If Katie Stirret isn’t in class, she is in the pool. The 16-year-old synchronized swimmer spends 20 to 25 hours every week training for the sport she loves.
In the last few years that has become much harder. She is a member of the Vancouver-based Pacific Waves Swim Club, a club that rarely trains in Vancouver. Stirret and her teammates rely on parents and public transit to get to practice in Richmond.
“It takes a lot of inner motivation to keep coming to practice,” Stirret says, “especially in the middle of the season when it is hard to remember why you love synchro.”
The club is forced to train in Richmond because pool time in Vancouver is difficult to come by. At the Vancouver Park Board facilities, the priority is public access. Only after all the swim lessons, and public swim times are taken care of, do private clubs get space.
Synchronized swimming must compete with larger, predominantly male clubs that have been around for decades.
Head coach Kara Kalin Zader feels there is a gender bias when it comes to giving girls adequate practice time.
“It’s a Catch-22. We need more members to afford the pool time, but we need more pool time to attract the new members.”
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Vancouver Park Board Chair Sarah Kirby-Yung says there is no discrimination when it comes to renting out space, it is strictly a demand issue. Vancouver is underserved by aquatic venues, especially outdoor pools.
Kirby-Yung says “Ottawa, which is about the same size city as Vancouver has nine outdoor pools. We have three.”
Access is just one of the issues when it comes to attracting and keeping girls in sports. Studies point to the benefits of sports for young women, Peter Crocker from UBC’s School of Kinesiology says there are more girls participating in sports than ever before, but by the time girls hit puberty most have given up. Body image and societal factors lead to a sharp decline in the number of young women who are able to get to a high level of competition.
“Turn on your TV, its men’s sports you see,” he said. “Men’s sports are seen as more valuable. There is more of an opportunity to make a living.”
For the Vancouver Pacific Waves, the move to Richmond has been successful. The club has grown to more than 100 members, but they are being squeezed again. Without more pool time, they can’t provide all the programs they want to.
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