“One of my hot buttons has always been to push for more pools."

There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer, and over the next few weeks, Swim Ontario will be featuring stories about some of our many volunteers who give back to our sport. Thank you to all of our hard working and dedicated volunteers!

Everyone likes a winner.

That can be interpreted in many ways.

For those who enjoy, thrive and benefit from the sport of swimming, a winner doesn’t necessarily mean the glory of a trophy, medal, or other forms of recognition. It could simply mean getting access to a pool for enjoyment and to keep up with physical exercise and challenges.

Look around, and there are always plenty of spontaneous pictures, excitement, and admiration for those Canadian swimmers who excel at the Olympics, World championships and international meets.

Rarely, though, does anyone focus on the origin of those swimmers, or the challenges they and others face years before those cameras flash with signs of glory.

In many parts of Canada’s largest province, particularly in the rural areas, there is a huge shortage of public pools. While new facilities were built for major events, like the Pan Am Games of 2015, Ontario still has a problem – and it has been that way for years.

Many public pools in the province were built in the 1970’s. Talk with any of the thousands of people living in rural communities, or in Northern Ontario, and they have plenty to share about the hassles of travelling long distances to compete at meets - or just swim for fun.

Tym Barker has heard the stories over and over.

He was born on the Ontario side of Sault Ste. Marie and started swim lessons around the age of 10 at the local YMCA. His parents insisted that he learn to swim, and he believes it is an important life skill that everyone should learn.

Many years later, his children would go on to swim with the Sault Ste. Marie Aquatic Club, now called the Sault Surge Aquatic Team after a merger of two clubs. They benefitted immensely from lessons and practices at the competitive swim team that were far superior to the local city swim program.

Barker also got actively involved as a volunteer at swim meets, and he climbed to the top of the officiating status with a Level 5.

“For me, it was not just as a volunteer, but I enjoyed helping with officiating,” he said. “When I became a Master official, I knew it was something that I had always wanted to do.”

Barker also is a firm believer that it’s important to get both parents and kids involved in swim meets. He became enamored with the sport and looked for opportunities to contribute in a positive way.

“Gaining knowledge is important and I figured it was time to contribute in other ways like governance,” said Barker, who has now been a member of the Swim Ontario Board of Directors for six years and held positions of Secretary and Treasurer for the organization.

“One of my hot buttons has always been to push for more pools – especially in smaller communities and outlying areas of the province. The other important thing that I would like to see is adequate funding for travel expenses for officials who donate their time to organize and run all of the swim meets in Ontario.”

On the academic honor roll in high school, Barker would later shuffle off to the University of Waterloo to earn a Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree and finish in the top 10 per cent of the engineering program.

Five years after getting his degree, Barker had started a technology business. Building on extensive experience, and as a registered professional engineer with a successful record of growing entrepreneurial companies, again he would strive for the top.

In 1995, Barker became President of The Barker Group International, a software development company with employees in offices throughout Canada and the United States.

Now retired, Barker’s nautical wishes have changed. Barker knows that, in certain years, there are a higher per capita number of major competitive swimmers in outlying areas of Ontario than the Greater Toronto Region. Hence, the need for more pools in widely dispersed geographic areas.

“Being on the (Swim Ontario) Board is quite enjoyable,” he said. “With my private business experiences, I can look at a variety of things and have the ability to sort through contentious issues and come up with level-headed decisions that, while not always popular, do work.”

For swimming, you need water.

For Barker, the dream of more pools and better funding for officials, is something he hopes could become a reality. Maybe, even quicker, if municipal, provincial, and federal governments understand the benefits and focus on financial assistance.

Anyone for a lottery with rewards going to build pools?

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 45+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.