(604) 333-3640 | info@bcartisticswimming.ca
BC Artistic Swimming supports and aligns all program delivery with the Canada Artistic Swimming Long-Term Athlete Development Framework 2.1. The LTAD Framework 2.1 introduces physical literacy and athlete development in artistic swimming at all levels from entry level to Sync for Life. It serves as the fundamental operational manual that underpins the structure and programming for our sport in BC and across Canada.
We believe artistic swimming is for everyone! Adaptive Artistic Swimming programs welcomes athletes of all ability and levels.
If you have an athlete who is interested in trying Adaptive Artistic Swimming, please contact you local club for more information.
AquaGO! is the nation-wide grassroots foundation program for artistic swimming in Canada and is the launching pad for all other programs delivered by Canada Artistic Swimming. This new program reflects the current science behind long-term athlete development (LTAD) in the sport of artistic swimming, thus focusing on developing aquatic literacy as well as providing an introduction to the sport.
Led by certified instructors, the program is designed to meet the needs of children who will find the content fun to learn while participating in a safe and welcoming environment that incorporates a variety of basic physical and athletic skills in and out of the water. Children may use their new acquired skills to advance further in the sport of artistic swimming or may transfer them to other aquatic and land-based activities.
Find out more about the AquaGO! program here.
The Provincial Stream (PS) program is intended for athlete with a strong swimming background or who have previous experience in artistic swimming. PS athletes range from 6 to 20 years old and compete in the figure, solo, duet and team events. They have the opportunity to compete at five competitions throughout the season, the last of which is the Provincial Championships! If you would like to join a Provincial Stream program please reach out to your local club.
The BC Games were originally a vision of Premier W. R. Bennett who believed in providing “an opportunity to bring all parts of BC together, large and small communities, in the spirit of sport and friendship”. Mr. Bennett’s vision for the BC Games has provided a substantial foundation and structure on which excellence in sport and community has been and continues to be built. The mandate of the BC Summer Games Society is to provide an opportunity for all British Columbians to compete in an organized sports festival that promoted physical fitness, individual achievement, and community pride.
Artistic swimming is one of 18 sports that compete in the BC Summer Games. Held every two years, this multi-sport event is hosted in communities around the province. For the purposes of the Games, BC is divided into 8 zones which help to ensure that the Games include participation from all corners of the Province, and to support each sports' efforts to reach the entire province. Athletes are selected to Zone Teams based on where they live.
The next BC Summer Games will be held in 2020 in Maple Ridge. Team Selection will occur during the 2019-2020 season at the Mable Moran Provincial Qualifier.
For more information and eligibility, please read the BC Summer Games Technical Package.
BC Games Website
Archived Results
Past Participants
Artistic Swimming can be a life-long sport and help athletes stay active for life! The Masters programs allow for both former artistic swimmers to continue their participation in the sport and provides an introduction to the sport for those who just love the water and want to try something new. Recreational Masters Programs are intended for athletes who are new to the sport whereas Competitive Masters is usually for more experienced athletes or those who enjoy more competitive opportunities.
To find out which program is right for you, please reach out to your local club for programming details.
The Canadian University Artistic Swimming League (CUASL) is a club program for university students. In BC, we have two universities that compete in the league: the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria. Both programs and CUASL competitions cater to novice and advanced athletes.
If you are a student at these schools and would like to try artistic swimming, please reach out to your school's club for programming details.
UBC Thunderbirds Artistic Swimming
UVIC Synchro Club
The Ignite Provincial Program is BCAS's high performance program. Ignite identifies and trains BC athletes with the greatest potential to be members of the BCAS Provincial Team and Canada Artistic Swimming's National Teams.
The Ignite Program provides a positive, enriching and focused sport academy environment geared towards training athletes. Ignite camps focus on improving individual and routine skills, as well as club development programs.
The vision of the BC Artistic Swimming High Performance Program focuses on club-supported programming that includes Junior and Senior athlete development and BC Coach collaboration in preparation for the 2025 Canada Summer Games. BCAS will rely on clubs to develop and monitor their high-performance athletes in alignment with provincial program goals. The Ignite Provincial Program will consist of assessment, choreography and development camps, athlete monitoring within the club setting and other activities as outlined below. The goal of this three-year plan is to foster the development of strong club programs that nurture and develop artistic swimming excellence in BC.
Building on BC Artistic Swimming’s strategic priority to Aspire to Excellence, the program delivery model has been developed in collaboration with HP Consultant Biz Price and BC’s National Stream Head Coaches (referred to as “BC Coaching Group”).
After a 2 year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ignite Assessment Camp in June 2022 kicked off the new BC Artistic Swimming High Performance Plan that sets the stage for the selection of Team BC to represent the province at the 2025 Canada Summer Games in St. John's, Newfoundland.
For more information on the program check out What to Expect in 2022-23.
Questions? Contact Tanya Magee, BCAS Director of Sport
In 2016, BC Artistic Swimming hosted its first Train to Train (T2T) camp as a three-hour session. Since then, the program has evolved each year to include athletes participating in four one-day camps, private figure training, strength & conditioning testing, tailored programming, mental training, and technical skills development. In 2019, we conducted a thorough review of our high-performance programs formalizing their symbiotic relationships and the Train to Train program was renamed Ignite Prospects.
The Ignite Prospects Program helps prepare future provincial and national team athletes for the high-performance pathway. The Ignite Prospects Program scouts the top 11-12-aged athletes in B.C. to participate in a camp focusing on basic figure and routine development.
Ignite Prospects Program Details
From time to time, athletes are unable to participate in a provincial program as planned. This may include, but is not limited to, a provincial program selection camp or a qualifying competition. To ensure consistency and fairness for all participants, BC Artistic Swimming has developed standard policies and procedures to guide its decision-making during such times.
Provincial Program Procedures
Provincial Program Age Eligibility Exemption
Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, through a partnership with the Province of BC, viaSport, the network of PacificSport centres, and BC Artistic Swimming, collaborates to deliver programs and services to place BC athletes onto National Teams and ensure athletes and coaches have every advantage to win medals for Canada. The partners work jointly to encourage sport excellence and increase podium performances in communities throughout BC.
With this purpose in mind, BC Artistic Swimming may annually nominate athletes and their coaches, who meet specific criteria, for the Canadian Sport Institute - PacificSport Athlete Support Program. Upon registering with CSI-Pacific, these targeted athletes and coaches can engage in enhanced programs, benefits, and selected support services through CSI-Pacific and the network of PacificSport regional centres.
CSI-Pacific and PacificSport athlete support is tiered across four levels based on performance, each with a slate of designated benefits.
BC Artistic Swimming has developed a set of criteria for selection to the Targeted Athlete Nomination List. There is no application process but coaches of targeted athletes and prospective targeted athletes are required to submit specific criteria and monitoring data to support athlete consideration. Once the Targeted Athlete Nomination List is compiled, it is submitted to CSI-Pacific for approval. Once approved, BCAS will receive a notification of the nomination via email.
Coaches can receive access to benefits if they currently coach an athlete selected to the Targeted Athlete Nomination List. Like the athletes, coaches will receive a notification via email. For more information about services for coaches, please visit the Canadian Sport Institute - Pacific website.
BC Artistic Swimming Targeted Athlete and Coach Nomination Criteria
I am an athlete. How do I know if I can get access? Upon approval of the BCAS Targeted Athlete Nomination List, BCAS will notify athletes and coaches of their nomination via email. BCAS will provide the necessary information to complete registration at one of the CSI centres across BC. Athletes and coaches can make an appointment at their corresponding centre to complete their intake meeting.
Why am I not on the list? If an athlete is not selected to the Targeted Athlete Nomination List, and they believe they should be, they and their personal coach are advised to contact dos@bcartisticswimming.ca. Athletes will need to demonstrate that they have acquired the minimum points required for consideration in the Target Athlete Profile. BCAS can make application to CSI-Pacific to add athletes who demonstrate achievement of the criteria at any point in the cycle.
What is the BCAS Targeted Athlete Program cycle? Starting in 2022, the BCAS Targeted Athlete Program runs on a one-year cycle from October 1 to September 30 annually. Prior to this, the cycle was from February 1 to January 31. This new cycle aligns with our sport's training and competition schedule ensuring that athletes and coaches receive support at the start of the season rather than at the mid-point. It also ensures that the most recent competition results and program participation is considered in the Target Athlete Profile.
What are the expectations of Targeted Athletes and Coaches? Targeted athletes and coaches are expected to complete their CSI-P registration as outlined in the email notifying them of their status. With the support of their coach, targeted athletes are also expected to fulfill all monitoring requirements outlined in the BCAS Athlete and Coach Nomination Criteria.
The purpose of the Target Athlete Program (TAP) Monitoring is to ensure club programming is aligned with and working towards BC Artistic Swimming’s High Performance Program goals and to track athlete progression towards provincial and national high-performance targets. Where gaps exist, BC Artistic Swimming will support clubs in shifting program development to ensure excellence is being built at all levels in our province.
In order to meet the expectations of our funders, the following athletes MUST submit BCAS Monitoring requirements:
It is recommended that the following athletes submit the BCAS Monitoring requirements:
Full program details can be found here: 2022-2023 Targeted Athlete Program Monitoring Requirements
TAP Club Monitoring Template
Club Directory