Club Philosophy
The philosophy of the Codiac Vikings Aquatic Club is to foster long term development of the athlete not only as a swimmer but also as a person. The emphasis of the program is encouraging athletes to strive for excellence over time. CVAC believes that through emphasizing this process each individual will develop strong personal characteristics, such as an appreciation for the value of self disciple, teamwork and strong self-esteem. The Program is founded on the belief that swimming offers an exciting and valuable experience in a person's life. It can appeal equally to the novice or the aspiring national-level athlete and its values go far beyond that of increasing efficiency in the water. For individuals involved with swimming at an early age this can lead to valuable employment opportunities through teaching swimming lessons and life guarding. Skills acquired through this experience have obvious assets later in life.
Board of Directors
The Codiac Vikings Aquatic Club is managed by a volunteer Board Of Directors comprised primarily of parents of swimmers. Any parent of a club swimmer is welcome to attend the meetings. In July/August the Club holds an Annual General Meeting. At this time the Board for the following year is elected. Any parent interested in making nominations or volunteering for the Board of Directors should do so before the AGM or at the time of the meeting.
Through the Board Of Directors there are committees available for people to work with and volunteers for specific events and purposes. This is a great opportunity for parents to be involved but is also necessary for the Club to be successful. Through working with specific committees and volunteering time, parents learn about the sport their children have chosen and contribute to the overall success of the Club. Without this ongoing commitment, the Club will not be successful and will be unable to continue with the exceptional level of training provided to the athletes. Therefore, parents and families of all swimmers are strongly encouraged to take an active role with the Club.
Financial Management of the Club
The Board of Directors is responsible for the financial management of the Club.
Sources of revenue include individual fund-raising events and small activities such as grocery bagging. One challenge the Board of Directors faces is a consistent means of generating revenue in order for the Club to develop and grow to its maximum potential. This is an effort which will require the contributions of all members and from which all swimmers will benefit. Financial stability in the long term will ensure that quality programs are provided and the athletes will continue to train and compete at the highest level possible.
Registration
All swimmers must officially register with the Club and Swim New Brunswick.
Each year in early to mid September we will open up an online registration period for returning swimmers followed by a registration period for new swimmers. There will be emails sent out in advance to members from past seasons as well as announcements on the website in addition to a "Register Now" button visible on our home page when the online registration periods are active.
We have a Fee Calculator which will give you a preview, based on your number of swimmers and swim group selection(s), of what your Swim New Brunswick (SNB) fees, Swim Canada (SNC) fees and CVAC Membership dues would be.
Returning swimmers wishing to register after this initial registration period or transfers from another club should use the Contact Us form and we will get in touch as to the registration process.
New swimmers wanting to join after the initial registration period will need to request a try-out/assessment to determine ability by using the Schedule Tryout/Assessment button on our home page and follow the instructions found there.
Once a swimmer is registered with the team for the current season the team's registrar will take the necessary steps to activate the swimmer's account with Swim Canada (SNC) for the current season. After this occurs the family will receive an email from SNC and will be required to complete the registration process through SNC's online registration system. Further details regarding the online registration process can be found here. Note: For those parents who have registered a swimmer in previous seasons using this system, once you are activated for this season, you only have to verify that the information in your account is correct and then complete the very last step "Step 5 - Register Swimmer to Club" described in SNC's registration process.
Membership Dues
Membership dues paid by swimmers are another primary source of income. The major costs incurred on an annual basis are rental of pool time and coaching salaries. The Club treasurer maintains all financial records and provides the Board of Directors with regular financial statements. When a swimmer joins the Club an account is opened in the family name. All dues are based on the training level of the swimmer.
Membership dues may be paid at the beginning of the year as a one time payment during registration or may be paid in 10 installments with 1 payment due during registration and the remainder set up as 9 monthly payments in the members online billing account. The option to provide payment by cheque will still be available. It should be noted that this is not a pay for each month as you go option, but simply paying the membership fees due at the start of the season via installments.
Further details on the Membership dues can be found here.
Registration Fees
Each swim club in the province of New Brunswick is a member of the national governing body for swimming called Swimming/Natation Canada (SNC) and the provincial governing body called Swimming New Brunswick (SNB). All swimmers who are involved in competition are required to be registered with "SNC" and "SNB" The annual fee for this is required to complete the initial registration process with the club.
The Registration fees go to the provincial and national governing bodies, not individual Clubs.
Further details on the Registration fees can be found here.
Financial Support
KidSport™ grants are available for children between the ages of 5 and 18 years who are in financial need to pay registration fees for the sport of their choice. For more details and to apply for a grant click here: KidSport
Canadian Tire Jumpstart gets kids in the game by covering the costs of equipment, registration and/or transportation. For more details on Jumpstart click here: Jumpstart
Fund-Raising
There are 2 categories of fundraisers:
- Team Fundraising: all money collected will go to the team. It will be specified if the funds will go to specific things such as equipment, general operating costs, team trips, etc.
- Swimmer fundraising: all money raised after the cost of the fundraiser will go directly to your family fundraising account. Each one is different so please read all the options from the Fundraising page.
How Swimmer Fundraising is applied to your account: On, or about, December 1st, March 1st and June 1st of each season the balance in a family's fundraising account at the time will be applied to their membership account which will then help pay for membership dues, meet fees, etc. Any balance of these funds in the family's fundraising account at the end of a season will be available for use during registration for the following season.
The club has tried various fund-raisers over the years and new methods are always considered. The concept is to provide a variety of means in order for each family to find an event/situation which is suitable for them. The Board of Directors is open to new ideas regarding fund-raising methods, when new ideas are adopted detailed information is provided to all families. Listed below are several of the most recent opportunities along with brief descriptions. To see the details for these current fundraising opportunities, please ensure you are signed in and, visit our Fundraising page.
Swimming New Brunswick(SNB)
CVAC is affiliated with Swimming New Brunswick. SNB is a non-profit Provincial Sport Organization for the promotion, guidance and regulation of competitive swimmers and their programs. It is directed by a volunteer board representing every club in the province. Its policies are administered by a full time Executive Director, assisted by numerous volunteer Committee Chairs and the Executive of SNB. Its membership is comprised of swimmers in age-group, university and masters programs, coaches, officials and administrators.
SNB maintains a web site which provides an abundance of information regarding competitive swimming in New Brunswick, the Atlantic region and nationally. Through this web site information can be obtained regarding all aspects of the sport in the province such as competition schedules, meet results, award winners, etc. The address for the SNB web page is www.swimnb.ca
Swimming Officials
One of the primary roles in swimming competition is that of swimming officials. Due to the fact swimming is a technical support there is a need to have a significant number of parent volunteers trained as officials to support this necessary element of the sport.
Officiating is an expectation of parents with swimmers in the club. It is also a great way for parents to be involved and learn about the sport. All officials’ training is provided by instructors associated with the Club at no cost to the person. In order to have the ability to be in the role of an official you must attend these training clinics. The clinics are offered throughout the year and most run between 1-2 hours. Schedules of clinics are provided early in the season and parents will be expected to attend some of these. Any training received is recorded with SNB by the Officials Coordinator and the training is recognized at all sanctioned meets. After completing a couple of clinics most people will begin to be comfortable with technical aspects of swimming and are able to play various roles on deck during a swim meet. Obviously, the more training you receive the higher the level of officiating you will be involved with.
Hosting Meets
Each year, the Codiac Vikings host various swim meets at CEPS pool located at the Université de Moncton. As hosts of these competitions the Club is responsible to provide the volunteers and to make all necessary arrangements for the meets.
In order for a meet to be a success it is necessary for all parents to contribute time and efforts to the Club. The primary need for volunteers is for officiating since there are approximately 35 volunteers required for each session. Other duties for volunteers include helping in the Officials room where food and refreshments are served, working in the computer room where results are tabulated, etc., assisting with publicity, helping with the meet program which also serves as a Club fund-raiser, etc. There is a great variety of work during this weekend so there is always something which will appeal to everyone.
Hosting such competitions also involves a great deal of preparatory work which begins in the fall of each year. This involves swimmer registration, electronic set up of the meet, preparation of the meet program, volunteer recruitment for officials and other positions, preparation of food for officials during each session, etc.
Each year sponsors are secured for some of these competitions. Major sponsors in previous years have been Staples, Northumberland Dairies and Milk Maritime. Securing a major sponsor is necessary for the financial success of the meet and therefore Club members need to make necessary efforts to ensure this happens.
All families of the Club should plan to make contributions of time during these events. Even though younger members of the Club may not meet the required standards to compete, the Club still depends on the support of these families for a successful meet. Younger swimmers can also work at the meet as runners so it’s easy for the whole family to be involved!! Members from the meet committee will contact all families in late fall to discuss specific volunteer roles and to obtain commitments from people.
In addition to the NB sanctioned swim meets, CVAC will hold time trials or dual meets of a developmental nature. Although this is less of an undertaking than a multi-session meet, volunteers are still required to make these events a success.
Club Communication
The Club has various means to maintain adequate communication with swimmers and their families. Some of these methods include:
Website: The Club has a website which is currently the primary means of communication. The address is www.codiacvikings.ca
Email: As a part of the registration process we maintain a list of email addresses and group emails are one means of communication.
Pool Postings: Notices and meet information are often posted at the pool. When dropping off or picking up your swimmer drop into the pool and check the postings. (Dropping into the pool is also a great way to meet and chat with other parents and to watch your son/daughter train).
THE CLUB BULLETIN BOARD IS LOCATED INSIDE THE VIEWING AREA.
Social Events
The Codiac Vikings Aquatic Club fosters a team spirit within the Club and towards this effort, arranges several social events throughout the year for swimmers and their families. Regular events include a float in the Santa Claus Parade, a Winter Party and a year end party. For the past several years the year end party has been held with the AGM and awards presentation held at this time. This is perceived as an important element of the Club since many athletes and their families make significant time commitment to the Club team and therefore need to have a social component with the friends they meet through this commitment.
