Swim Program

The goal of the Beginner and Junior swim programs is to create competent swimmers. Ensuring that youth are capable in the water, under various circumstances and can “swim to survive”. As the program progresses the focus will be on endurance, water safety and learning the 4 strokes. The goal of the lifesaving program is to continue to build upon the swimming skills of the youth, and strive for excellence in lifesaving.

Children aged 3 to 16 years of age can register for the swim program on a weekly basis or for the full program (7 weeks). Lifesaving is only offered with a full season option - see additional details about the lifesaving program below.

Beginner Swim Program

Target Age: 3 to 5 Years old

Class time: 2 x 30 minutes per week

Children will swim with a buddy (one of the youth in the lifesaving program) and a swim bubble. Through games and activities children will become more comfortable in the water and begin to swim more independently.

To progress to the next level, they must be comfortable in the water to jump in and swim without floats (with minimal buddy assistance).

* Parents are asked to enjoy the lesson from the bleachers. Only children and instructors will be permitted in the water during class time.

Junior Swim Program

The activities director and/or assistant directors will place the children in the appropriate group based on their skills/age. This may vary from year to year depending on the attendance and distribution of youth in the program.

Novice

Target Age: 5 to 7 Years old

Class time: 2-3 x 30 minutes per week

Children will build their endurance and comfort in the water. Swim instructors will be in the water for support as needed.

To progress to intermediate level, children should be able to swim 50 meters independently (may take short breaks).

Intermediate

Target Age: 7 to 9 Years old

Class time: 2-3 x 45 minutes per week

No instructors are in the water. Children must be fully capable of swimming laps independently. Children will continue to build endurance, begin learning about water safety and the 4 swim strokes.

To progress from this program children must be capable in front and back crawl and breaststroke while they also should have knowledge of butterfly and be able to swim ~600 meters during a swim practice.

Advanced

Target Age: 9 to 11 Years old

Class time: 2-3 x 45 minutes per week

The junior swimmers continue to improve endurance and proficiency in the 4 swim strokes. The oldest youth will start learning more pre-lifesaving skills in order to begin preparing them for the lifesaving program.

To progress youth must be of minimum age to enter the lifesaving program.

Lifesaving

The target age for lifesaving is 12-16 years old. Youth who are competent swimmers may begin the lifesaving program as early as 11 years old if they show interest. However, they must understand that they cannot take the exam and progress to the next level until 12. They can also remain in the Junior Swim Program and join their peers in lifesaving (Bronze Star) at 12 years old. In order to qualify, the participant must meet the minimum age requirement by the date of the exam.

Courses offered with age requirements:

Swim Patrol (11 years) - no exam/certification
Bronze Star (12 years)
Bronze Medallion (13 years)
Bronze Cross (14 years)
Standard First Aid (15 years)
NLS Pool Option (16 years)

Additional details in regards to Youth Lifesaving Program

Youth must be present for a minimum of 5 weeks leading up to the exam (6 weeks for NLS), to meet the certification requirements of their respective course. However all courses work on a 6 week curriculum. In addition they must be present during the sixth week of the program to complete their exam if they wish to be certified. The costs of certification are not included in the fees for the swim program. These fees must be paid directly to the Director at the start of the program. In addition, masks and manuals must be purchased for the course and can be bought from the director or off-lake. The cost is not included in the fees for the course.

In addition to Lifesaving class time, this group of youth must participate in Regatta Training to meet the swimming and fitness requirements.

Youth should aim to miss no more than 2 class days (there is no exception for NLS, any more missed classes will result in failing to be certified). This applies if the youth must be off lake or other justified absense. While present at the lake they are expected to attend all classes. In the event that a youth must be off lake and miss too much of the course content they should inform the director. As a general rule there are no make-up classes or dates. Make-up classes (at an additional cost paid directly to the assistant director) may be possible in circumstances where the youth is dedicated and will meet other criteria to pass the exam. This must be approved by the Director before scheduling.

Youth may participate in the lifesaving program and not be certified. This may be as a result of not meeting the minimum hours/weeks required for the course, having already completed the course during the winter, or failing to pass the certification at the end of the course. If a participant is not able to meet the requirements to be certified, they may take the course in the off season to catch up with their peers. They may also choose to participate and audit the course only - they will not take the exam, but participate in all other aspects of the program. If the candidate takes a lifesaving course outside of Quebec, they are responsible for calling the Lifesaving Society and having their card number transferred to Quebec. If this is not done the child will be unable to be certified in Quebec.

As the lifesaving program is an important part of our club programming and staff development, we will prioritize and recruit staff (cleaners, canteen, boat boys, kitchen staff, assistant directors) who remain in the program full time during their time at the lake. Participation is key, certification is not. Note that each of these positions has their own set of requirements to meet in addition to participating in the club programming.

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