Message from the President
Welcome Back!
On March 10th, 2020, SNB followed the lead of the province’s schools and recommended that swimmers returning from international trips spend 2 weeks in quarantine before resuming training. A week later, we suspended meets, expecting that this would be for 2, 4 or 6 weeks. None of us expected that 18 months would pass before resuming a “normal” program.
The pandemic has shown us the importance of resilience and adaptability. Coaches, clubs, officials, and parents have all made extraordinary efforts to keep swimmers in training and to run time trials and meets in difficult conditions. Our province has had more activities and has maintained swimmer registrations at a higher level than any other province. Thank you everyone for this incredible effort.
SNB encourages all coaches, officials, and eligible swimmers to be vaccinated against Covoid-19. Governments across the country are increasingly requiring proof of vaccination for work or before participating in certain activities. New Brunswick does not yet require this, but it remains a possibility. We should be ready for a requirement that all people participating in a meet are vaccinated.
Our goal for this season is not just to get back into the water, it is for our swimmers and clubs to come back stronger. SNB will be organising training camps for swimmers at all levels, courses for coaches and officials, and a full range of meets. We are also creating paid positions for current coaches to coordinate these activities. Registrations and splash fees are being kept at previous levels and we will be providing extra financial support to clubs in other ways, depending on their needs and plans.
As we begin our 2021-22 season, we should be inspired by Brooklyn and Jacob who swam in the Olympic Trials, and by Danielle who made the Paralympic team and brought home Gold and Silver medals! We all congratulate them on their achievements and ask “Who will represent New Brunswick in Paris in 2024?
Good luck to all for the coming season and see you in Bathurst for the AGM!
Stephen Wyatt
President
