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DISPATCHES FROM THE DEEP ENDJuly 2026 | Vol. 002 President’s Message – That’s a Wrap on Season 1
In this first season we were thrilled to welcome 27 recreational athletes to introductory sessions alongside our Provincial and National Stream competitive athletes Hannah, Elli and Teagan. Interest from the North Shore community has been incredible making contact with at least 50 interested families. Thank you to our Coaches Fannia, Melinda, Karen, Rachel and Nicole for inspiring and supporting our athletes this season.
We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from the community and from local pools at the West Vancouver Aquatic Centre and Ron Andrews Recreational Centre and are actively planning for the 2026-2027 competition season. More on that in relevant sections below. 2026 BC Summer Games Athlete
Hannah
Our Provincial Stream athlete Hannah had a fantastic season—her first in the 13-15 (youth) age category, finishing the season with a strong solo performance. At BC’s Maple Moran competition in April her hard work earned her a 4th place finish for her 13-15 Solo and 6th place overall placement. At the BC Summer Games Trial her second place standing earned her placement on the Zone 5 team for the upcoming BC Summer Games. This summer Hannah will be competing in Kelowna from July 22-26, both in the Solo and Team events. Learn more about the BC Summer Games here: https://bcgames.org/games/kelowna-2026/. Good luck next month Hannah! Fun Fact
Ever wonder how our swimmers keep every single hair perfectly in place – shiny and slicked back – even after going upside down in the pool? Believe it or not; Artistic swimmers use Knox unflavored gelatin mixed with boiling water to create the strong layers which keep their hair intact throughout a competition run through. Painted on while liquid in layers onto their hair, once dried, it forms a rock-hard, waterproof helmet that seals their hair in completely and provides the shiny appearance the audience can admire from afar. To get it out after a competition, athletes have to stand under hot water to slowly melt it away! See it in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coq6J5GMBi8&t=3s 2026 Team BC Athlete
Elli
This season, our junior athlete Elli competed in the Junior Free Solo event at the 2026 Artistic Swimming Canadian Championships in Saskatoon, representing NSASC for the first time ever at a National Championships. Earlier this season, at the BC Championships in February, Elli earned Gold in the Junior Technical Solo event and 4th Place for Junior Free Solo, as well as 4th in Province for her Technical Elements. This summer Elli will be representing the province as a member of Team BC. She will be competing August 24-30 in Montreal at the 2026 Canada Cup Age Group Championships. Good luck in August Elli! Summer Sessions
Summer is traditionally a time to decompress and recover from the long competitive season. It’s simultaneously a time to maintain swim fitness as well as learn and brush up on standard skills. This summer, NSASC is offering Sunday intro and skill development sessions for girls and boys ages 6-10. These summer sessions are a great introduction to our club and coaches for new swimmers and for those with more experience, a chance to improve their baseline skills and carry momentum into next season. Register now to secure your spot. Sundays at West Vancouver Aquatic Centre 4 sessions: July 5, 12, 19, 26 5 sessions: August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Graduating Athlete
Teagan
Over her 10 seasons as an Artistic Swimmer, Teagan experienced almost every level, competed in almost every age group and event, and travelled from Coast to Coast – including the Newfoundland to compete at 2025 Canada Summer Games! It all started at a summer camp, followed by her first Silver and Bronze medals at a BC Summer Swimming Association competition 10 years ago. After that first experience of performing with a team and standing on the Podium, she was hooked! Over the years competing in both Provincial and National Streams, she earned numerous medals and top 10 placements. Her most recent accomplishments included placing 10th at 2026 National Qualifiers in Quebec City for her Junior Technical Solo qualifying to compete at Championships; Bronze for Junior Free Solo and Bronze for Junior Technical Solo at BC Championships in February. Last summer she represented Team BC at the Canada Summer Games in Newfoundland where she placed 7th in the Medal flight for her Junior Solo Routines (Technical and Free) while Team BC (Acrobatic and Technical) earned 5th place overall. Teagan also competed at 2022 BC Summer Games earning two Silver Medals for her 11-15 Solo Routine and 11-15 Figure event. Receiving offers from all Universities she applied to, Teagan accepted McGill University for the BA in Arts & Science and hopes to continue her Artistic Swimming career for the McGill Martlets! Good luck on your future endeavors Teagan! 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. 2026-2027 Season
Planning for Success
Following our hugely successful first season, we are excited to be preparing our programming options for the 2026-2027 season. To best accomplish this, we could use your help on two important tasks. 1. Please complete and submit our Expression of Interest form which will help us properly identify which programs are in most demand and the ideal training time for our members (note, preferred timings are not guaranteed). You can find this on our website at https://wp.northshoreartswim.ca/2026-2027-expression-of-interest-and-availability/ 2. If you are a resident of North Vancouver or West Vancouver, please consider reaching out your local Rec Centre administration and/or local City Councilors to let express your support of our Club, the value it brings to your family as residents and your desire the appropriate level of pool time be allotted to the Club so that we can continue to provide programming. If you need any additional context, suggestions or information about the latter request, please reach out to president@northshoreartswim.ca. Artistic Swimming In Canada
For those new to Artistic Swimming, the regular Provincial and National athletes train from September to May, with the competition season stretching from January to May. Learn more about BC Artistic Swimming (BCAS) https://www.bcartisticswimming.ca/about.htm and Canada Artistic Swimming (CAS) https://artisticswimming.ca/ Contact us for more details info@northshoreartswim.ca Canada in Artistic Swimming
World Aquatics World Cup Super Final Team Canada recently competed at the World Cup Super Final in Toronto. Team Canada secured multiple top finishes, highlighted by Audrey Lamothe’s silver medal in the Women’s Solo Free. The national team further demonstrated their skills on the international stage by placing 4th in the Acrobatic Team routine, 5th in both the Team Technical and Team Free events, and 7th in the Tech Solo routine, and Free and Tech Duet categories. Go Team Canada! |
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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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