2

Learn to swim, learn to train, train to train, and train to race

3

Tab l

ts en

c o f n o t e

Welcome................................................................................................................................4 Our mission..........................................................................................................................5 About the team.....................................................................................................................6 Swim Program Fees............................................................................................................7 Coaches.............................................................................................................................8-9 Our Philosophy.............................................................................................................10-11 Q&A..............................................................................................................................12-13 Testimonials.................................................................................................................14-15 Videos.................................................................................................................................19 Contact us.........................................................................................................................20

Welcome

Welcome to the Ottawa Swim Club (OTTSC), one of the premier swimming programs in Eastern Ontario. The coaches, swimmers, and families of the club are looking forward to meeting you and working with you throughout the swimming season. The club is a yearround competitive, high performance swim organization offering instruction, training and competition to young people of all ages and abilities.

The club is a privately owned, nonprofit organization. It is financed primarily through membership fees, corporate sponsorship, and fundraising. We are extremely proud of this organization and the contributions that it makes to the lives of young people. The club was established in 2005, with many members having a long history of the sport and who have a proven record of producing successful swimmers. We hope that your swimmers will benefit from and add to the rich traditions that have been developed here at the Ottawa Swim Club.



4

Our Mission The mission of the Ottawa Swim Club is to provide an environment that fosters competitive swimming at all levels. To provide an environment that fosters competitive swimming at all levels To develop a program that is recognized for excellence in Canadian swimming. To provide a high level of coaching. To provide a swim environment that enables athletes to develop their swimming skills at their own pace and to achieve their personal swim goals. To teach all swimmers essential life skills such as organization, planning, dedication and self-motivation. To instill in all swimmers a team approach that encourages recognition and celebration of their teammates’ achievements.

5

6 About the team The Ottawa Swim Club is competitive swimming building from a base of pre competitive swimming, which we take kids as young as 5 or 6 of age provided, they can swim a little bit on their own and progress them through the precompetitive level. They can from 3 to generally 5 years 5 years in that program before they become competitive swimmers. The competitive level is broken down to competitive 1,2, junior, and senior. The swimmers level is determined based off of performance, age and the swimmer's ability to handle work as they progress through the levels.

Swim Program Fees

7

Precompetitive

The pre‐competitive OTTSC registration fee for the 2022/2023 is $175. This fee includes the annual Swim Canada / Swim Ontario registration fee along with an OTTSC swim cap and OTTSC swimsuit. Number of Swims

Price per Month

2 swims

$145 / month

3 swims

$160 / month

competitive

The Comp 1 OTTSC registration fee for the 2022/2023 season is $285. This fee includes the annual Swim Canada / Swim Ontario registration fee along with an OTTSC swim cap and OTTSC swimsuit. The Comp 2, Junior and Senior OTTSC registration fee for the 2022/2023 season is $200. This fee includes the annual Swim Canada / Swim Ontario registration fee along with an OTTSC swim cap. Training Group

Price per Month

Comp 1

$195 / month

Comp 2

$260 / month

Junior Senior

$315 / month including dryland training

including $370 / month dryland training

*A 10% discount is available for siblings

Coaches

8

9

Coach Blair

Coach Rachel

Head Coach

Coach

Professional swim coach since 1980. Has coached all level of swimmers including numerous provincial, national and international level athletes, who have been members of regional, provincial, and national tour teams, including Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and Olympic Games. Blair was a competitive swimmer for 13 years, competing at both the national and international level and was a member of the Canadian National Team. Blair started The Ottawa Swim Club in the Spring of 2005, with the goal of bringing expertise, energy and enthusiasm to the sport of swimming for the Ottawa area. Involved in coaching all levels of swimmers in the club.

Rachelle Campbell has been coaching for the Ottawa Swim Club since the fall of 2005. Certified Level 1 Coach working with development and age group swimmers. Swam competitively for nine years and competed at the provincial level.



10

Our Team's

11

Philosophy Each swimmer will be challenged to excel. Each swimmer will be given equal opportunity to train and compete to their maximum potential. Each swimmer will be allowed to develop at their own pace. Each swimmer will learn the important aspects of teamwork, sportsmanship, team spirit, respect, commitment, and self-discipline.

FA Q Q: What are your expectations of new swimmers? A: Entry-level swimmers are at the pool to learn to swim. We expect them to follow the three basic rules of learning: listen, learn and try. We also expect them to do their best to adhere to a consistent/regular swimming schedule. Q: When special events come up, such as birthday parties, family reunions and so on, can swimmers miss their practices? A: Generally, OTTSC coaches want their swimmers to stick to a regular schedule. But for a special event such as a birthday party or another important family function, by all means go to the event. That being said, swimmers will get more out of the program when adhering to a regular schedule. An irregular schedule does not lead itself to good progression. Please keep in mind that our

12

Club’s training schedule provides opportunities for the younger swimmers to make up missed swims. They are always welcome to do that if they have been absent for one of their regular practices. Q: Do the coaches want parents to notify the Club if their child will be absent? A: Yes, we would appreciate an e-mail notification at [email protected] Q: What if parents want to know more about the swim program or if they have specific questions about their child's progress? A: I have an open door policy. To be honest, I much prefer to speak to parents in person than I do to communicate by e-mail or on the phone. If parents have questions, I like them to come to practice and approach me on deck. In fact, parents should talk directly to any of the OTTSC coaches if they ever have questions about their son’s or daughter’s program or progress. Q: How does the training season break down? A: A competitive swimming has two peaks per year – a winter peak and a summer peak. You build to your winter championship. Then you build to your summer championship. A swimmer’s year is broken into training cycles or blocks; each training cycle or training block starts at zero. For example, the season starts off with a training block that is nonspecific – the swimmers are building fitness, learning technique and working on efficiency. The training cycles are related and

progressive. Q: In your opinion, what do swimmers get out of training and racing competitively? A:What these kids do on a daily basis will provide them with unmatchable life skills. Getting up at 4:30 in the morning, doing a two-hour workout, going to school, then doing a second workout after school takes the discipline and dedication of someone who has set a goal and is willing to work hard to achieve it. They learn time management, social skills, how to deal with pressure and how to deal with winning and losing. They also learn decisionmaking – to back off or push through when ill, for example. They make race plans, but also learn to make quick decisions mid race when the unexpected happens. A former swimmer of mine approached me many years later and thanked me for everything he had learned from working with me. He said he learned

13

through perseverance (setting a goal and sticking to it) and through doing the work to achieve a goal. And he said he also learned that ‘staying the course’ instead of ‘stepping out’ pays dividends. Q: How important is it for swimmers to achieve personal best times in time trials and other meets? A: Young kids growing up will achieve personal best age group times simply because they are getting stronger, taller, etc. It’s natural. Qualifying for different events is important and fun. But, generally, I believe in coaching with my eyes not my watch. I will talk more about this when we discuss Competitive Swimming. Q: How do you measure a competitive swimmer’s performance? A: First of all, an athlete has to go through a full block of training before having any expectation of performance. “An athlete’s performance is not always based on the time on the scoreboard. As I said earlier, I believe in coaching with my eyes not my watch. Performance, from the Coach’s perspective, is an evaluation of what the swimmer has accomplished throughout their training cycle. For example, did they have 100 percent attendance? Did they achieve all of the elements of that particular training cycle (by elements I mean working on their energy systems, speed and endurance)? Did they perform all training tasks properly and to the specifications set before them (by training tasks I mean things like the number of sets, speed, quality of work and technical skill required)? Did they maintain good health?

14 I think it is important to get the kids to understand why they are swimming. Is it for themselves? Is it for their parents? Our goal as a club is for every swimmer to enjoy and embrace the sport.

-Blair Tucker OTTSC Head Coach

Testimonials

15 I've been swimming with the same team for over eight years now and it's like my second home, and thanks to this team I've met some of my closest friends -Dania Patry competitive swimmer

I moved to this team at a very young age, and I've met some of the best people here throughout the years. This team and sport have not only made me stronger, but they have taught me to accept and appreciate every outcome, no matter how difficult things get." -Abby Gendelman competitive swimmer

When you think and work like a champion, you become your own champion

16

17

18

19

Video Highlight Student made promotional video

20

c a t t n

Us

Co

21



Phone (613) 240-3977

Facebook @ottawaswimclub

Email

[email protected]

We look forward to welcoming you!

We'd love to have you join us!