Different Strokes Calgary LGBTQ+ Masters Swim Club
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Calgary’s LGBTQ+ masters swim club

Fun and fitness
 for life.

Swim for fitness, friendship, and the joy of feeling at home in the water. All ages, abilities, LGBTQ+ swimmers, and allies welcome.

Learn more
Four diverse swimmers moving through water and a sweeping rainbow.

Practice at
a glance.

Coached workouts for recreational and competitive swimmers. Work at your own pace, in the lane that suits you.

Practice Schedule

Practice times can change. Check the live calendar below for current times.

Regular Season

Sept–June
  • Friday & Sunday eveningsMNP & Killarney

Summer Season

July–Aug
  • Wednesday & Friday eveningsMNP Centre
  • Sunday morningsoutdoorBowview Pool
View live practice calendar
Open in Google Calendar (opens in new tab)
Locations & parking

Locations & parking

MNP Community & Sports Centre · 2225 Macleod Trail S
Killarney Aquatic & Recreation Centre · 1919 29 St SW
Bowview Outdoor Pool · 1910 6 Ave NW

At MNP, parking is free for up to three hours from 4:00 AM–4:00 PM on weekdays, two hours from 4:00 PM–4:00 AM on weekdays, and two hours on weekends. Cameras start and end sessions automatically; longer stays can be paid by app or kiosk. Free auxiliary parking is available at Indigo Lot #286 near Elbow River Casino when the main lot fills during events.

Workout guide & pool etiquette

Come prepared

Bring a swimsuit, towel, goggles, pull buoy, fins, kickboard, and preferably a cap and lock. Keep valuables at home or on deck with you.

We welcome swimmers who know the basics. Coaches help with technique and fitness; beginner swimmers are not expected to arrive already polished. DSC does not provide swim lessons.

Every kind of swimmer

DSC supports recreational and competitive swimming. Coaching develops technique and fitness, while every swimmer is encouraged to work at their own pace and comfort level.

Competitive swimmers follow structured, progressive, goal-oriented workouts. Everyone is welcome at masters meets; there are no minimum requirements.

Workouts develop freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.

On deck

Choose a lane that suits your level: lane 1 is for beginners, lane 6 for advanced swimmers, and lanes 2–5 sit between those levels.

After practice, swimmers often cool down in the hot tub to socialize and connect. Members frequently go out for dinner afterward; everyone is welcome.

Share the lane well

  • Help set up and put away lane ropes and training equipment.
  • If late, join the workout at the point your lane has reached.
  • Circle swim, stay off the centre line, and follow your lane’s direction.
  • Set order from fastest to slowest; the lead swimmer keeps the lane on pace.
  • Leave five to ten seconds between swimmers during repeats.
  • Touch toes once to request a pass; let the faster swimmer through at the wall.
  • Ease toward the wall before turning so you can push off straight.
  • Follow the posted workout, or move lanes if you are doing something different.
  • Rest at the side of the lane so others can turn safely.
  • Smile, then assist with cleanup at the end of the workout.

Find your way in.

There is currently a waitlist for new members. Use the Join button above to sign up for the waitlist. Returning members can use the Join button to renew their membership.

Annual Membership

Valid through August 31, 2027109 swims~$3.12/swim
PeriodDatesTotalStudent (50% dues)Dues Breakdown
Period 1Sep 1 – Aug 31$400.00$230.00$339.75 club + $60.25 Swimming Canada
Period 2Jan 1 – Aug 31$315.00$187.00$254.75 club + $60.25 Swimming Canada

10 Punch Pass

Valid through August 31, 2027
OptionQuantityTotalDues Breakdown
1st Booklet10 swims$196.00$135.75 club + $60.25 Swimming Canada
Subsequent Booklets10 swims$135.75$135.75 club (Swimming Canada already paid)
Pricing details & pass policies

Annual Membership Details

An annual membership provides access to all 109 scheduled club swims for the entire season (September 1 – August 31), working out to roughly $3.12 per swim. We swim twice per week through the winter and three times per week in the summer.

New members can join at any time as space allows. Dues are prorated across two pricing periods depending on when you join, with all memberships expiring August 31 regardless of start date. A 50% student discount is available on annual dues.

10 Punch Passes

Punch passes offer a flexible option for swimmers unable to commit to a full season. Sold in packs of 10, passes give you full access to any club swim and are valid through August 31, 2027, regardless of when you purchase them. Pass holders are added to the club email list and invited to all club social events.

Student discounts do not apply to punch passes. Pass usage is tracked by club board members — email info@differentstrokescalgary.org to check your remaining balance.

Swimming Canada Registration

Swimming Canada registration is required for all members, including punch pass holders. This is a national association fee ($60.25), not a club fee. Since you only need to register once per season, it is included in your annual membership fee or your first 10-pass purchase, and waived on subsequent booklets in the same season. Once registered with DSC, the club will register you with Swimming Canada / Swim Alberta on your behalf.

A place to swim
as yourself.

Different Strokes Calgary began with its first workout in 1995. Today, we are a volunteer-run club making room for fitness, friendship, and the full range of swimmers in our community.

We support the inclusion of trans athletes in recreational and competitive swimming, without qualification.

Meet the Coaches

Dan MacGregorCo-Founder & Coach (Beginner Lanes)

Co-founded DSC in 1995. Swim Alberta Volunteer of the Year 2024.

Tammy AndersenHead Coach (Intermediate & Advanced Lanes)

25+ years of coaching experience. Killarney Swim Club Lead Coach.

Full Coach Bios, Club History & Competition Highlights

Dan MacGregor · Co-Founder & Coach (Beginner Lanes)

Dan co-founded DSC and has coached beginner swimmers since the club began. An accountant by trade, he may vanish during tax season, but the club makes sure swimmers are looked after. His continued volunteer work earned Swim Alberta’s Volunteer of the Year award in 2024.

Tammy Andersen · Head Coach (Intermediate & Advanced Lanes)

Tammy joined DSC in November 2022 and became the full-time head coach in spring 2025. With more than 25 years of coaching experience, she has led the Glenmore Seals and Okotoks Stingrays summer clubs, assisted the Calgary Tritons, and helped the City of Calgary develop youth and adult conditioning programs.

She coached junior national swimmers in Limburg, Belgium, while studying education. Tammy is now Sprocket Coordinator and Junior 1 Lead Coach at Killarney Swim Club, and is a Swim Alberta-certified coach working toward full 201 certification. Her coaching focuses on swimming science, individual feedback, form, and celebrating every swimmer’s progress.

Mission

Different Strokes Calgary is a non-profit, volunteer club for LGBTQ+ members. DSC follows a “fun and fitness for life” philosophy in a positive, supportive space where members can choose recreational, competitive, and social participation.

Club History

Calgary’s first swim club for lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities began in early 1993 as Chinook City Aquatics, organized by David Whiteside. It ended after six months because interest was too low.

Dan MacGregor and James Cooke revived the idea as Different Strokes Calgary. After gathering swimmers to test interest, the group agreed to a three-month trial of weekly swims. The first DSC workout was held on March 5, 1995, at Lindsay Park Sports Centre, with Dan as head coach, Nancy Ingram coaching beginners, Rick Matthews coaching competitive swimmers, and thirteen swimmers on deck.

That September, DSC moved to the YWCA and added Wednesday and Sunday practices. Rita Bercan later became head coach with Graham Taylor as assistant; after Rita left, Graham became head coach while Dan and Pat Lee Loy continued beginner coaching. Pat later moved to Pennsylvania and joined the Philadelphia Fins. By 1997, DSC averaged about 20 swimmers per practice and had more than 40 members.

In 2007, Sunday practice moved to SAIT while Wednesday remained at the YWCA; later that year, both sessions moved to SAIT on Thursdays and Sundays. In 2015, DSC added Wednesday nights at MNP (then the Talisman Centre). From fall 2016, Friday and Sunday practices moved to the Talisman Centre, now the MNP Community & Sports Centre.

Competition, Social Life & Inclusion

DSC belongs to Swim Alberta, World Aquatics (formerly FINA), and International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics. Members have competed across North America, including Washington, D.C., Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver, and in Paris, Reykjavik, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. The club has also participated in Gay Games and Outgames events in Sydney, Chicago, Montréal, and Copenhagen.

Alongside swimming, DSC is known for social events and community fundraising, including a breast-cancer swim-a-thon, Small Change Big Changes, and Calgary Cares. DSC supports inclusive sport where people can build confidence, community, and lifelong swimming skills regardless of gender identity, and unequivocally supports trans athletes in recreational and competitive swimming.

A diverse group of swimmers smiling together in a pool beneath rainbow bunting.
Different Strokes Calgary community.