Is there a Water Dragons practice in Stittsville?

No. All practices are at the Carleton Place Aquatic Centre, 359 Bridge Street in Carleton Place, about 23 minutes from Stittsville down Highway 7.

How does the drive compare with going into Ottawa?

Stittsville to Carleton Place is about 27 km on Highway 7, mostly divided highway, and takes around 23 minutes with little variation. Many Stittsville families find that quicker and more predictable than crossing the city at practice time.

How many practices a week will my child have?

It depends on the group. Junior 1 swims twice a week for 45 minutes, Junior 2 three times, White and Blue four times, and Senior Elite trains fourteen hours a week. Each level page lists its practices and season.

How do I get started?

Email the registrar to book a short evaluation with the head coach. That places your swimmer in the right group; registration is then online through the team site.

Our club's area

Swim Club for Stittsville Families

Stittsville sits at the west edge of Ottawa, which puts it about 23 minutes from the Carleton Place Aquatic Centre, where the Water Dragons do all of their training. There is no Water Dragons practice in Stittsville. Families from Stittsville who swim with us drive down Highway 7, and for many of them it is a shorter trip than crossing the city to an Ottawa pool.

We are a Swim Ontario club run by volunteers. The coaching staff is led by a head coach who has taken a swimmer to the Olympics, and the program runs from Junior 1, where children learn all four strokes, to Senior Elite, where swimmers train fourteen hours a week and race at provincial championships. Youth Conditioning and Masters round it out for teenagers and adults.

The thing we hear most from families on the Ottawa side is that their swimmer was one of forty in a lane. Here the groups are small, the pool is always the same one, and a new swimmer is placed by the head coach after a short evaluation, not by age alone.

Getting to Stittsville

From Stittsville Main Street to the Carleton Place Aquatic Centre is about 27 km, roughly 23 minutes by car. Take Highway 7 west out of Stittsville straight into Carleton Place, then turn onto Bridge Street; the pool is at number 359.

The route is almost all divided highway, so it holds up well in traffic and in winter. Most Stittsville families can leave home 35 to 40 minutes before practice starts, change, and be on deck in time for warm-up.

Practice schedule

Junior 1: 2× weekly, 45 min
Junior 2: 3× weekly
White: 4× weekly, 4.5 h
Blue: 4× weekly, 8 h
Senior: 4× weekly, 8 h
Senior Elite: 14 h weekly
Youth Conditioning: 3× weekly, 1 h
Masters: Up to 4× weekly

Times and pool lanes change by season. The practice calendar always has the current week. See the practice calendar.

Swim Levels

Junior 1 Our Learn to Swim group. It focuses on the fundamental skills of all four competitive strokes, as well as starts, turns and finishes.
Junior 2 For swimmers who have the skills and want to begin competing regularly. The emphasis is stroke improvement, with an introduction to Learning to Train.
White For swimmers ready to begin Learning to Train at a more advanced level. Stroke improvement stays the focus, with intermediate training techniques added.
Blue For swimmers who have demonstrated advanced stroke mechanics, training techniques and racing strategies. The group's focus is Learning to Compete.
Senior The Senior group is for swimmers wishing to train and compete at a high level but who are unable to train at the Senior Elite level of commitment.
Senior Elite Senior Elite is the most advanced group within the Water Dragons club. Swimmers are expected to attend all practices and compete at all meets designated for the group.
Youth Conditioning An opportunity for teenage swimmers to practise their skills and improve their conditioning. Intended for youth pursuing lifeguarding, triathlon or fitness.
Masters For adults 18 and over who wish to maintain fitness, improve stroke technique, compete at Masters competitions, or swim socially with other adults.

Notes for Stittsville families

Stittsville has its own pool and its own club. The CARDELREC Recreation Complex on Shea Road, which most people still call the Goulbourn Recreation Complex, has a six-lane, 25-metre pool, and it is home to the Goulbourn Sea Hawks, a club formed in 2000 as the Goulbourn Aquatic Club. If your swimmer is happy there, that is a good place to be. Families come to Carleton Place from Stittsville when they want a smaller club with one home pool, or when a 23-minute drive down an open highway beats crossing the west end at practice time. Either way, the choice is about the kind of club, not the distance.

Cost works the same way it does anywhere outside Carleton Place: the town's public swims and lessons at the Aquatic Centre bill Ottawa residents at the non-contributing-area rate, while the club's own fees come from the club's fee schedule and do not change with your address.

Questions from Stittsville

Is there a Water Dragons practice in Stittsville?: No. All practices are at the Carleton Place Aquatic Centre, 359 Bridge Street in Carleton Place, about 23 minutes from Stittsville down Highway 7.
How does the drive compare with going into Ottawa?: Stittsville to Carleton Place is about 27 km on Highway 7, mostly divided highway, and takes around 23 minutes with little variation. Many Stittsville families find that quicker and more predictable than crossing the city at practice time.
How many practices a week will my child have?: It depends on the group. Junior 1 swims twice a week for 45 minutes, Junior 2 three times, White and Blue four times, and Senior Elite trains fourteen hours a week. Each level page lists its practices and season.
How do I get started?: Email the registrar to book a short evaluation with the head coach. That places your swimmer in the right group; registration is then online through the team site.