2025/2028 Provincial Competitions

Over the past two years Swim Ontario performed a detailed review of the provincial competition deliverables. The goal of this review was to identify and address key stressors that impact the Ontario swimming community as well as areas where the provincial competitions can be improved moving into the next quadrennial. This review included information gathering “in person” working sessions with key partners including coaches, officials and relevant committee members and a number of information gathering surveys with the Ontario coaching community.

PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS

• December:
  • Continue to offer a meet as an international development focused competition
  • Find avenues to improve participation of international competitors as well as expanding the number of Ontario swimmers competing at this level of competition for the “next generation” of swimmer
• March:
  • Implementation of an age group competition focused on racing at a high level while under a training load.
  • This meet should also be used as a benchmark for those preparing for long course racing opportunities like the Canadian Open or the Canadian Trials meet and for those developing towards a high level performance during the summer performance period.
• July:
  • With the movement of Canadian Trials to later in the season, it is imperative that we focus on swimming at the highest level during the summer months.
  • A true end of season long course racing opportunity that brings the “best of the best” in each age group together at championship competition.

2025-2028 UPDATED COMPETITION FORMATS

Ontario Age Groups

Ontario Swimming Championships

2025/2028 Competition Plan

MORE INFORMATION

AREAS OF CONSIDERATIONS

• The newly installed “Canadian Way” national competition plan
• Purposeful competitions that enhance swimmers abilities to swim their best in key moments under different pressures
• Improvement of the overall performance level in alignment with appropriate athlete development
• Coaching capacity and club resources
• Quality and capacity of facilities
• Opportunities that allow for “best of the best” to race one another at the end of the season
• Impact of current meet deliverables on officials and volunteers
• The diminishing pool of interested and capable hosts
• Provide combined meet opportunities that allow for clubs to bring larger complements of qualifiers to competitions
• Find ways for younger swimmers to get exposure to the best performing swimmers
• Work to reduce the number of commitments for officials and volunteers
• Provide meaningful development opportunities for officials during championship-style events.

KEY FINDINGS

• Maintaining opportunities for the “best of the best” to race each other
• Combine competition deliverables where possible to help consolidate club coaching resources, lessen impact on club operating budgets, costs to individual swimmers and impact on officials.
• Provide an opportunity for the next generation of swimmers to be exposed to a highest level of competition at a peak point of the competition season.
• Refresh and enhance PARA racing opportunities

PERFORMANCE ALIGNMENT

Regional Championships

• Swim Ontario continues to believe that the Regional Championships are an important performance opportunity both for performance development and athlete recognition.
• By reducing the number of provincial properties, it will allow for Regional Championships to take on a higher significance to the development of our next generation of swimmers.
• Regional level competitions should be directed towards 13-18 year old swimmers at the current OYJ level and 12 and Unders at the current Festival “C” and below.
• Any de-qualification should be centered around swimmers with multiple(2 or more) Ontario Age Group times or multiple(2 or more) Ontario Swimming Championships times
• Regional standards should be guided by the posted Ontario Performance Development Standards which will be in place for the 2025 season.
• Regions should look at changes to the regional deliverables that allow for developmentally appropriate racing especially for the 12 and Under
• Course:
  • Winter: SCM (12 and Unders)/LCM (13 and Overs)
  • Summer: LCM

Purposeful Racing Opportunities

• As clubs develop their own competition plans for the next season, clubs are asked to keep in mind that all competitions being considered should be purposeful, age and stage appropriate and limit any impact to necessary training blocks.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

• Swim Ontario will evaluate current qualifying standards (Olympic and Paralympic stream) to help implement the appropriate standards for the new competition formats.
• This will include standards for the following;
  • Ontario Swimming Championships
  • Ontario Age Groups
  • Ontario Performance Development Standards (A/B/C/D/E)
    • These standards will provide appropriate stepping stones toward provincial qualification and should be considered the most relevant standards for regionally based competitions.

FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS

• A senior performance racing initiative would provide an “in-season” performance benchmark for those swimmers preparing for Canadian Swimming Trials. This meet may serve as a selection opportunity for possible tour teams and provincial programming deliverables.
• Find more developmentally appropriate opportunities for the 12 and Unders that take into consideration their age and skill level. This area can be directly impacted at both the club invitational level and regional competition considerations.
• Limit the stress of achieving performance standards for 10 and Unders
• Ways to lessen impact on training blocks.

NEXT STEPS

• Publication of NEW competition formats
• Publication of NEW competition standards