Frequently Asked Questions

Swimmers who are able to swim one length (25 metres) of the pool unassisted are ready to join the Marlins. We coach swimmers proper technique and give them opportunities to compete.

If your child is not able to swim 25 metres of the pool unassisted, they are encouraged to take community swim lessons and pass Red Cross Swim Kids level 5. Swimmers will be assessed at the time of registration to determine what group they should be registered in.

Please note that we do offer a Mini Marlins program for children ages 5-8 (who can swim the width of the pool unassisted). This program takes place over 10 sessions for 5 weeks from the beginning of July to the beginning of August.

Registration opens in March of 2024 for the Summer 2024 season

We are currently accepting registration for our Masters program.  Please email registrar@pocomarlins.com to register. 

The most important swim meet of the season for the highly competitive summer swimmers is the BCSSA Provincial Championships, also known as “Provincials.” They take place two weeks after Regionals.

In order to be able to swim at Provincials, swimmers must qualify at the meet known as the BCSSA Regional Championships, also known as “Regionals.” The Poco Marlins are part of the Simon Fraser Region, and our Regional Championships occur the first weekend of August.  All swimmers can attend Regionals – there is no need to qualify for this meet.

To qualify for Provincials, swimmers must finish top 3 in finals in an individual event at Regionals, or be part of a relay team that finishes top 2 in finals at Regionals.

Any swimmer who swims a Provincial Qualifying Time (PQT) in a finals at Regionals automatically qualifies for Provincials regardless of what place they finished in the race.

Swim Meets are the backbone of any summer swimming season. They are a chance for swimmers of virtually all abilities to display the skills and strokes they refine all season in practices. They are a fun and relatively relaxed opportunity to compete against other children of the same age and abilities. 

There are a number of different swim meets and swim meet formats that different clubs across BC feature throughout the Summer Swimming Season. 

A/B Swim Meet – These meets take place on Saturday and Sunday and they run from early morning to mid/late afternoon. Swimmers at these meets range from 5 to about 20 years old and are separated into Divisions by age (Division 1 = youngest to Division 8 = oldest). 

Swimmers of many different ability levels are encouraged to participate in these meets, including new swimmers. However, the ability to swim at least 2 lengths of at least 2 of the strokes is often a good guideline for those who are interested in competing. 

Development Meet – Development Meets are geared towards the new and younger swimmers. There are a few of these meets throughout the season. The Marlins will be attending development meets for clubs within our region. These meets are often held during the evening on a Friday or Wednesday night. They are open to those swimmers who do not yet have the ability to swim 2 lengths of the pool, those who are new to competing and those who do not have the skills in all the strokes. Events include 25-Meter Races of all 4 strokes, as well as the option of doing 50-Meter races of their better strokes. 

Regional Championships – Every year, towards the end of the swimming season. The 5 clubs of our region (Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Burnaby and Burnaby Mountain) compete in the Regional Championships. This serves as the qualifying meet for the Provincial Championships, as well as the final meet of the season for those that do not qualify for Provincials. This meet is run as an A/B Meet, meaning that there are no 25-Meter events. The top three swimmers in each individual event, and top two teams in relay events qualify for the Provincial championships in late August. 

Swimmers must have legally completed a race (no DQ) in at least one stroke during the season are able to attend this meet. At the coaches discretion, swimmers who have only competed in a 25m event may be entered in a 50m event at Regionals. 

Development swimmers are eligible to attend this meet. It is not uncommon for Poco to have a Div 1 relay team which includes Development swimmers qualify for Provincials, so we try to get any who have improved enough during the season to attend this meet. 

Provincial Championships – At the very end of the season there is the Provincial Championships meet. This meet features Summer Swimmers from around the Province who have qualified for the meet within their individual regions. This meet is 3 days instead of the usual two, to account for the larger amount of swimmers. It is held at different venues through BC every year.

Coaches set group placements in mid to late April. Swimming skill is the primary consideration, but age and fitness level is also considered. If your child has past swimming experience, it is helpful to include this on your registration form. All new swimmers to the club will be asked to participate in one of our two evaluations hosted at Hyde Creek Recreational Centre. Coaches will then determine which group your son/daughter should be placed in. Coaches will also asses swimmers during the first two weeks of the swim club season at practices and make changes to the group placements if necessary. 

Mini Marlins: This group consists of swimmers 5-8 years in age who are not yet able to swim a length of the pool, but can swim the width unattended. This is not a learn to swim program and has a maximum capacity of 20 swimmers. 

Development: Swimmers in the development group have minimal or no competitive skills or experience but are able to swim a length of the pool unaided. Emphasis in the development group is on stroke development but swimmers also learn about the fundamentals of competitive swimming, develop their flexibility, participate in Development swim meets, and learn about being part of a team. Mild dry-land training (games like tag, to warm the kids up before jumping in the pool). 

White/Gold: These two groups are designed for swimmers with some competitive swimming skills or older swimmers new to competitive swimming. Emphasis is on stroke and skill development. These swimmers attend full weekend meets. Moderate dry land training (running, push-up, burpees etc). 

Purple: The swimmers in this group have more competitive swimming skills and experience. The emphasis shifts more towards training and stroke correction. Some older swimmers with slightly less competitive swimming experience may also be placed in this group. 

Senior: The swimmers in this group have distinct competitive swimming skills and experience. The emphasis shifts more towards training, nutrition, and stroke perfection to shave off those few milliseconds each race.

Originally when BCSSA was formed, almost all summer swim club members practiced in outdoor pools and could only swim from May to August (due to weather); and DID NOT swim during the winter months. 

Now, with the availability of indoor pools, many summer swim clubs can and do swim throughout the winter months. In order to maintain a level of fairness in competition to those swimmers who DO NOT have access to swimming in the winter, 2 categories were created: Summer (S) and Open Category (O Cat). 

To remain in the S category, a swimmer can not participate in coached swimming for more than 2 hours per week from October 1st to April 30th. There are some exemptions to this rule, such as school swim teams and Red Cross swim lessons. More details can be found by clicking following this link: http://www.bcsummerswimming.com/docs/Forms-SOSignOffSheet2015.pdf

Swimsuit

Towel

Goggles

Swim Cap

Flippers (If you have your own)

Water bottle

Runners

Athletic clothing for warm up

Development - Those who are learning the basic technique of competitive swimming.

Blocks - The things used to dive off at swim meets. You may dive from the pool edge if you wish.

Division - The name for a group of swimmers divided by age.

DQ- (not to be mistaken for Dairy Queen) short for disqualification, occurs if the stroke or turn is not done properly. This happens to everyone sooner or later!

Event - A name for a single race (ie. 50 free, 100 fly etc.)

Event Number - The number that corresponds to the event being swum.

Heats - Where swimmer's names and event numbers are listed at meets.

Finals - At certain meets only, the six or eight fastest swimmers from the heats get to race each other in the afternoon.

Heat Sheet - Where swimmer's names and event numbers are listed at meets.

Marshalling - The area where swimmers get organized and prepared before racing and wait here before their race. (parents are usually not permitted in the marshalling area)..

Starter - The person with the gun or horn. He/she starts the race.

Timers - The friendly people who sit behind the lanes and take your card and time your race. (Wear sandals/shorts if it s a nice day and you'll get a few splashes as the kids race).

Warmup - Takes place before swim meets start, prepares the swimmers for the races, swimmers get to know the pool/back stroke flags/blocks/lane ropes and allows coaches to take attendance.

Activation - Takes place on the deck before getting into the water.  Warms the body and muscles with stretching, cardio and movement.

A few times a year we will do group orders for PoCo Marlin branded swim supplies. 

You can order personal swim supplies from Team Aquatic Supplies - team-aquatic.com