Welcome to the Thunder Bay Thunder Rays!

Here are a few helpful hints that we thought would make your time with the Thunder Rays a fun, fit and friendly experience!

Registration and Insurance Compliance

If you are assessing your skills during our ‘first three for free’ workout policy, we must have a signed waiver from you before you jump into the pool with us. Our club is working to step up our insurance compliance requirements, and the waiver is another step in this process. This waiver will be available to you on deck.

If you have been accepted as a new member by the coach, you can proceed to the website and register online at which time you will sign a waiver as a part of your registration, so you are good to go.

Workout Lanes

Thunder Rays members swim in lanes 2 to 7 from 4:05pm to 5:50pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 8:35am to 10:50am on Saturdays. The workouts increase in intensity as you move across the pool lanes. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the most intense workout can be found in lane six. On Saturdays, the lanes are reversed, and you will find the most intense workout in lane two. Our coaches will help you find the lane that is appropriate to your skill level.  Why do we reverse lanes on Saturdays?  One reason is to reduce the sheer monotony of swimming in the same lane all year, but more importantly are the clocks that are used during our workouts that are located on either side of the pool.

On some Saturdays, we use the last fifteen minutes of the workout for a special clinic where less experienced members can learn technical skills from our more experienced swimmers. If you do not wish to join the clinic sessions, there are always other lanes available to continue your workout.

Clocks and Timing

Over time, one of the improvements you will see as you increase your skill and fitness will be the decrease in the time it takes you to reach the other side of the pool. The Thunder Rays coaches incorporate timed sets throughout the workouts, and as a new swimmer, learning how to use the clocks is important.

The digital clock is located closest to lane two while the analog clock can be found on the other side of the pool, closer to lane six. The analog clock can be especially useful to new swimmers as it shows moving hands in different colours. These are very helpful in tracking the time when you are delirious from exhaustion.

Equipment 

There are a few pieces of equipment that are used regularly during workouts; these include a kickboard, pull buoy, paddles, fins and snorkel. The Thunder Rays have kickboards and pull buoys available, but the coaches recommend that you invest in fins. Fins are used to build confidence and fitness, and you will find them included in almost every workout. Feel free to don the fins if you are falling a little behind during a workout set. This is completely acceptable!

Paddles are used with the pull buoy and are also recommended unless you have an existing shoulder injury and are experiencing shoulder pain. Pull buoys can always be used without paddles to reduce stress on your shoulders. The snorkel is optional but recommended. It can take awhile to become used to breathing through a tube, but it can be very useful in avoiding neck strain during our longer kick sets.

Equipment Sources

Given our equipment recommendations, we do have some suggestions as to where to find it. Fresh Air is a local sports store with a great selection of swim paraphernalia, and a reliable source of mesh bags and fins. If you enjoy shopping from the comfort of your couch, Team Aquatics offers an excellent online shopping experience. Coach Andy has a longstanding relationship with this supplier, so if you don’t find the pink fins to go with your pink suit and cap, let Coach Andy know of your special requirement so he can contact his sources to search the inventory.

Equipment Storage

To avoid carrying a lot of equipment to and from the pool each workout, the Thunder Rays have two cages on the pool deck closest to lane two that you may use to store your equipment. A mesh bag is recommended to collect your equipment together, which can then be tossed into a cage for storage when you leave the pool. Each member is given the code to unlock the cages, but please ensure to lock up if you are the last member to leave the pool after a workout, or if you are working out on your own time.

Safety

Any equipment that you bring on deck should be removed at the end of your workout. If you spy equipment that was forgotten by another swimmer, please take it off the pool deck and place it in the cages on the deck. Equipment left on deck can be a hazard to other swimmers.

Competition

There is no reason to feel compelled to compete in swim meets if you are swimming with the Masters. Many of our swimmers have never entered a swim meet and use swimming for fun and fitness or to train for other sporting events. However, if you are feeling competitive, our club offers a meet each year to its members to introduce the elements of racing and provide a fun and safe way to learn your way around competitive swimming.

 Our ‘members only’ meet takes place in December and is organized by the coaches and other experienced members of the club. During this meet you will be able to test your skills by picking events and having your best times recorded. As the details of this meet unfold, we will provide information on our website. There are additional meets available throughout the year that allow the Thunder Rays to compete with other clubs. Information about these meets will also be provided on the website.

Social Events

 Feeling social? The Thunder Rays club has several social events throughout the year, and you are welcome to join us. These events are always open to friends and family, so bring your guests! You can look for upcoming events in the Thunder Rays website calendar.

Whether you have joined the Thunder Rays to make some new friends, get a great workout, or increase your swimming skill level, we welcome you to the Thunder Rays and look forward to seeing you in the pool!

MSO MEGAmetre Tracker

Why track your workouts?

It’s fun!!!!

Supports setting realistic goals and tracking progress

Incentive to hit the water when the spirit is wavering

Discover patterns – peaks and troughs that help understand performance and trace injuries

Club spirit – YOU MATTER; YOUR METRES MATTER – no matter the quantity, every metre contributes to your club’s monthly total