Do you love to swim? Interested in gymnastics? Do you like to dance? Love music? Then you will love artistic swimming.
Artistic Swimming is a sport of strength, flexibility, agility, endurance, teamwork, and creativity. Its focus on fun, friendship, and fitness can be demanding, but FUN.
In the water, artistic swimmers combine the endurance of a speed swimmer with the flexibility and agility of a gymnast and the creativity of a dancer.
The Silhouettes is partnered with the City of Vernon to run Artistic Swimming programming for both girls and boys at a recreational, competitive and master's level. We train at the Vernon Aquatic Centre in Vernon, BC. Swimmers from the Vernon Silhouettes compete at the recreational, provincial, and national levels in age categories from ages 6+.
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Recreational Athletes
The Vernon Silhouettes work with the Aquatic staff at the City of Vernon's Aquatic Center to run a recreational program. This program is for those athletes trying Artistic Swimming for the first time. It is recommended that athletes complete Lifesaving's Swim for Life Swimmer 5 prior to registering for the Artistic Swimming Recreational Program. If you have an athlete interested in the Recreational program, please contact the Vernon Aquatic Center for a free assessment from the Aquatic Staff.
The Recreational Program
Our recreational athletes work with a NCCP certified Synchro Instructor or a certified Lifesaving Swim Instructor in developing their basic artistic swimming skills using Canada Artistic Swimming's AquaGO! Program. The City of Vernon run the recreational program on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00-5:00pm in 10-12 lesson sets in conjunction with the Silhouettes' competitive program. Please visit www.greatervernonrecreation.ca for more information on registering for the recreational program. Any other questions can be directed at the Silhouettes' head coach at vernonsilhouettes@gmail.com.How much does Recreational cost?
- In addition to your registration with the City of Vernon for the 10-12 lesson set, there is a yearly membership fee to Synchro BC of $36.00. This cost is included in your first time of the season's registration with the City of Vernon. The cost per lesson set varies with the number of lessons within the set according to the City of Vernon, but is roughly $11.75 per hour lesson.
What does my athlete receive at the end of the lesson set?
- In addition to learning Artistic Swimming skills, our recreational athletes learn strategies in working as a team as well as independent work. When completing AquaGO! skills, athletes receive a completion stickers appropriate to the Pillar level of completion.
What does a Recreational athlete need?
- Once registered for the recreational program, the athlete needs a swimsuit and "I can" attitude. A nose clip, cap and goggles can also be helpful, but not necessary when just starting Artistic Swimming.
What other opportunities are there for my Recreational athlete?
- It is recommended that a recreational athlete complete AquaGO! Level 2 prior to becoming a Provincial Stream competitive athlete. Each region in BC runs a Fun Meet where BC Artistic Swimming's recreational athletes have the opportunity to participate in a low-key, participatory Artistic Swimming Meet. BC Artistic Swimming also offers a Limited Competitive registration for those clubs with Recreational athletes interested in competing at the Mable Moran Provincial Qualifier in April.
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Competitive Athletes
Due to limited coach availability and limited pool space, the Vernon Silhouettes are not currently offering a Competitive program. We plan to restart our Competitive program when the City of Vernon breaks ground on the new Active Living Center. For more information regarding the new Active Living Center, please visit https://www.vernon.ca/parks-recreation/active-living-centre.
The Competitive Program
Our competitive athletes work with a NCCP trained or certified Competition-Intro Coach or a NCCP certified Competition-Development Coach in the athletes' age group figure and routine training. All athletes must compete in their respective age group for Figure Events (age as of December 31, 2023 for the 2022-23 season), and can be placed on a team in respect to their age, Artistic Swimming ability and commitment. The City of Vernon runs the competitive program on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays from 4:00-5:00 pm from September to June with additional training times at the coaches discretion including weekend times. Any other questions can be directed at the Silhouettes' head coach at vernonsilhouettes@gmail.com.How much does Competitive cost?
- In addition to your registration with the City of Vernon, there is a yearly membership fee to Synchro BC of $142.00. This cost is due by October 1st, and can be paid to Vernon Silhouettes at the time registration. The M/W/F program costs vary depending on the number of practices within the Artistic Swimming season. Each season usually has a minimum of 85 - 1 hour programmed practices (roughly $11.75 per 1 hour session), and additional training costs are discussed with parents at the beginning of each season. In additional to programmed paid practices, each athlete must fundraise a portion of coaches expenses each season. This amount varies depending on number of coaches, distance to be traveled and number of athletes registered.
How do I register for the Competitive program?
- All competitive athletes need pre-approval from our Head Coach prior to registering with the City of Vernon. This is to ensure each athlete meets the minimum skill ability to be properly matched with a team for the competitive season. In additional to the pre-approval, the following forms need to be filled out and returned to the Vernon Recreation Center.
What does a Competitive athlete need for training?
- Our competitive athletes need a swimsuit, nose clip, cap, goggles and an "I can" attitude. Athletes will also need the following for Dryland training: comfortable stretchy gym clothes, clean runners, yoga mat, and a water bottle. Additional training equipment will be discussed with parents prior to additional training starting.
What does the Competition Schedule for the season look like?
Athletes with the Vernon Silhouettes compete at 6 events in BC throughout their September to June season. Competition dates and locations vary depending on the year's competition cycle. The meets Vernon competes in are:- BC Artistic Swimming Fall Summit - October - Lower Mainland
- Interior Training Meet #1 - end of November - Interior
- Interior Training Meet #2 & Interior Fun Meet - March - Interior
- Mable Moran Provincial Qualifier - beginning of April - Lower Mainland
- Jean Peters Provincial Championships - early June - alternates between the Interior and the Island.
- Vernon Year End Water Show - mid-June - Vernon
What does a Competitive athlete need for competitions?
All athletes are provided with a Competition timeline prior to each competition which includes a Coach/Athlete/Parent responsibilities, a packing list, a schedule of team events and any additional information needed for the competition. An example of a Competition Timeline from previous seasons is provided below.
170512_VERJeanPeters_CompetitionTimeline.pdf
What other opportunities are there for my Competitive athlete?
Please discuss additional opportunities for your athlete with Vernon's Head Coach. Some opportunities may include but are not limited to:- BC Artistic Swimming Train to Train Program
- BC Artistic Swimming Talent ID Program
- National Stream Competitive Program
- Masters Recreational Program
- Masters Competitive Program