Cochrane Piranhas Summer Swim Club

The Cochrane Piranhas are a not-for-profit, volunteer-run summer swim club based in Cochrane, Alberta. The club began in the 1980s with just five swimmers and has since grown into a successful and well-established competitive program.

We are members of the Alberta Summer Swimming Association (ASSA), which connects them to Swim Alberta and Swim Canada. The Piranhas compete in Region E, alongside clubs from Okotoks, Didsbury, High River, and two Calgary teams.

All coaches are certified through Swimming Canada’s NCCP, and are members of CSCTA, ACC, and Swimming Canada.

The club focuses on:

• Developing strong swimming technique
• Providing high-quality coaching and training
• Offering many opportunities for swimmers to compete in summer swim meets

Swimmers ages 5–18 can join as age-group athletes (18+ swim as Masters), provided they can swim 25m unassisted.

For registration inquiries: [email protected]

The swim season usually starts on May 1st and goes until Mid-August.  

Practices are structured, technique-focused training sessions centered on swimming lengths of the pool. New swimmers begin by using their natural swimming style, and within a few weeks they are taught proper freestyle. As they progress, additional strokes—eventually including butterfly—are introduced.

Swimmers also learn essential competitive skills such as:

• Dive starts (from blocks and ledges)
• Flip turns
• Stroke refinement

Important:

• Parents and siblings are not allowed on deck due to insurance policies.
• No photos or video may be taken in the viewing area, as required by Spray Lakes Sawmill Family Sports Centre.

The club is organized into five training groups, determined by age and swimming ability. During the first few weeks of the season, coaches may reassign swimmers to ensure they are placed in the group that best supports their development.

Once placements are finalized, swimmers will only be moved at the coaches’ discretion. The club does not adjust group assignments to accommodate scheduling conflicts with other activities, ensuring fairness and consistency for all swimmers and families.

After registration, please monitor your email and the club website for the release of the official practice schedule.

Swim fees are determined annually by the club’s board and may change from year to year based on factors such as lane rentals, coaching salaries, and operating costs.

• 2026 Fees: still to be determined
• 2025 Fees: $575–$675 (team suit not included)
  • Fees are lower this year due to the shorter season.
• 2024 Fees: $650–$750 (team suit not included)

In addition to fees, volunteer and fundraising bonds need to be paid

• Volunteer bond: $300/family
• Fundraising bond: $100/swimmer

Club Suits

For the 2025 season club suits have not been included in registration fees.  When ordering a suit the payment will be made directly to our supplier. Suits will be fitted at Registration night and distributed to the swimmers upon their arrival. It is encouraged that the club suit is used only for swim meets and that a separate suit is used for practices.

Swim Caps

Each swimmer is given a club swim cap at the start of the season. If it is lost or damaged, additional caps can be purchased from the club (limited quantity)

Clothing

Usually each swimmer will receive a Piranhas t-shirt courtesy of our sponsors. Club merchandise such as hoodies, toques, backpacks, and towels are optional and can be purchased at registration night. 

Yes, please refer to the Parent Information section on the webpage to see what your volunteer and fundraising commitments are.

Becoming an official

For more information about the officiating process please see the Parent Information section of the website, or contact the Officials Coordinator for more information on how to become properly qualified and certified at [email protected].

Absolutely!  Competitive swimming is a sport which requires a lot of volunteers and officials on deck. There is usually also free lunch and snacks for volunteers!

Please contact the Officials Coordinator for more information on how to become properly qualified and certified at [email protected]. For more information about the officiating process please see the Volunteering and Policies section of the website.

All communication amongst club members is done via our Swimtopiasite https://cochranepiranhas.swimtopia.com/

It is the swimmer’s responsibility to ensure that they have a current email address as Swimtopia is the main form of electronic communication. This is very important, as this is the primary tool used to inform swimmers and parents of important information, such as swim meet instructions.  There is an email to contact coaches on the Swimtopia site, where parents can email the head coach with general questions regarding the club or questions specific to the head coach. 

Contact information for assistant coaches is also available for parents who may have questions regarding their groups/swimmers. Coaches will let their swimmers know when they are available after practices to answer questions, concerns, etc. The Cochrane Piranhas Summer Swim Club has a “24 hour rule” regarding potential conflict situations. The "24 Hour Rule" states that coaches, parents, or swimmers will not discuss a situation until at least 24 hours after the fact. This important rule does two things. First, it moves the discussion away from the presence of the swimmer. Second, it allows all parties to have time to put things in perspective and "cool off", if necessary. If a concern needs to be addressed a complaint can be made in writing to the Club President at [email protected]