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Provincial Executive Board

Jim Baxter

President

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How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • Joined with our eldest daughter in 2005

  • I was the Equipment Manager for the Neptunes, also Director of Officials, and President of  the Club.

  • I was the Assistant Director of the Fraser Valley for 1 year, then I took on the position of Regional Director for the Fraser Valley.

  • I sat as Vice President of the BCSSA for two years 2020, 2021.

  • I have been the President of the BCSSA since October 21, 2022.

 

Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • Haney Neptunes / Fraser Valley

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • Speed Swimming, Artistic Swimming, Water Polo

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • No, as the position of BCSSA President is a full year position that I give most of my leisure time towards

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Finance, Rules, Policies,

 

Any other information you would like to provide to our members.

  • Sitting on the BCSSA Provincial Board has been a great pleasure. The dedication of the Board Members to bring the best experience for all the members of our association is awesome to be a part of.  

Currently Vacant
Vice-President

Information required.

Danny Schilds
Past President

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How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • Since 1969

 

Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • Dawson Creek Seals

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • Speed Swimming, Polo, Artistic

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • Yes, Northern Development Initiative Board, Mile Zero Cruisers, Regional Science Fair

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Finance, Coach Certification, Coaches Conference

Jeff Sheehan
Treasurer

How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • 4 years as coach of the Burnaby Mountain Mantas

  • 15 years PoCo Marlins Executive

  • 10 years as Regional Director of Officials

  • 6 years on the Provincial Board

  • 22 years as a deck official

 

Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • PoCo Marlins, Simon Fraser

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • Swimming

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Finance, Policy, Rules, Complaints, Hiring/Employment

 

Any other information you would like to provide to our members:

  • I was a winter club swimmer for 16 years in Alberta at all levels including Canadian Jr. and Sr. national teams and University varsity. I have always been involved with swimming and enjoy giving back. The BCSSA is a unique and exceptional swim league in many ways with volunteers who are a pleasure to work with.

Catherine Schwichtenberg
Registrar

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How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • 2007

 

Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • Agassiz Harrison Aquanauts, Fraser Valley Region

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • All speed swimming, with a summer trial of water polo

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • Agassiz Agricultural and Horticultural Association

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Registration, Rules, Policies, Coaching

 

Any other information you would like to provide to our members:

  • My kids begin swimming with AHA because it was just down the road and it gave them something to do, they stayed for the camaraderie, the fun swim meets, and the friendships across the region.  They are now in university, but I stay because I think of all the sports my kids were involved in, summer swimming was the one with the greatest benefits outside of actual swimming – social, emotional, confidence, leadership, volunteerism,…the list goes on.  And so, I stay to help this amazing organization.  It’s a terrific board who all truly believe in and are proud of BC Summer Swimming.

Brendan Connelly
Director of Member Services

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How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • Since 2011

 

Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • PoCo Marlins in the Simon Fraser Region

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • Speed swimming

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • Previous coach with PoCo Soccer for 5 years

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Awards/ Scholarships/ Pool of Fame, Policy, Coaches Conference, Annoying Dads 😊

 

Any other information you would like to provide to our members:

  • Being involved in the swimming community has been very positive experience for my whole family. I would highly encourage parents to get involved and volunteer in whatever capacity they can. It is a such a rewarding endeavor.  

Leah Esplen
Director of Officials

How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • 17 years

 

Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • Langley Flippers/Fraser Valley

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • Speeding swimming and a brief stint with BCSSA waterpolo, then played winter waterpolo and currently plays varsity waterpolo

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • BC School Sports

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Rules Committee, RDO Committee, Competition Committee

 

Any other information you would like to provide to our members:

  • I love what I do and I’m looking forward to visiting a competition in your region soon!

Tamara Guerin

Director of Competitions

How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • 10 Years         

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • Speed Swimming

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • No

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Competition Committee

 

Any other information you would like to provide to our members:

  • Although my children have moved on from swimming I chose to stay on the BCSSA board because of the people I get to work with. I have worked on several boards and this is by far the most passionate group of people I have ever had the priviledge of working with.

Joanna Zander

Director of Artistic Swimming

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How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • 11 years


Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • Cruisers Aquatics, North Vancouver


Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • All of them! Artistic, Diving, Speed and Waterpolo.

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • North Shore Dolphins (dive club)

  • Cruisers Aquatics (BCSSA swim club)

  • Seycove Ski Team

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Rules

  • Coaching


Any other information you would like to provide to our members:

  • I grew up as a BCSSA swimming in Kelowna (go Ogopogos!), and still complete the Kelowna Across the Lake swim every year with my two kids. That swim started as an Ogopogo summer swim club event, and I started doing it when I was 8 years old. My daughter also started at 8, and she is now 17 and beats me every year.

Andrea Tully

Director of Diving

I’ve been involved in diving since 2019, when my daughter joined the North Vancouver Cruisers Aquatics Club. Her passion for the sport quickly became a central part of our lives, particularly with diving. I volunteered with the program until the pandemic hit, at which point my daughter transitioned to a winter diving program. After the programs reopened, our family decided to return to the Cruisers to reconnect with the joy of summer sports. At that time, the club was in need of a Dive Director and asked if I would take on the role. It was also when I became a judge, dedicating myself to learning all I could about diving and organizing competitions. My focus was on expanding our program and coaching staff and helped the program reach record participation levels.

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Having been an athlete for most of my life, I understand the value of summer sports programs in nurturing young athletes' development. I am committed to empowering coaches to build programs that challenge athletes to reach their full potential while fostering a positive, supportive environment where athletes can thrive—both in the pool and beyond. I believe in creating a space where athletes can experiment with new skills, build confidence, and, most importantly, have fun.

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My goal moving forward is to create more clubs, develop more coaches and judges, and provide greater opportunities for children to try diving or improve their existing skills. I am passionate about making diving more accessible across BC and growing the sport within the BCSSA. I look forward to contributing to the continued growth and success of diving in our community.

Cynthia Springate

Director of Water Polo

How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • My three children have been swimming with a BCSSA club for over 14 years. I have been an active volunteer with the Crescent Beach Swim Club and Fraser South for 13 years. This is my first year volunteering directly with BCSSA.

 

Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • Crescent Beach Swimming Club

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • My daughter transitioned from speed swimming and artistic swimming to water polo and now plays for the University of Toronto. My eldest son swam and played water polo and is now a water polo coach. My youngest son is a speed swimmer and water polo player.

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • Yes, I am the volunteer President of Surrey Water Polo Club, Director of Officials for CBSC, and Past Chair of the Laronde PAC.

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • I serve on the Competition, Rules & Regulations, and Officials committees.

 

Any other information you would like to provide to our members:

Rory Boyle

Cariboo Regional Director

Information required.

Andrea Nishi

Fraser South Regional Director

Information required.

Mitch McCormick

Fraser Valley Regional Director

How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • As a Swimmer from 1985-1999 (Mission Marlins)

  • As a Coach from 1999-2017 (Agassiz-Harrison Aquanauts, Abbotsford Whalers, and Mission Marlins)

  • As a Parent/Executive from 2018-Present (Mission Marlins)

 

Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • Mission Marlins/ Fraser Valley

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • Swimming

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • Yes, Mission Minor Hockey Association

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Rules Committee

Leanne Douglas

Kootenay Regional Director

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How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • Since my kids started swimming 12 years ago.

 

Which Club/ Region are you affliated with?

  • Nelson Neptunes Kootenay Region

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • Speed Swimming

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • Yes!  Coach cross country running, registrar for our club swim team, teacher-sponsor for our high school team, also involved in volunteering with Nelson Rep Soccer and LVR Grad Executive.

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Scholarship Committee

David Holland

Okanagan Regional Director

Information required.

Carl Trepanier

Simon Fraser Regional Director

How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • 16 years

 

Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • Poco Marlins/Simon Fraser

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • Speed swim, synchro now called artistic

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • Yes, City of Coquitlam Sports and Recreation Advisory Committee, KidSport

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Nomination, Awards/ Scholarships/ Pool of Fame

Deb Gill

Vancouver & Districts Regional Director

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How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • Since 2015

 

Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • NSWC Marlins.  I was club president from 2018-2022 and have held roles on our club and regional boards since 2016

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • Speed swimming

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  • Yes - I’m heavily involved with minor hockey (managing my kids teams and sitting on various committees with our hockey association). And sit on the board of directors for the North Shore Winter Club as a whole.

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Awards, Scholarships, Member Relations

  • Nominating

  • Sponsorship/ Partnership

 

Any other information you would like to provide to our members:

  • I have 2 kids who have participated in summer swimming for the past 9 years.  Both have acted as volunteer and junior coaches for the NSWC Marlins and my oldest is a certified lifeguard as well.  Swimming found us, as we had initially joined the NSWC for my son to play hockey, but after only being members for a month, he (at 7 years old) asked if he could join the swim team - and the rest is history!

 

  • I believe that most of us who volunteer a lot say the same thing, but I am definitely not one to be content to sit in a chair for hours on end - so I started volunteering quickly when it became evident that my kids both enjoyed the sport.  It’s been a rewarding experience and has expanded my family’s community across our region and our province for the better - and am excited for that to continue through my upcoming term on the BCSSA board too.

Shelly Johnson

Vancouver Island Regional Director

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How long have you been involved in BCSSA?

  • 11 years

 

Which Club/ Region are you affiliated with?

  • Salt Spring Stingrays, Vancouver Island Region

 

Which Aquatic disciplines has your family been involved with?

  • Swimming

 

Do you volunteer with any other organizations/ sports outside of BCSSA?

  •  I am involved with BCSS: I coach High School tennis and I have been the VI Zone Rep for High School Aquatics for 3 years.

  • I coach grade 4/5 Elementary School Volleyball

  • I play league tennis with the Salt Spring Tennis Association

 

Which BCSSA Board Committees are you a member of?

  • Coach Certification and Scholarship committees

 

Any other information you would like to provide to our members:

  • I am married and the proud mom of twins, a girl and boy, who are now in grade 12 and have been swimming competitively for 11 years. I am the principal of an Elementary school on Salt Spring Island. For fun, I enjoy going for hikes with my little dog, playing doubles tennis or curling up with a good book.

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