(604) 333-3640 | info@bcartisticswimming.ca
BC Artistic Swimming (BCAS) is the governing body for artistic swimming in BC and a grassroots organization of passionate people in communities across the province who are growing our sport, one athlete at a time.
Supporting athletes of all ages and abilities is critical for the growth of artistic swimming in BC and was the motivation to organize BCAS under three equal pillars: Operations, High Performance, and Sport Development. Under this structure, with exceptional professional leadership and expert advisory committees for each pillar, BCAS supports all members, communities, and programs in BC.
In doing so, we are guided by five key values:
BC Artistic Swimming leads growth and development in artistic swimming.
Our athletes are the heart of our community.
We nurture collaboration, life-long learning and sport for life.
We strive for innovation, excellence and integrity in and out of the pool.
We celebrate our collective journeys honouring our past, present and future.
We foster growth.
We believe in fulfillment.
We welcome everyone.
We are a vibrant community.
Joy…Unity…Movement…Passion
At BCAS, our VISION is an inclusive and accessible sport community inspiring excellence. We are committed to leading from our values of ethical, inclusive sport. We are committed to the True Sport and Responsible Coaching movements and the Respect in Sport program.
Sport for Life is a knowledge-based social enterprise that encourages those who deliver sport and recreation to improve their programs and services in ways that will benefit everyone—not just the high achievers. Sport for Life supports a continuum through the stages of human and athletic development, not a division between “the best” and “the rest”. Their vision is for every Canadian to find a custom-designed physical literacy pathway that works for them throughout their entire lives, and, like BC Artistic Swimming, they believe that we can accomplish this through collaboration, innovation, inclusion, and integrity. Each sport lays out its specific physical literacy and athlete development pathway in their Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model.
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.
Since 2017, BCAS has been a proud member of True Sport, a growing social movement of athletes, coaches, officials, parents, and community leaders who want sport in Canada to be a positive, enriching experience for everyone who participates. In all of our programming we aim to live by the True Sport Principles:
Sport leaders and coaches play a vital role in sport, serving as authority figures, mentors, teachers, and role models for athletes – they are integral to the athlete experience. The Responsible Coaching Movement is a collaborative effort to ensure the impact of coaches is a positive one for athletes and for Canadian sport. In 2018, BCAS made a pledge to support the Responsible Coaching Movement, committing to three key areas of focus that ensure athlete safety and protection:
Rule of Two – The Rule of Two protects minor athletes in potentially vulnerable situations by ensuring that more than one adult is present during vulnerable situations such as closed doors meetings, travel, and training environments.
Background Screening - Background Screening uses a variety of tools such as criminal record checks to ensure coaches and volunteers meet the necessary security requirements to coach or work with athletes.
Respect and Ethics Training - Increasing coaches’ ethical conduct toward athletes requires that they be trained to understand what it means to act ethically. Training includes the Make Ethical Decisions module within the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), as well as in abuse and harassment prevention, such as Respect in Sport, before and during their coaching career.
Respect in Sport educates leaders, coaches, officials, and participants (14-years and up) to recognize, understand and respond to issues of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination (BAHD). The goal is to assist them in creating a safe, healthy and respectful environment for all participants.
BC Artistic Swimming’s Coach Certification Policy requires ALL coaches to complete the Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders training.
Want to learn more about artistic swimming? Check out FINA's Artistic Swimming brochure.
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