City of Nanaimo fall season recreation programs will heavily involve the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)
Everyone in the pool

Swimming/skating classes expected to be popular during City of Nanaimo fall program registration

Aug 15, 2023 | 4:44 PM

NANAIMO — Early bird gets the worm when it comes to signing up for City of Nanaimo recreation programs.

Dozens of fall programs will begin after the Labour Day weekend and conclude in December begins with online registration on Wednesday, Aug 16 at 6 a.m., followed by in-person and phone registration.

Kathy Gonzales, the City’s aquatics manager, recommended people register online early to vastly increase their chances of successful enrollment.

“Swimming and skating are the two most popular programs for the City and they often fill up quite quickly,” she told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Swimming programs are particularly sought-after, with children-aged classes typically fully subscribed within 15 minutes, Gonzales noted.

She expects most of their 18,000 spots to be claimed, designed for toddlers to seniors in various activities including sports, exercise, cooking and special interest programming.

“Generally speaking most of our programs do fill up as we move through the season.”

Most programs have fees, while complimentary offerings are available.

The Fall 2023 Activity Guide can be viewed here, while hard copies are also available at City recreation facilities.

Aside from registering online, people can apply in person at Beban Park, Bowen Complex, Oliver Woods Community Centre and Nanaimo Aquatic Centre, or by phoning 250-752-5200 starting on Wednesday,

“Often times we are able to open new classes based on the wait lists that we have. We ask for patience, but we are hoping that we can get more people into some programs,” Gonzales pointed out.

City of Nanaimo online recreation accounts can be obtained by clicking here, which are recommended to be set up prior to registration day.

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