All Scholarship Deadlines are 4PM PST, June 25, 2020

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 links 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.

Now that BC is well into Phase 2 of our Covid-19 Emergency Plan, municipalities are considering the feasibility of reopening both indoor and outdoor pools. If BCSSA clubs wish to be considered to train within these facilities again, you must put together a “Return to Swim” plan focused on your own club activities and individual facilities.

BCSSA has put together a Guidelines Workbook for clubs as they are developing their own plans and procedures for keeping your swimmers, coaches, and families safe. The document is linked at the bottom of this post.

The purpose of this document is to assist BCSSA clubs to develop return to play plans which minimize the risk of Covid-19 (& other contagious viruses) transmission to their membership, as well as their employees. It can be used to consider the Covid-19 protocols that may be needed to be implemented in order to ensure our participants, coaches and volunteers can practice in a safe environment. This applies if you are creating your plan, or if you are just refining your current plan.

BCSSA advises all club members, directors, operators, lifeguards, coaches or other people associated with the association to follow the existing recommendations outlined on the World Health Organization Website (WHO). Refer to the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations and current guidelines and orders provided by the Provincial Health Officer.

We are also hosting a workshop on Thursday June 11, 6:30 PM, for club reps that want to review this document with us, or to clarify anything about this process. We will do our best to answer questions or to guide you in the right direction.

Register in advance for this workshop:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqc--sqD4oGNOZnq1yunbxwMpKngr3vniN

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

BCSSA Return to Swimming & Aquatic Sports Guidelines & Workbook:
http://bcsummerswimming.com/clubs/6594/documents/529307

Swim BC recently hosted the first ever NCCP course through online delivery in Canada. NCCP Coordinator, Chad Webb, is leading this effort to respond to these challenging times and adapt the course to online delivery. Swim BC has two more online courses scheduled for later this month:

Community Sport Coach – May 23 & 24

Swimming 101 – May 28 – 31

Tentatively, we are planning to host a Swimming 201 course at the end of August. Also, looking at hosting a Swimming 301 course in conjunction with other provinces in September.

Coaches are reminder that all candidates MUST complete all the Prerequisite Multi-Sport Courses; before registering for the course.

For more information go to Swim Bc Website https://swimbc.ca/swimbc-news/2020/5/5/nccp-online-courses

Hi everyone,
The Regional Board and Club executives have been meeting regularly and working together to discuss options for our swimmers during this challenging time. It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm the decision to cancel the first 6 meets in June and July has been made. The remaining meets on the schedule, and any rescheduling of previously cancelled meets will be confirmed when more information is released in the coming weeks.

Decisions will be made in accordance with all regulations and guidelines from the Provincial Health Officer.

As soon as we know any more definitive information we will communicate those decisions.

In the meantime, please know that the OK team is working together and that athlete and member safety is the top priority.

Echoing the words of BCSSA President Danny Schilds, Stay safe, stay connected, and at some point, we’ll see you at the pool.

The Meet Schedule page is on the top menu or you can click on this link https://okanaganbcssa.teampages.com/organizations/3428/pages/128623

Click here for the Wavelength Newsletter with an update from BCSSA President Danny Schilds and even more information about the Covid Cup!
https://mailchi.mp/bcsummerswimming/the-covid-cup-season-launches-may-1?fbclid=IwAR2Hz4jgTvb9PVDH-8BrGRwEVLj23X6W3J2Vy1RJ46ZSQLAtN8UoOQLN0lo

Covid Cup
How it works
BCSSA will run workshops and training sessions online. You can find them on our home page, under “Schedule”. http://www.bcsummerswimming.com/clubs/6594/events

Each workshop will have a description, the coach’s name, and will also include who the workshop is ideally suited for. That doesn’t mean that you can’t join in if it interests you… just know who it is geared towards! Each workshop will be led by a BCSSA coach and will always have another adult assisting.

Each week we will follow the same schedule:

Heart Rate Mondays
Cardio workouts to get your heart rate pumping and jump start your week!

Teaching Tuesdays
Classrooms for Kids on topics focusing on health, wellness, and sport

Werk It Wednesdays
Focusing on building our Strength, Flexibility, Agility

Coaches Corner Thursdays
Classrooms for coaches, parents, volunteers and more…

Fun Fridays
Join us for our weekly fun challenge on social media
#BCSSACovidCup

Weekend Podcast
Walk around the province with Provincial Coach Rep Lee!

For now all BCSSA Covid Cup workshops will start at 4 PM PDT, 5pm MDT but it might change in the future.

Check out the current schedule
Register today!

How to participate
-Participants must be a registered member of BCSSA. Participants must register before July 9th, 2020 through your local club, please contact your club Registrar or President if you have any questions.

-Participants must pre-register in the workshops they plan to join in order to get the Zoom login details.

- Each workshop will have a maximum number of participants.

- Each participant will be sent a unique Zoom login details.

- Prior to participating in the workshop, participants (or parents/guardians of minor children), must complete the Waiver for Online Training. Failure to complete the waiver in advance of the workshop will result in participants not being allowed to participate.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSpaBBGT6ynrvBaUD0lgZUxVIpncaLJwqniEb784YJLCxYHA/viewform

- Stay safe! Follow the instructions of the coach leading the workshop and stay within your own abilities at all time!

- Following the workshop, you will be sent an online evaluation form which you can complete and submit anonymously. This will allow us to improve this new program as we go. You are always welcome to send feedback to the BCSSA office at any time: office@bcsummerswimming.com

What’s in it for me?
FUN! EXERCISE! LEARNING! FRIENDSHIPS! and PRIZES!!!!

BCSSA will be keeping track of participation.

Every time you join in on a workshop, your name will be entered into a random draw for a prize that week.

Weekly prize winners will be announced on Mondays for the previous week.

We will also be tracking participation by club & region and the club & region with the top participation numbers on July 1 (or whenever the majority of swimming pools are open again in BC) will win the coveted COVID CUP!

(Prizes haven’t been finalized yet but will be worth your while… stay tuned!)

Participation is for your own personal development, for your club and for your region!
HAVE FUN AND STAY CONNECTED!