No more Mr. Nice Swimmer.

That's the message Pierre Lafontaine, CEO and head coach of Swimming Canada, wants imparted at this year's main events -- the 2010 Pan Pacific championships next month in Irvine, Calif., and 2010 Commonwealth Games in October at Delhi.

The audience for that message, more than 500 of Canada's best swimmers, is at Saanich Commonwealth Place through Saturday for the national championships and Pan Pacific trials. The results from the Pan Pacs will decide the Canadian team for the Commonwealth Games.

"It's the reality check year. How do we compare to the rest of the world will be the question we need to answer this year," said Lafontaine, of the importance of the season two years out from the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

Lafontaine knows what he wants that answer to be.

"I want people to once again exclaim: 'Wow,' when they think of Canadian swimming," he said.

"I want the other countries to know that Canadian swimmers will again be in their face. I want our brand to be about how tough we are and that we are out there to win."

Those are encouraging words, but also brave ones for a nation that won only one swimming medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics -- the breakthrough bronze in the men's 1,500 metres by Ryan Cochrane of Victoria which delivered Canada its first medal in the Olympic pool since Sydney 2000.

Overall times and results throughout the national team since then have encouraged Lafontaine.

"Our goal is simple: We want the world to beware of Canada again in the pool," he said. "And that's not just Ryan [Cochrane] or Brent [former world champion Hayden of Mission], but the whole team itself. We're rebuilding with one thing in mind: To do what it takes to be the best in the world. I want every year to be an Olympic year for us."

That will almost be the case at the Pan Pacs in Irvine, to which pretty much the entire world except Europe has been invited to swim.

Delhi in October, meanwhile, will provide that seemingly inevitable unflattering quadrennial comparison to the Aussies.

"We used to win the Commonwealth Games swim meet in the 1980s. We need to get back to that," said Lafontaine.

Cochrane has heard the challenge.

"I've had podium results [at the Olympics and world championships] and now I want to win at a major championships," said the Claremont Secondary grad, indicating his goals this year for Irvine and Delhi, and eventually for London in two years.

The prelims start at 10 a.m. daily at Commonwealth Place with finals at 6 p.m. A team of 52 will be selected for Irvine, from which 28 will go on to Delhi.

Island Club swimmers stated their cases dramatically last night in their home pool with Olympian Julia Wilkinson winning the women's 200-metre freestyle in 1:58.95 and Stefan Hirniak taking the men's 200-metre butterfly in 1:59.80.

Hayden won the men's 200-metre freestyle in 1:49.13 with Blake Worsley of Victoria third in 1:49.72 and Island Club teammate Cochrane fifth in 1:50.50.

"The 1,500 metres is a speed-based event now -- with eight guys lining up who can win it in the final at big events -- and you have to go out strong right from the start and hold off the other swimmers with not only your stamina, but your speed," said Cochrane, on why he contested the 200 metres yesterday.

cdheensaw@tc.canwest.com