The Yellowknife Polar Bear Swim Club has been providing competitive swimming opportunities for youth in Yellowknife since 1970. 

We train in the city of Yellowknife's five-lane Ruth Inch Memorial Pool and host regular time trials and competitions with other clubs in the Northwest Territories.

NWT swimming clubs are affiliated with Swim Alberta and are therefore ranked among Alberta Swim Clubs and compete in Alberta Provincial Swim Meets as well as other regional swimming championships. The Polar Bear Swim Club has produced several age group national swimmers and consistently has swimmers qualify for the Canada and Western Canada Games. In the last decade, eight of our swimmers have also gone on to compete at the CIS level in university, three of them as team captains, and two of our swimmers have taken part in Olympic time trials. 

We are a non-profit organization and rely on the help and support of our volunteer coaches to keep our level of competition at its highest, and to provide fun and skillful swimming instruction.

Admissions

In the fall of 2023, the club had about 90 swimmers training at the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool. Because most of our swimmers return each season, there are limited opportunities to admit new swimmers to our swim lanes and those who are admitted are often restricted by age or gender.

We typically hold try-outs for new swimmers (ideally, ages five and six) each September. By "try-outs" we mean an opportunity for our coaches to see whether new swimmers will be a good fit with our current groups, and with our swim lane configuration. In other words, we look for new swimmers who can fit in our lanes, so we make maximum use of our pool time. 

In the 2018/2019 the club launched a fall Polar Pup swim program in order to broaden the opportunities for young swimmers to train and learn with us for eight weeks without becoming full-season members. We are also working on expanding our Swim for Life program for teenagers and a Masters program for those 18 and older. 

Board of directors & club positions for 2025-2026 

Our volunteer board is made up of swim parents. 

• President - Joel Gowman
• Vice-President - Justin Nelson
• Treasurer - Monte Kehler
• Secretary - Meghan Beveridge
• Registrar - Andrea Kirby
• Fundraising Director - Angie Viloria
• Communications Director - Kirsten Berg
• Social Director - Vacant
• Equipment Director - Vacant
• Director at Large - Vacant
• Head Coach - Sam Barkwell
• Officals Coordinator - Jane Ann Swim

The board meets on the second or third Thursday of each month. 

How to reach us

For questions related to workouts, meets, events, goal setting, and other swimming-related needs, contact one of the coaches. For questions related to administration or board matters, such as dues, safety, or policy issues, please contact one of our board members.

If you need help reaching the right person, please contact Kirsten Berg at [email protected].

- Updated November 11th, 2025