Welcome to the Chena Skills Registration Page

When you are ready to begin your registration, scroll to the bottom of this page to view all the available classes.

Chena Skills is our pre-competitive lessons program for swimmers in Grade 1 through Grade 5. Our program focuses on swimming basics and fundamentals as they pertain to competitive swim racing. Our goal is to build rock solid foundations that provide a platform for which swimmers can excel in their long-term development as athletes. Chena Skills offers three programs, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Each class will have their own Coach for the entire session. See our Skills Instructors Page for the bios of all our Skills Coaches. For more details about our programs, view the descriptions further along on this page or view our full Chena Skills Program PDF. For details about next steps after Skills with the Chena Junior Program view the Chena Junior Program PDF.

Newsletters & Announcements

• Past Email Newsletter: You can see all of our past email newsletters online here. 
• Join the Mailing List: Click here to join our Chena Skills Mailing List. Through the newsletter we share essential information about Assessment Days, Class Schedules, and Registration Periods.
• Assessment Days happen at the start of each season before new-member registration opens. Sign-up your child in one of the time slots we have available. Your child must be assessed or recommended for a class before we will accept your registration from this page.
• What class do I register in? Our Class Invitation List is periodically updated to show our class registration recommendations. After you complete an assessment or a class See what class you should register your child in by finding them in the list.
• Online Schedule: See the most up to date Schedule online in real time here.

Requirements

Swimmers must be comfortable in the water without parental supervision before entry into our program. Loosely for Bronze, this means a swimmer should be able to complete 25m of swimming or kicking with a board and be comfortable in the deep end of the pool. For Silver, a swimmer should be able to comfortably kick 50m of flutter kick and have a strong understanding of Freestyle. To enter Gold, a swimmer should be able to correctly perform the motions of Breaststroke Kick and complete 25m of Freestyle easily.

Registration

If you have a child who is joining Chena Skills for the first time, there are four steps to registering and securing a spot for your child. Start with Step 1 and join the mailing list. Through the email list we provide updates on registration opening times or program scheduling and other Chena Skills News. After you have joined the mailing list, please find an assessment time slot that is available and sign-up your child to be assessed.

After your child has been assessed, you may receive an assessment card that recommends a level. During assessments, please know that this recommendation is preliminary and may be subject to change particularly if we are assessing a large number of children. In this case, it may take us a few days to add your child's class invitation to our Class Invitation List. All the invitations will be posted prior to registration opening.

Once you have a class invitation, you can proceed to step 4 and register for your class. Once you have submitted your registration you can pay your fees via eTransfer (see fee section below for more details). Once your fees are paid you are fully registered!

• Step 1: Join the Mailing List & Read Past Newsletters
• Step 2: Get Assessed at the Pool
• Step 3: View your Class Invitation
• Step 4: Register for a Class
• Step 5: Pay your Fees

Note: When registering the system only allows the "Pay by Check" option to show. Payment must be by E-Transfer to etransfer@chenaswimclub.ca with the password "chenaskills1!". Full e-transfer instructions will be provided after pay by check has been selected.

Registration Opening Time Schedule

Each level of class opens at a different time on registration day. We do this so that families with mulitple children can have an fair opportunity to register each sibling. It also gives you a second chance to register for a lower level if the level you wanted filled up quickly. Below are the registration opening times for each of the levels:

• Gold: 10:00am
• Silver Two: 10:20am
• Silver One: 10:40am
• Bronze: 11:00am

"Help! The class I am invited to register for is full!"

If you are invited to a class but that class is full, it is okay to register down a level. For example, if you are invited to Gold, but Gold is full you can register for a Silver Level 2 class. If you want to register up a level, for example Silver 1 to Silver 2, we might be able to accommodate you but please contact Coach George first for permission.

Schedule

Chena Skills runs four sessions per year.

• Fall: September-December: 8-weeks, 1-2x per week
• Winter: January-March: 8-weeks, 1-2x per week
• Spring: April-June: 8-weeks, 1-2x per week
• Summer: August: 3-weeks, 3x per week

See the most up to date Schedule online in real time here

During the last week of each session, we offer an optional mini meet where your swimmer can try competing in a familiar, supportive, and fun setting. On the last lesson of the session your coach will have a progress report card for each swimmer that will include their recommendation for which program to register in for their next session.

Fees

For both Bronze and Silver, there is only one fee per session. A Swim BC fee of $10 is also required with each session for registration and insurance purposes. Depending on the number of lessons we are able to offer for each session, the fees may vary slightly. The typical range of fees for the Chena Skills programs not including the swim BC fee are:

• Bronze: $200-300 per swimmer (one class per week)
• Silver/Gold: $400-500 per swimmer (two classes per week)
• Summer Skills (All levels, Bronze/Silver/Gold): $200-300 per swimmer (three classes per week)

Fees for each class can be viewed on the online schedule (link above). Payment for Chena Skills is by e-transfer only and is due immediately following registration. E-transfers can be sent to etransfer@chenaswimclub.ca. Please use the password "chenaskills1!" without quotation marks and include the swimmer's name and lesson day in the note field. If you have any more questions about registration or fees, please email the Skills Registrar (regassist@chenaswimclub.ca).

DISCLAIMER: Chena Skills programs may potentially be affected by Provincial Health Orders and changing public health situations.

Missed Classes

It is expected that swimmers will participate in all classes in a session. In case of extraordinary circumstances such as surgeries, unexpected injuries, emergency travel, or some other unexpected event we may be able to offer your child to swim with one of the other classes. Requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We receive many requests for make-up classes and unfortunately, out of respect for the other families participating in this program, we are not able to fulfill every request for a make-up class. If you are in a difficult situation and require help do not hesitate to email us and ask us for consideration.

Cancellations

• Cancellation more than 1 week before the first class: full refund
• Cancellation within 48 hours of the first class: $50 cancellation fee
• Cancellation after the 1st or 2nd class: $100 cancellation fee
• No refund for cancellation after the 3rd class.
• Cancellation for Medical/Extenuating Circumstances evaluated and considered on a case-by-case basis

Equipment

• Chena Kickboard (REQUIRED): Every swimmer’s first kickboard is free of charge and will be provided at the first class. If you lose your kickboard the replacement cost is $20 for skills swimmers (a 50% discount!). All Chena Skills swimmers must use a Chena Kickboard. Please let us know if you need a new kickboard before you pay your class fees.
• Chena Cap: Every swimmer’s first Chena cap is free of charge and will be provided at the first class. If you lose your cap the replacement cost is $15 for skills swimmers.
• Goggles (REQUIRED): Goggles are required for our swim program.
• Swimsuits: We recommend swimmers wear tight fitting swimsuits as they are warmer and easier to learn to swim in.
• Wetsuits: While wetsuits in some instances can provide warmth, they can limit mobility and can make you colder in the water while being a barrier to learning. We generally do not recommend wetsuits.
• Shirts/Rashguards: We generally do not recommend shirts or rashguards as they hold more water against the skin while a swimmer is out of the water, thus taking out more heat away as the body attempts to evaporate the water. In our experience, swimmers are warmer without shirts or rashguards.
• Flippers (REQUIRED):  Short flippers are required. We recommend Speedo Switchblade Fins or an equivalent short blade fin. Please do not buy long blade fins as they encourage poor kicking technique.
• Team Aquatics Supplies Discount: After you register with Chena you will get access to the Chena Team Aquatics Supplies Discount Card. You can find the discount card under the Handbook tab on our website after you sign-in. When buying fins or goggles the store normally has much more in stock if you simply visit them in person. Buying online may mean weeks of delivery time and you may not get your equipment until mid-way through the season.

Report Cards

Did you miss getting your report card at the end of your last class? You can now see and print your report card online by doing a search in our online report card database here. Use the drop-down boxes to find your swimmer’s name. Once you find your swimmers name you will be able to view all their past report cards saved in our database (back to Winter 2022!)