TheRecord.com
After a couple false starts, Waterloo Region has another sanctioned swim club.
Club Warriors’ application for certification from Swim Ontario has been approved, the upstart swim team learned this week.
“We are elated this story has a happy ending,” said Club Warriors president Michael Raw.
“Perhaps it wasn’t always easy for our kids to understand why they couldn’t compete in Ontario. I think now everybody is looking forward to being a normal and collaborative club in Ontario.”
The process to allow the 70 or so members of Club Warriors to compete in Canadian waters has been a marathon.
For the past two years, the team’s swimmers trained in Waterloo, but without Canadian sanctioning, they were forced to compete outside the country at meets in nearby American states like Michigan, Ohio and New York.
Swim Ontario denied the team’s first request for sanctioning in 2009, citing the breakaway club’s proximity to its parent club, Olympic juggernaut, the Region of Waterloo Swim Club.
The 300-member ROW is based at Wilfrid Laurier University’s pool, while Club Warriors is headquartered across the street at the University of Waterloo’s aging 25-yard pool.
When Club Warriors, then known as the Waterloo Rapids, burst on the scene in 2008, a ROW administrator accused the new club, comprised of former ROW members, of “predatory” behaviour.
The new club had gobbled up much of the available pool time at UW, just as Laurier’s pool was scheduled to be permanently closed, ROW charged.
Laurier’s pool was eventually saved, but animosity between the clubs lingers in some circles.
This week’s approval from Swim Ontario came despite a recommendation to deny the application from Swim Ontario’s western region board of directors.
“This is not about the past or who they are or what they did,” Tracy Judges, a parent of a former Region of Waterloo Club swimmer and the western region’s director, wrote in her recommendation to Swim Ontario.
“At this time, our member clubs do not feel there is a demand for a new club in the City of Waterloo,” Judges’ letter continued. “The division or cleaving of existing clubs only serves to weaken mature clubs.”
Raw said he’s convinced Waterloo Region can support another swim team, especially since his club’s registration jumped 40 percent the past year.
“It’s a great region. There’s certainly room for all of us,” he said.
Club Warriors’ 87-page application featured a detailed business plan and projected registration numbers.
Also included were letters of support from heavyweights like the interim CEO of Own the Podium, Alex Baumann; WLU’s director of athletics Peter Baxter; local politicians; and outgoing University of Waterloo president and Governor General designate David Johnston.
Johnston’s letter, dated April 30, 2010, alluded to the possible construction of a new 50-metre, Olympic-standard pool at UW which was said to be off the drawing board, but now appears to be resurrected.
Johnston wrote that “confidential discussions with an anonymous donor” for the facility were underway.
UW’s director of athletics said Swim Ontario’s announcement could give any new pool negotiations at UW a push.
“We certainly are in need of a pool and a lot of other facilities. We really want to identify the full picture before we get excited,” said UW’s Bob Copeland.
Meanwhile, Club Warriors’ swimmers are leaping for joy at this week’s news.
“All our swimmers are very excited to compete in Ontario this coming season,” the club’s head coach Chuck Meklensek wrote in an email to The Record.
“They have all worked very hard for the last two seasons and now they will be able to show off this hard work in Ontario.”
Copeland said both Club Warriors and ROW can co-exist.
“I think (Swim Ontario’s decision) will strengthen all clubs in the area. There will be the chance for collaborative opportunities between all clubs. We look forward to moving ahead in a positive way,” said Copeland.
“The Region of Waterloo Swim Club has always been a strong advocate of what is best for our sport,” a statement released by ROW on Friday read.
“Our commitment to excellence continues and we look forward to setting the bar high for all clubs to follow.”
Swim Ontario could not be reached for comment. 
