Melissa has agreed to join the Pacific Coast Swimming coaching staff effective immediately. Melissa previously coached for the Juan de Fuca Coho swim club and will be opening a new Lightning Fast Swim Series program for PCS, based out of the University of Victoria.

The full force of University of Victoria and Pacific Coast Swimming Association (UV-PCSA) was felt over the weekend at the Pacific Cup meet at Saanich Commonwealth Pool. UV-PCSA swimmers at all levels had an excellent meet resulting in PCS winning the overall team title by nearly 900 points.  An improvement of nearly 200 points from last years meet.

Victoria, B.C. - The University of Victoria and Pacific Coast Swimming announced today that they have received formal approval for the formation of a new partnership between the University of Victoria Vikes Swim Team and the Pacific Coast Swimming Club.

The top swimmer from Zambia from 1996 - 2003 has joined the coaching staff of Pacific Coast Swimming.  Ellen Hight will be coaching with the Olympic Trials, Varsity and various club groups throughout the year. Attending the National Coaching Institute at the University of Victoria on a Commonwealth Scholarship, Ellen recently completed a Batchelor of Science with Honors in Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Bath in England and was appointed a Sports Ambassador in 2003 and was the Zambian National Swimming Coach in 2002.

Pacific Coast Swimming is proud to announce a new partnership program with Saanich Commonwealth Place.  The Lightning FAST Swim Series is a new and innovative swimming program for children aged 5 and above, who are able to swim 15m on their front or who have completed Aqua Quest Level 5.

Christin Petelski of Victoria, a two-time Olympian, earned a second gold medal in the breaststroke this weekend winning the women's 200-metre race Saturday at the inaugural Club Nationals swimming competition.

Petelski, tuning up for the World University Games in South Korea next month, clocked 1:11.40 for the win. Lisa Blackburn of Waterloo, Ont., the 50 breaststroke winner, was second at 1:12.90 and Michelle Mange of Vancouver third at 1:13.53.

Pacific Coast Swimming athletes Karley Stutzel and David Creel are currently in Barcelona competing in the 5km and 10km open water events at the World Championships. Check out Swim BC or Swimming Canada for all the info.

PCS finished the 2003 BC AAA Provincial Championships in fifth position on the overall team scores. All members of the team that traveled to Kamloops contributed to the overall success of the team. Erich Schmitt led the charge winning gold in the 200 fly, 200 IM and the 400 IM while also adding silver in the 1500 freestyle and both the 100 and 200 backstroke. Young gun Jayme Weimer won three gold and one bronze medal in a very successful meet for the 12 year old. Ten year old Alyssa Bakken won silver medals in the 100 and 200 backstrokes.

The 2003 World Championship Trials proved to be very successful meet for the swimmers from Pacific Coast Swimming as three swimmers and two coaches will represent Canada this summer. David Creel and Karley Stutzel will be swimming in what has been called the 'Oldest Swimming Pool' the Mediterranean sea this summer as they compete for Canada at the World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. Creel and Stutzel will swim the 5km and 10km Open Water races as Pacific Coast Swimming coach Ron Jacks will be the head coach for the open water team.

The 2003 World Championship Trials begin this Thursday right here in Victoria at the Saanich Commonwealth Pool. A number of Pacific Coast Swimming athletes are in the hunt to be selected to either the World Championship, Pan American Games or FISU (World University) Games teams. Jesse Jacks will look to defend his national title he won in the same facility last summer in the 200 butterfly and looks to be selected to his first Canadian National team.