By Pepper Parr
October 10th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
At some point, the swimming pool allocation issues will get worked out.
Those are administrative details that have to be ironed out between the city and the swimming clubs BAD and GHAC. The city has, not officially said that the process was flawed- now all they have to do is the right thing for next year.
It is the swimmers that matter. The 400 boys and girls who were members of Burlington Aquatic Devilrays (BAD) take part in a sport that has a very significant role in the way they grow up and learn all social skills that are part of becoming a teenager. A set of values is also a big part of being a swimmer.
A measure of the competitiveness.
Hard work, determination, being able to lose a race and decide that working harder next time is what makes champions.
It isn’t a contact sport – no one gets hurt. It isn’t a team sport – it is between the swimmer, the water and the skills they have developed
A statement Grace just had to make.
Grace Leah Rylance, a 16 year old student at Dr. Frank J. Hayden High-school in Alton has been a member of BAD since she was seven years of age and is currently at the Seniors Performance level.
She is one of four children; at one time, all four were BAD club members.
Grace chose to focus on free-style swimming – she likes the backstroke – but it wasn’t where she felt she could be strongest. “When you are doing the back stroke, it is nice to be able to look up at the sunshine and watch the clouds float by.”
Grace has played hockey, soccer, ringette and did some ballet at one point.
One more year of high school and then university. McMaster, Queen’s and U of T are on her list. How much more swimming once she gets to university? – She would like to be on the swimming team and do some competitive events. “I can win some money at that level”
Grace thinks she would like to study the forensic sciences with a focus on law and psychology, but realizes that you have to get accepted as a university student first.
The regime swimmers follow is incredible.
Early mornings, afternoons, evenings and every weekend – in the pool
At the pool for 5:30 in the morning where they put in an hour, home for breakfast, then off to school.
After school, back to the pool for an hour of training and then into the gym for exercising.
That’s the Monday to Friday schedule – the weekends are just as demanding.
With so much pool time Grace makes mention of the effect the chlorine in the water has on their body odour -goes with the sport, she shrugs.
Swimmers aren’t muscular people – they have tightly toned bodies that, over time, gain a lot of muscle memory. Their bodies know how to react to what is needed to win.
Grace talking to her intermediate-level swimming coach.
For many swimmers the competitive part is not the most important part of the sport. Setting a goal and doing the hard work to achieve that goal is what keeps them going.
Grace uses the word “determination” Hearing that from a teenager in today’s world is the hope and prayer for many parents.
Where there are girls, there are boys. Grace has had friends who are boys, but you won’t see her clinging to a boy. This young woman does her own thing in her own way and has taken on a set of values that includes time reading Mind, Body and Soul.
Favourite movie? Fantastic Mr. Fox.
“When you are swimming” Grace explains, “you don’t want to overthink what you are doing. If you have trained hard enough and practiced often enough, your body will know what to do.
This from a 16-year-old.
There are some proud parents in the Alton Village household.
Evolution of a female swimmer
The eyes were on the prize.
Schedule of events – never going to miss one.
The medals mattered.
A mature swimmer – ready for competitive events.
Bruce, why should it have been up to BAD to fight for the other clubs pool time when they didn’t even fight for themselves? GHAC was one of the clubs that were unsuccessful in 2020. They did not fold because they are a REGIONAL club and they had and continue to have other pool options. Unlike BAD, a Burlington club, without pools in other cities to move their training to. My daughter had friendships with kids that were years in the making. Now she swims in Hamilton on a new team with kids who have been together for year’s and we drive outside of our own city so she can continue to swim. BAD was not allotted enough pool hours and if we had stayed, she wouldn’t have been able to meet her training goals because the pool time wasn’t there. BAD should have been given more pool time because the kids who live in Burlington deserve to swim in their own city.
Advocating for the city to treat Burlington youth in sport fairly is not whining in my opinion. If the Burlington Barracudas had been forced out of their ice time for a regional club, people would be protesting in front of city hall. Sadly, swimming doesn’t get the same push back as hockey would, but it’s the kids who are really paying for this error in judgement.
Sorry – clarification of above regarding timing . The Devilrays need the City to reverse the pool allocation in favour of their community based club and conserve the their 40+ year legacy. It must be done soon to plan for the 2026/2027 season beginning in September 2026.
This is very important it’s not about who won the RPF and I know some people are going to come on here and make a case for GHAC and how BAD is whining. It’s about swimmers doing what they love and making life long friends and learning life skills. The sport of swimming isn’t something people join to get endorsement deals or sign contracts to pro, it’s about getting into shape and having a friend at 5:30am or on the bus to Sudbury to play cards with.
This article captures the essence of the swimmer and what it means to be a member of a swim club like the Burlington Aquatic Devilrays. These are the kids that have been hurt very badly by the pool allotment decisions of the City. The 40+ year Burlington Aquatic Devilrays legacy, a Burlington community based club, has been severely damaged — for no reason. The city opted in favour of a regional, expansionary club. The City must reverse course and make things right. This year has meant immense damage for the Burlington Aquatic Devilrays but, more importantly, the member kids. It’s simply unfair. The club is holding on in the face of enormous hardships following the City decision to favour a regional club, and yet they still have so much to offer even under a forced, scaled down version. The key is to correct things for the Devilrays swimmers in time for the next season beginning in September 2027 —- they plan a year in advance so the City must act now and give both clubs time to prepare for adjustments — something that was not afforded the Devilrays last time around.
As I understand it BAD won the 100% exclusive use of the City of Burlington’s allocated pool time via an RFP in 2020. BAD apparently was ok with the process which back in 2020 totally excluded two other clubs from maintaining their previously allotted pool time. I presume those two clubs folded.
Now in 2025 that BAD has got the short end of the stick it whines.
You and others suggest BAD’s 40;year history is a reason for it to be awarded pool time. Its business history and context in the fabric of Canada carried no beneficial weight to save the Hudson Bay Company. BAD may now join HBC in the Dodo category.