About

The Yellowknife Polar Bear Swim Club has been providing competitive swimming opportunities for youth in Yellowknife since 1970. 

 

We train in the city of Yellowknife's five-lane Ruth Inch Memorial Pool and host regular time trials and competitions with other clubs in the Northwest Territories.

 

NWT swimming clubs are affiliated with Swim Alberta and are therefore ranked among Alberta Swim Clubs and compete in Alberta Provincial Swim Meets as well as other regional swimming championships. The Polar Bear Swim Club has produced several age group national swimmers and consistently has swimmers qualify for the Canada and Western Canada Games. In the last decade, eight of our swimmers have also gone on to compete at the CIS level in university, three of them as team captains, and two of our swimmers have taken part in Olympic time trials. 

We are a non-profit organization and rely on the help and support of our volunteer coaches to keep our level of competition at its highest, and to provide fun and skillful swimming instruction.

Admissions

 

The swim club currently has about 50 swimmers training at the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool during the times available to our club. Because most of our swimmers return each season, there are limited opportunities to admit new swimmers to our swim lanes and those who are admitted are often restricted by age or gender.

 

We typically hold try-outs for new swimmers (ideally, ages five and six) each September. By "try-outs" we mean an opportunity for our coaches to see whether new swimmers will be a good fit with our current groups, and with our swim lane configuration. In other words, we look for new swimmers who can fit in our lanes, so we make maximum use of our pool time. 

 

In the 2018/2019 the club launched a fall Polar Pup swim program in order to broaden the opportunities for young swimmers to train and learn with us for eight weeks without becoming full-season members. We are also working on expanding our Swim for Life program for teenagers and a Masters program for those 18 and older. 

 

Board of directors & club positions for 2022-2023 

 

Our volunteer board is made up of swim parents. 

  • President - Remy Leclerc
  • Vice-President - Justin Nelson
  • Treasurer - Monte Kehler
  • Secretary - Lillith Brook
  • PR/comms - Sara Minogue
  • Equipment managers - Tyree Mullaney/Jenna Scarfe
  • Fundraising Coordinator - Angie Viloria
  • Travel Manager - vacant
  • Registrar - JF Dufour
  • Social Committee - Frankie Bower
  • Meet Manager - Remy Leclerc
  • Head Coach - Carol Lockhart
  • Conflict Resolution - Ngan Trinh
  • Officials Administrator - Lea Barbosa-Leclerc 

The board meets on the second or third Thursday of each month. 

 

How to reach us

 

For questions related to workouts, meets, events, goal setting, and other swimming-related needs, contact one of the coaches. For questions related to administration or board matters, such as dues, safety, or policy issues, please contact one of our board members.

 

If you need help reaching the right person, please contact Sara Minogue at 867-446-1432 or [email protected]

NEWS

Latest News

Meet details for this weekend + more

Hi all, Final note on the annual territorial meet this weekend, starting early Friday morning for the distance swimmers (who know who they are)....

By Sara Minogue

Missing Vivos swim gear - please help

Hi all, We need your to help to compile a complete list of swim gear that was not shipped to us from Vivos. Please...

By Sara Minogue

Territorial meet, Polar Pup meet details and more

Hi all, Lots on the go as year end approaches. Territorial Meet, May 12-14 The annual territorial meet takes place at the pool on...

By Sara Minogue

Next bingo: Friday, May 19

Our next bingo is Friday, May 19, and it's a big one. The jackpot is $20,000 and we'll need twice the usual number of...

By Sara Minogue

No swimming Saturday and other handy dates

There will be no swimming Saturday as our head coach and some of our swimmers head to Peace River for the meet. Good luck...

By Sara Minogue

Still more bingo slots for Thursday, April 27

Angie still has room for volunteers to help out with our next bingo on Thursday, April 27. The time slots are 4:30 to 7:30...

By Sara Minogue

Next Bingo: Thursday, April 27

Our fundraising coordinator Angie Viloria has room for volunteers to help out with our next bingo on Thursday, April 27. The time slots are...

By Sara Minogue

Who's going to Peace River?

A reminder to let Carol know if you're planning on going to the swim meet in Peace River, Alta. This is the Peace River...

By Sara Minogue

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