Movin’ on up

A funny thing happened at our AGM. I tried to sneak out to the washroom...and when I returned I had been elected club president. You have to be fast! I’ve been looking forward to this for two years now. As Ruth has moved to the more demanding role of Past President, she leaves big shoes to fill. Figuratively speaking of course. Many thanks Ruth for the opportunity. The official Passing of the Mug (Club tradition) happened on June 14th at the MMAC annual general meeting.

I’ve been on the board in one capacity or another for many years. Most will know me as Cranky, the Bag Man. Many very good people have come and gone in that time, leaving a legacy that will be hard to follow. In my 12 or so years swimming with MMAC, I’ve watched the club membership grow from about 70 to the more than 180 we had at last count. The eclectic mix of swimmers we attract never ceases to amaze me. It’s a wonderful assortment - from recreational to elite, and from twenty to eighty years old.

In the last year we have faced some of our most significant challenges since I’ve been involved with the club. Changes to the City of Winnipeg's guarding policy and to funding significantly increased the cost of keeping members in the pool and keeping it affordable. Our strong membership allowed us to limit fee increases to 5%. As a result, an MMAC membership continues to be one of the most reasonable options for staying fit and having fun.

Looking forward, there is much on the horizon. We have the Saturday swims at Kildonan Pool for July and August. I would encourage everyone to try these practices. We have started planning fall social events and we will be moving pools for six weeks at the end of August during the scheduled maintenance shutdown at PanAm. Details will be announced as soon as they are finalized.

I will be working with the board and Glenn Davis, our coaching coordinator, to do our best to make your swimming experience an enjoyable one. We are also looking at bringing some twists to the workouts with the goal of getting more of you comfortable enough with your swimming to participate in a swim meet.

I can’t possibly know all of our members (Ben used to do it, but I have no idea how) so please, introduce yourself if you see me on deck.

See you all in the water.

Clayton Case

Want to see what MMAC is all about? Come and join us for a week of free swimming. During that one week period you are invited to swim as many practices as you like. We'd be pleased to meet you and show you what a difference swimming can make in your life.