Hi everyone,
This is a public notice of this years Okanagan Region AGM. The meeting will be held via Zoom on Sunday 16th August. The link for the Zoom Meeting, Agenda and Previous years minutes will be sent to the Club Presidents in the coming days.

There are 3 positions up for election this year:
Regional Director – 2 yr term
Regional Registrar – 2 yr term
Director of Competition – 2 yr term

If you are able to help the Region in one of these roles, or have questions about how to help you can reach out to your local Club President or send an email to bcssaokregion@gmail.com

Thanks! and lets keep working together to offer these great opportunities for our youth through Summer swimming.

In accordance with Bylaw 3.15.A – Meetings of the Members – notice is hereby given that the 2020 Annual General Meeting of the society will be held on Monday, August 17, 2020 at 7:30 pm via Zoom virtual meeting due to the novel Corona virus Covid-19 pandemic.

1. To receive the report of the Directors and approve the financial statements for the year ended March 31st, 2020;
2. To elect Directors for the positions which are due for election;
3. To vote on any motion that has been brought forward; and,
4. To discuss new business that is brought forward during the Annual General Meeting.

The Annual Report is not included with this Notice of AGM due to the cost of printing and shipping to members. A copy of the 2020 AGM report will be sent to all club presidents as well as posted on www.bcsummerswimming.com two weeks prior to the AGM.

By order of the Board
Dated July 6, 2020

Danny Schilds
President, BCSSA

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