Many eager parents showed up at the Steinbach Aquatic Centre early Tuesday morning to register their kids for swimming lessons.

Registration day is known for being busy in the Steinbach area, so this year, the Aquatic Centre is doing something new. Rather than opening registration to everyone in the southeast all at once, on Tuesday, it was only available to Steinbach ratepayers.

Still, this priority registration didn’t stop some parents from arriving nearly two hours before registration opened at 8:00 AM.

“I was here at 6:15 this morning waiting in my car,” says Cara Duerksen who became the seventh person in line when she arrived.

Duerksen is a parent of three and wanted to ensure each of her children got the lesson slots that best fit their schedule. She feels the Steinbach Aquatic Centre's new method of registration makes sense.

“Being a Steinbach resident, we do pay taxes on the pool, so it is good for us to benefit from that.”

Duerksen acknowledges that people from nearby communities may be slightly upset by this, but is nevertheless in support of the decision.

“I’m very okay that we get separated.”

Despite this priority registration, those living outside of the city limits will not be left high and dry. Non-Steinbach residents will have the opportunity to register their kids for swimming lessons starting Wednesday.