlines are 4PM PST, June 25, 2021

Please take a moment and check out the Scholarships and Regional Prize opportunities from the BCSSA and if you know of someone who might be eligible please pass on the information.

http://www.bcsummerswimming.com/clubs/6594/pages/143758

On the Scholarships and Prizes page you will also find the link to the online applications.

For more than half a century, the B.C. Summer Swimming Association (BCSSA) has been building the health, fitness, character and life skills of young people across British Columbia. As the province’s largest multi-aquatic association, the BCSSA promotes the development of more than 6,000 young people each year through participation in speed swimming, diving, water polo and synchronized swimming.

In more than 60 B.C. communities from Kimberley to Prince George and from Fort Nelson to Victoria, the BCSSA teaches young people the value of hard work, dedication and teamwork, doing so in a positive, fun environment where all children are welcomed to compete and work to fulfill their potential.

To encourage young people to stay involved in healthy BCSSA activity through high school graduation and to acknowledge the exceptional dedication and commitment of long-time athletes, the BCSSA has established an annual Regional Scholarship in each of its eight regions: Cariboo, Fraser South, Fraser Valley, Kootenay, Okanagan, Simon Fraser, Vancouver and District and Vancouver Island.

Scholarships are awarded to assist with post-secondary education expenses. Current BCSSA athletes are eligible to apply in their graduating year of high school.

Online Database is coming in 2021!

BCSSA staff has been hard at work behind the scenes creating an online results database that will fully integrate with our existing website. We are pleased to be able to announce that this will be live on our website January 18, 2021.

The database is the result of many hours of coding and uploading results data from the 2018 and 2019 competitive seasons, completed by BCSSA Coaches Representative Lee Vanden Ham.

“It’s taken a lot of work but I really think this will move our organization forward technologically while preserving our past. BCSSA has a rich history and it is important we don’t lose it. The new database is aimed to help preserve some of that data,” said Vanden Ham.

When the database is live it will hold the results and records from only the 2018 and 2019 seasons but the plan is to continually add all the previous year meet results until we have a complete and extensive record of all competitors within BCSSA events from 1999 onward (when results are available electronically.)

We will be hosting a webinar on January 23to highlight the capabilities and limitations of the database, as well as to answer questions that you may have about how to use it effectively in building your best competitive teams.

Registration in advance is required for the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEscuqopzgpE9ab-X9GnRouRd2b5CX6JGzJ?mc_cid=3ec0dbd0e7&mc_eid=4959b66537

(Please note that the link sent in the December 23, 2020 e-newsletter was incorrect. The above link is correct for meeting registration.)

Hello Dolphin Parents!

I hope you’re all having a great fall season. I know for our family, the autumn season felt really surreal this year. The change in the seasons was a reminder of how much we had felt the absence of the pool and the swim club this past summer. Our younger kids can’t wait to get back into the pool this spring and Emme is really looking forward to coaching again, and savouring her last season as a swimmer with the dolphins.

As our most active swimmer is moving on after this summer, Kevin and I have both decided to step away from our current board positions. This leads me to the purpose of this email, which is to inform you of the upcoming AGM and the board positions that will be up for vote in a few weeks.

The AGM will be held on Wednesday November 18th, at 6:30 PM at the Golden Civic Centre. The chairs will be arranged for social distancing and there will be hand sanitizer at the entrance for use as you enter into the building. We ask anyone who is showing any symptoms of covid-19, or who has travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days to not attend the meeting.

It is imperative that we have as many parents as possible at this meeting. Even if you are not interested in a sitting board position, I really encourage you to come out and vote. Our club runs on volunteers and our grant money is dependent on having community and parent involvement. The Golden Dolphins Club cannot exist without people running the show behind the scenes. We will be offering a 50 dollar credit for club merchandise (bathing suits, goggles, caps, hoodies, etc) up for draw for all attendees.

I can say that of all organizations I have been involved with throughout my life, the Dolphins are the most supportive and fun bunch. Our board is completely drama free, and everyone is genuinely there to help create the best experience for all the swimmers that we can. I am proud of the work we have accomplished and the culture we have fostered in the last couple years. If you are looking for a way to get involved, we have a few positions that are up for term this year.

 President- 1 year term
 Vice President- 2 year term (incumbent Jolene Potter is letting her name stand)
 Secretary- 2 year term
 Meet Manager- 2 year term
 Registrar- 2 year term (incumbent Nicole Kriese is letting her name stand)
 Parent Coach Liaison- 2 year term
 Activities Coordinator- 1 year term
We also have several non voting roles that are very specific jobs that might be great for anyone not looking to be involved in the day to day planning or make the monthly board meeting commitment, but still wanting to get involved. These are very important ad rewarding roles.

These are

 Director of Officials
 Website/Social Media Coordinator
 Coach Hiring committee (need ideally 6 people)
If you are interested in learning more about any of these roles, don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the existing board members for more information. You will never be alone in these roles. Kevin and I will be around for at least one more year and are happy to help in any capacity that is needed. As a board, we are all willing to help carry the load of new members as they learn and navigate their positions.

I sincerely hope to see some of your faces in a few weeks. I know it can be hard to think about swim club again, after such a long break and with the cool weather, but we are already in the planning stages and hiring processes to make sure our swimmers hit the pool this May. We would love some help and for you to join us in making sure that this upcoming season is the best one yet!

See you at the civic centre for the AGM on November 18th at 6:30. The meeting will not be longer than one hour. I look forward to seeing you there.

Kelly Pippin

Golden Dolphins President.

The 2020 Annual Report is now available for online viewing!

This year’s Annual General Meeting will be held via ZOOM online meetings because of the Corona-virus Covid-19.

Each Club President has been sent a link for their club’s official voting delegate. Please confirm the name of the official designated voting designate who will be attending to: office@bcsummerswimming.com.

All members are welcome to attend the meeting and you must register in advance in order to receive your login details:

Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vfu6ppzMrH9JCKnBVed1HvW6bJH6XLg7z

We look forward to seeing you online there!