HEAD COACH Summer - Sammie Beatson

Samme has been swimming as long as she has been walking. She started with the Trail Stingrays as a novice. Over the years she has trained with Kelowna Ogopogos, the Grandforks Piranhas and the Spokane Waves. She competed at the High School Provincials from grade 10-12  and helped organize the team in grade 12. Samme has won many awards including provincial medals in swimming in 2010 & 2011. Samme has had excellent feedback working as a qualified swim instructor. She is a trained level 1 Swimming Canada coach who brings enthusiasm and a dedication to the team this season.

Coach Mentor and assistant - Cody Flegel

One of the top sprinters in Canada from 2007-2011
Multiple UVIC record holder
Raced against and trained with many world record holders and Olympic medalists including: Michael Phelps, Ryan Cochrane and Brent Hayden.
Coached under many of Canada’s past and present Olympic coaches

HEAD COACH Winter - Nicole Armstrong

A little about me...I started swimming when I was 9 years old for the Regina Optimist Dolphins and continued on till University. During this time I made the Saskatchewan summer games team, Junior National team, attended many national qualifying meets and qualified for the Olympic Trials way back in the 80's. One of the relay teams I was a part off still holds a provincial record. When high school was over I attended the University of Wyoming on an athletic scholarship.

Coaches in training - Jennifer Chung, Sam Theobold, Oleg liferrovich

These are some of our top swimmers and a dedicated trainers. They have completed the 101 coarse with the BCSSA and are excellent role models. They help out in the pool with junior and novice swim technique.

Swim Meets

Swim meets are optional.  However, they are fun for the entire family. 
We encourage parents to volunteer for out of town swim meets.  Running a Swim Meet takes many volunteers and parents from invited clubs are asked to assist.  Volunteers are required for timing and recording events. The benefits of helping out include watching the races from the best seats, getting pampered with food and refreshments and meeting parents from other clubs.
What to bring:
Nutritious snacks, lunch, and a water bottle.
T –shirt , sweatshirt, hat, sleeping bag and pillow (optional)
Entertainment for the tent
Sunscreen
Goggles, swim cap, towels and bathing suit.
Parents bring:
Lawn chair, cooler and sunscreen.
A spare pair of swim goggles can save the day.
Initialing for meets:
The week prior to the meet, the list of entered swimmers and events is posted on the bulletin board.
Please initial next to your athlete’s name, confirming attendance at the meet and which races he or she wants to be in.
The club’s cost to enter a meet is $10 per swimmer for divisions 1-8 (Novices are free).  Late entries cost $15 per swimmer.  There are no refunds for non attendance so we ask you to keep this in mind when considering participation.
What to do when you get there:
The focal point for the swimmers is the team tent.  Parents are required to erect the tent while swimmers do their warm-up laps.  This tent provides protection from rain and sun, it also provides  a place for swimmers to relax, keep bags, towels and share swimming stories.
Parents set up their own lawn chairs and coolers next to the tent.  Don’t forget to bring sunshine, sun hats and lotion and suitable clothing.
Parents should purchase a program at each meet.  Highlight your child’s name and event numbers by looking up their division and stroke, then write the event numbers on their arm or hand.
Each event is announced on the public address system calling swimmers to marshalling.  Marshalling is conducted in a waiting area where swimmers are organized into their respective Heats and given cards to be passed on to the lane timers prior to their swim.
Race results are posted in a prominent area about an hour after each race. If there is a final event to be run in the afternoon, the names of the finalists will be posted after morning heats.
Points and ribbons are awarded to each “placed” swimmer. There are gold, silver and bronze medals awarded to swimmers in each of the eight age divisions.  While medals are awarded at closing ceremonies, ribbons are distributed by the coach at the next practice.
Relay races are held at the end of each day and are an opportunity to win points for the entire Club Team and to have fun. Sometimes younger swimmers may be grouped with older swimmers and entered in a higher age division.  It builds team spirit.
Disqualifications & Protests
Yes……It can happen! For example, a swimmer touches the wall with both hands and does a proper turn but the Turn Judge thinks the turn was illegal and disqualifies the swimmer.
When the swimmer returns and tells the coach they were disqualified.  The coach has decision to make.
If the coach feels the disqualification was incorrect the coach can protest the judges decision.
Important note: At least one coach must have observed the disqualifying action (ie the turn), otherwise the protest cannot be made.
Once the decision has been made to protest, the coach must make a verbal protest and then submit a written protest. The Jury makes the final decision.
Again, it is the COACHES decision whether or not to appeal.
Grand Forks B Meet
The idea of a Grand Forks B Meet is to give swimmers a chance to compete with other swimmers within their own time group so everyone in Swim Team has a chance to obtain a deserved gold, silver or bronzs metal along with placed ribbons…. Not just the fastest fish in the pool.
This meet is principally intended for “B” swimmers, although:
If a swimmer has an “A” time in three of more events, then that swimmer must enter as an Exhibition Swimmer only and is not eligible for medals.
If a swimmer has “A” times in two or less events, then they may swim in the Meet as follows:
If swimming in an event for which he/she has an “A” time, then must enter that event as an Exhibition Swimmer only.
If swimming in an event for which he/she has a “B” time, points will be awarded towards a medal if he/she swims an “A” time.

The actions of swimmers are a reflection of themselves, their team, their region and their community. Swimmers must remember that participation in all swim meets is a privilege, not a right.

Treat everyone with respect -Treat team mates, coaches, opponents, event organizers and spectators with respect. Respect and accept with dignity the decisions of officials. Be generous in winning and graceful in losing.

Exercise self-control at all times - Remember that there is no place in sport for drugs and alcohol. Refrain from the use of foul or profane language. Refrain from the use of physical force of any kind.

Play fair - Swim within the rules and the spirit of the rules of the Meet at all times.

Parents', Spectators', Coaches and Officials Code of Conduct

Treat everyone with respect - Cheer in a positive manner for all competitors. Respect the decisions of officials. Do not interfere with the meet or a race in progress. Be courteous and respectful to other spectators, parents, coaches, event organizers and officials. Refrain from the use of foul or profane language.

The Parent Contract for Swim Clubs

The parent contract lays out the acceptable rules of behaviour of the parent in relation to their child's sport or recreation activity. Our Code of Conduct is based on the code utilized by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.

I will remember that my child swims for his or her enjoyment, not for mine.

I will encourage my child to swim by the rules and to resolve conflicts without resorting to hostility or violence.

I will teach my child that doing one's best is as important as winning, so that child will never feel defeated by the outcome of an event.

I will make my child feel like a winner every time by offering praise for competing fairly and trying hard.

I will never redicule or yell at my child for making a mistake or losing a competition.

I will try to remember that children learn best by example. I will applause good players' performances; both my child's team and their opponents.

I will not force my child to participate in swimming or a specific event.

I will never question the official's judgement or honesty in public.

I will support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from children's swimming activities.

I will respect and appreciation for the trained volunteer coaches who give their time to provide swimming activities for my child, understanding that I have a responsibility to be a part of my child's development.

I will show respect for the veteran and new volunteer parents that help run a swim meet.

I will respect and show appreciation for the other parents who share these beliefs.

Now go put on your bathing suit and try to have some fun..

Sponsoring our Club

We are a non-profit society that is 100% volunteer operated. All funds we generate are used for swimming instruction and swim competition. We have excelled as a Competitive Swim Club for over 40 years and strive to be professional and serve a larger membership at all times. In order to develop all potential athletes and offer the benefits of competition to the entire community it is important to keep our membership fees affordable. Currently our funding is split evenly between membership fees, government grants and fundraising.

Here is a list of business that support our club through contributions and donations to our various fundraising activities.

			Gordon Wall Floor Coverings 801 Victoria St, Trail, BC V1R 3T3

The Trail Stingrays has three corporate sponsorship programs available. We understand that local companies benefit from participating in their community and we think our club is an ideal entity to showcase that participation. Our club is family oriented, visible and appeals to a broad demographic. Programs vary in cost and corporate exposure. We invite local businesses to review our various programs and hope that we can develop a relationship that will benefit your business, our club and ultimately the greater community.

Prime Sponsorship Program
This program is for larger corporations that desire exposure at all our swim activities and events. This includes logo display on our fundraiser and poolside banners, team tent, swim meet programs and fundraising literature, poolside monitor and our website homepage.

The cost for this sponsorship is $2,500. We can also offer an optional 25% discount on club membership fees for employees and immediate family members of your corporation. This would require an additional fee based the number of employees in your entity.

These proceeds are combined with general revenue to cover coaching, pool costs and membership activities. We only have one of these sponsorships remaining.

Swim a thon Sponsorship Program
Our Swim a thon is an economical way to get community exposure through one of our main fundraising activities. Our team members swim 64 lengths totaling a mile in the Trail pool. This generates funds through individual pledges for each length a swimmer completes. Retailers and local business can sponsor all our swimmers for a designated amount per length. This places your name and logo printed at the top of our sponsorship forms that are circulated throughout the communities as swimmers canvas to increase sponsorship. You will also get logo representation on our website sponsor page and visibility on our poolside monitor and banners.
A 10 cent per length pledge would translate into approximately $320.00 commitment for your company. A pledge of any amount is welcome in this program and makes a significant contribution to our overall revenue requirement.

Swim Meet Sponsorship Program
This is another one time event that highlights your company to the Kootenay Region during our annual swim meet at the Trail Aquatic Centre. We usually get about 250 swimmers visiting from throughout the region and their families for a period of two days. This will give you exposure on our monitor screen, website sponsor page, swim programs sold on site and our poolside banners.
The contribution for this program is based on a minimum of $200.00 and larger contributions will influence the positioning and size of your corporate logo at the event.

Funds from this program contribute to costs associated with the meet.

Please feel free to make enquiries with our treasurer at Service@trailstingrays.ca. Please provide your contact information.