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DISPATCHES FROM THE DEEP ENDApril 2026 | Vol. 001 President’s Message – Welcome to the Deep End
You’re reading the inaugural issue of Dispatches from the Deep End, the official newsletter of the North Shore Artistic Swimming Club. Artistic swimmers are known for appearing calm and effortless above water, while working frantically below the surface to sustain the illusion. Since launching NSASC last August, our experience has been much the same. We’ve come so far in such a short time that while we may look like a finely honed and polished organization, there is an incredible amount of tireless, invisible effort fueling our growth. One of the goals for this newsletter is to bring some visibility to that work. We want to share our progress in bringing continuous, multi-level programming to the North Shore, celebrate the great people who have made this a reality, and highlight opportunities for you to help us shape the Club’s future. Of course, we’ll also use Dispatches from the Deep End to keep you updated on club news, upcoming events, and other helpful information. Before signing off, I wanted to thank you all for finding NSASC and trusting us with your Swimmers development. The response to our launch has been exceptional. Even with only limited outreach, we’ve made great inroads in the community, and it has been incredibly rewarding to watch this Club grow. To future seasons and future dispatches! Provincial Stream Spotlight
Hannah M.
Next stop: Richmond. On April 11, Hannah represents NSASC at the Mable Moran BC Provincial Qualifiers. This marks her first judged performance of her 13-15 Solo, a major milestone in her second year of competitive artistic swimming. After a full season of focused training, she’s ready to put her skills to the test on the provincial stage. Upcoming Dates
Fun Fact
Artistic Swimming, formerly known as Synchronized Swimming made its Olympic debut at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles where Team Canada won Silver medals in solo and duet. The sport was opened to male swimmers in 2015. Did you know…
One of the biggest obstacles a startup Club like ours faces is ensuring that members receive our emails. Email filters can be unreasonably aggressive with lessor known domains, and some of our club updates may be getting shuffled into your junk folders or “Promotions” and “Update” tabs. Here are three quick things you can do to help “teach” your email provider that we’re supposed to be in your main inbox: Mark as “not junk”: If you find us in your spam folder, just clicking “not spam” makes a huge difference. Move to your main inbox: If an email lands in a side folder (like “Updates” or “Promotions”), dragging it over to your primary inbox helps the system learn for next time. Send a quick reply: Believe it or not, even a two-second reply like “Got it!” tells the filters that we are a legitimate contact you actually want to hear from. We just want to make sure everyone stays in the loop as the season gets busier! Figure of the Month
Ballet Leg Ballet Leg is one of the earliest building blocks of Artistic Swimming. It’s something every beginner learns early on and it remains a staple even for high-level athletes because it requires a huge amount of control and core strength. To execute, a swimmer starts in a back layout position, floating flat on their back. They draw one knee toward the chest and then extend that leg straight up until it’s perfectly perpendicular to the water. The real challenge isn’t just getting the leg up—it’s keeping the rest of the body, especially the hips and the other leg, perfectly flat and on the surface. To nail Ballet Leg, the secret is in the “extension.” Point your toes and stretch the leg as much as possible to create a long, sharp line. A common tip is to keep your core engaged to prevent your hips from sinking, which is usually where the points are lost. When it’s done right, the vertical leg should look effortless while the rest of the body stays rock-solid on the surface. Volunteer of the Year
Debora “Deb” B.
From acting as our communications expert and registration tracker to managing the club’s social media, Deb has been the backbone of our community outreach and programming buildout efforts. But it’s the extras that really stand out. You may have noticed NSASC’s coaches’ and athletes’ sleek look. Uniforming the Club – from colour palette refinement to personally ironing on logos and typesetting – was only one of the ways in which Deb has left an indelible mark on NSASC history. Deb also stepped up through out the season to escort our National Stream swimmers to out of town events like the Provincial and National Championships. In a small and growing Club like ours, every member has the opportunity to make an outsized impact and Deb has truly taken that to heart. National Stream spotlight
Teagan G and Elli ZG
Fresh from competition at the National Championship Qualifier in Quebec City, Elli and Teagan are in the stretch run and looking forward to wrapping up their season following the National Championship event in Saskatoon. Both of NSASC’s National Stream solo swimmers exceeded pre-season expectations and have impressed everyone with their perseverance, commitment and ability to compete and succeed in challenging circumstances. Please join us in congratulating Teagan and Elli and wishing them the best of luck in the season’s final swim in May. Dive Right in!
As we wrap our first abbreviated season and start to map out plans for next year, our growing Club is in need of filling a number of open volunteer roles. To help us execute on our ambitious plans for next year we’ll need help. Specifically we’re looking for: Board Members, Registration Coordinator, Venue Booking and Scheduling Coordinators, Social Media and Communications Guru. If you want to help but don’t think you fit one of these positions, we can likely find a role for you, so please reach out. If you don’t think you’re able to jump into a formal role, there are smaller ways to help out. We’re always looking for more pool time, if you happen to have any “ins” or connections that might help us secure more bookings, please let us know or reach out on our behalf. And of course, as always just continuing to spread the word about NSASC to your friends and neighbors is a huge help as we spread our name in the community. Even if you aren’t sure exactly what the roles involve or how much time you have to give, please reach out. We’re happy to chat or jump on a quick call to talk through what the help looks like. It’s a great way to have a direct impact on your kids’ experience, and we need your help to succeed. |
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Dispatches from the Deep End
DISPATCHES FROM THE DEEP END
April 2026 | Vol. 001