Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, I agree with Matt. I think resources going towards coaching are important, especially resources going towards coaching that will help people understand the sport of swimming. I think we're in a situation where.... I coach kids who are eight years old and under. We practise f

Canadian Heritage committee  In our neighbourhood, about 30 pools are open in the summer in about 12 towns, which is quite a lot. But in the winter, three large pools are used for competitions. They are in Beaconsfield, Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Pointe-Claire. I think there is a great need for pools. The only

Canadian Heritage committee  It's a tricky situation, especially because, as Matt said, the Olympics are a huge draw. People get to know a couple of names, so they'll pick a country. If the Canadians have a relay going in, the relays are really exciting. Swim meets usually end off with a 50-metre freestyle

Canadian Heritage committee  I agree. I think finance is a huge, huge part of retention for coaching. In my case, in our club, as somebody brought up before, our practices for the 10-and-under coaches are in the afternoon. Theoretically, somebody could work a nine-to-five and be a coach for life. It's doab

Canadian Heritage committee  I think it is worth increasing physical activities in schools, particularly swimming. It is very important for water safety. It is a good skill to have. The only problem with recruiting very talented athletes at a very young age is that half our elite group started at level B. T

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes. I think what we notice, especially when we go to the Ontario swim meets, is that the culture of coaching seems to be that.... I don't know if it's a good thing that a coach is around for 30 years. I work in the education field. Sometimes we'll have a teacher who has been tea

Canadian Heritage committee  I'm sorry, I think I'm getting a translated feed patched in. It's really distracting. Could you guys just cancel it?

Canadian Heritage committee  You can speak in French.

Canadian Heritage committee  In my view, the goal is always to train elite athletes, but our pool is very small. It has eight 25-metre lanes. Other clubs in nearby cities such as Pointe-Claire and Dollard-des-Ormeaux, have pools that are better for training. I train kids who are 10 or younger. We follow the

Canadian Heritage committee  I wanted to say that I felt, when Matt was talking about the NCCP training program, that as swim coaches we're in a bit of a unique situation because we have to write a practice ahead of time. We're going to be dealing with 12 to 15 kids in the water. A lot of the level 1 NCCP ta

Canadian Heritage committee  Hi. Thanks for having me via video conference. My name is Tim Comerford. I've been coaching with the Beaconsfield Bluefins for nine years now. I'm from the West Island of Montreal, and there we have an outdoor swimming association that really starts to develop coaches at a youn