How about a quote?

Competitive Swimming is filled with funny conflictions. Consider that although swimming is an individual sport, it's the team that fills the practice and social life. In other sports you might complain if your child isn't competing more. In swimming, we are all thrilled when the time goes down. Compare as well the sedentary nature of waiting for a race ... and then the brief explosion of emotions that occur between the start and finish. But if you can wrap your head around it (and some can't) competitive swimming provides a fantastic foundation for sports, academics and social adventure.

Just one year of swimming will give someone an excellent cross-section of life skills. The swimmers learn how to deal with stress, teamwork, discipline, a fondness for chlorine (just kidding) and more. This sport enables self-achievement. There is only one swimmer in a lane (unless you are swimming a 1,500) and that swimmer has the sole responsibility for success. Sometimes it's both agonizing and exhilarating to watch at the same time. As coaches, our job is to give these young swimmers the skills and instruction necessary to succeed in more ways than one. I've coached all ages in a variety of groups at the club. I have had swimmers reach Senior National times as well as the excitement of just getting better. I have watched not only my own two children but many others in the club grow into young adults.

I am a Certified Professional Coach (ChPC), having acquired my NCCP Level 3 (with MED) and am also a Level 3 official. In the past I have represented Central Region as the Coach's Rep and currently sit on the board for the Ontario Aquatic Hall of Fame. I am a Director at Large with Swim Ontario and fill the roll of Communications Vice President on the Executive.

I have been honoured to receive the Lea Bredschneider Coach's Award, the Omni Friend of Swimming, the Gord Noddle Award and in 2011 the Province of Ontario's Syl Apps award.

My 20-plus year career in competitive swimming as participant, coach, student and fan has had many gratifying moments. Some of the highlights include, a 6-year national team member participating in the Commonwealth Games, Pan-American Games and Olympic Games during the '70's. After setting over 100 national and provincial records, I went on to induction at the University of Toronto, the Etobicoke Sports Halls of Fame and the Ontario Aquatic Hall of Fame.

I coached for a number of years, after leaving the water, with the Fredericton Y Aquanauts, the University of New Brunswick and the University of Toronto.

In all, I was involved in competitive swimming for over 20 years. I loved all aspects of the sport -the fitness, the fun and the competition. I am deeply indebted to my parents, who were my most enthusiastic fans and who spent countless hours at meets, driving me to practices and serving tirelessly as officials and volunteers. My coaches and swimming companions offered inspiration, instruction, encouragement and, especially, themselves as role models. Training and racing as part of a team has helped me develop my competitive nature, my work ethic and my fearlessness when it comes to meeting life's challenges.

Lakeshore Swim Club offers a wonderful environment for young athletes to grow, learn and experience the enduring lessons that can be gained through competitive swimming. I am very excited to be able to offer my help to LSC.

Waiting in the stands for four hours to watch my eldest daughter swim for two minutes at her first meet was when I decided that if my children were going to pursue competitive swimming at LSC, I was going to get involved. In 2004, I obtained my NCCP Skills Level coach certification and also participated in a working group that developed a new training program for Skills Level coaches across Canada in 2009. For eight years I have continued to build upon my coaching experience by working with all of the LSC coaches, as well as improving my skills through various workshops and training opportunities that become available.

In addition to teaching our youngest swimmers skills and discipline, my goal is to create an atmosphere of fun and support. It's about hard work and determination, yet we squeeze in a few laughs or games in between drills and sets. The structure of practice helps to build respect for peers and coaches, as well as a solid work ethic. Our swimmers know only too well how hard they have worked at practice which fosters a real sense of camaraderie for one another at competition time. LSC definitely has a family feel. I'm a life-long swimmer with a keen interest in the personal benefits of competitive swimming and my two daughters, Norah and Fiona, proved to me very early on that the benefits are plentiful. They developed self-confidence, maturity, discipline and many other physical and social skills while swimming regularly.

My enthusiasm and dedication to the TOP group mixes well with their energy and excitement. Together, we create a supportive and lively environment where skill development, endurance and the ethics of sport unite to build what I believe is a solid foundation for success in and out of the pool.

Little did I know when I began driving my children, Benjamin and Eleonore, to swim practice that I would become a LSC coach or that a desire of my own to swim competitively would be realized. A spark was definitely ignited watching my children work through the difficult drills and sets week after week. I took the plunge, you could say, and joined a Masters Swim team at the age of 40. I began to compete two years later and now swim in a Masters program four days a week. Although I discovered competitive swimming a bit late in life, I have learned through my children, fellow swimmers and myself that determination, solid coaching and a positive attitude can go a long way in the pool. After a few years of competing as a Masters swimmer, I have set new club age group records in freestyle and butterfly.

In 2006, I began coaching at LSC and obtained my Skills Level 1 Coach certification. I have coached the Ste. Margeurite d’Youville swim team for several years and, in 2011, I will take on the head coach role in their annual Toronto District Catholic School Board meet. My coaching philosophy stems from my firm belief that young swimmers need to enjoy practice and part of that joy is derived from the knowledge that their skills are continuously improving. As long as there is effort, a dedicated approach to attending regular practice, and a willingness to learn, the improvement process can unfold quite naturally in swimming. My job as a coach is to help swimmers understand and implement proper technique, develop the physical conditioning needed and if I’ve taught them well, they will also begin to acquire the third critical element, the mental preparation and focus needed to succeed.

I am pleased that my competitive swimming experience combined with my coaching skills create a balance that fosters fun and challenge for LSC swimmers.

I started competitive swimming with the Saskatoon Goldfins when I was six. Back then, it was about keeping up with my older sisters but eventually the excitement of racing and the friendships that developed at practice kept me going to the pool. I grew up in the water both figuratively and literally because I pursued competitive swimming until I was 18. I coached Learn to Competitive Swim for a few years, but my professional and personal life prevented me from staying in touch with the sport, that is until recently.

I have been coaching with LSC since 2007. I am certified as a Level 1 (Skills) NCCP coach and am a level one official with strokes and turns. I also swim on a Masters team regularly. My instructing style is a bit different than the coach I had as a youngster, who often (yet gingerly) stepped on my fingers when I clung to the edge of the pool for a rest. Instead, I ensure that the young swimmers at LSC receive positive feedback and that a bit of fun is mixed in with the challenging drills. Rewards as a coach are plentiful and sometimes it can be as simple as a smile when a swimmer completes a tough set and as deeply satisfying as watching a swimmer you have coached for a few years begin to develop confidence and a desire to improve, not only in the water but in their approach to appreciating practice, coaches and peers. I hope my daughter, Jamie, who swims with LSC, will continue to grow as an athlete and learn as I did that competitive swimming provides many benefits, on and off the deck.

I’m pleased to be volunteering at LSC as a coach and enjoy providing tips on technique and encouragement to the swimmers.

I began coaching with LSC in 2004 and really enjoy the extended family feel of being part of this team. I’ve learned first-hand for 42 years that competitive swimming not only leads to a life-long skill, but also provides immense opportunities to develop lasting friendships. The sense of belonging intensifies year after year as a swimmer’s commitment to the sport is reinforced through their relationships with peers and coaches.

I started swimming competitively when I was eight years old and have never stopped. In my youth, I competed at Nationals and medaled at CIAUs. Now I swim and coach for the Toronto Athletic Club’s masters swim team during my lunch hours. I’ve coached the Our Lady of Sorrows school swim team since 1999 and the Toronto Athletic Club’s masters swim team for 20 years. I have my National Coach Certificate (Level 1). My goal as a coach, besides teaching the technical aspects of the sport, is to simply share my passion for swimming, a life-long sport. Hard work in the pool and a relentless discipline with regards to attending practice are rewarded in swimming, whether it’s fine-tuning a stroke or finally obtaining a new personal best. Swimming requires a dual focus: technique and effort and when the two begin to complement each other, as a coach, there isn’t anything more satisfying—to see a swimmer reach this pinnacle. There are the tangible rewards as a coach, when a swimmer achieves a much sought after goal through effort and commitment, but there are often the intangible rewards too that aren’t necessarily measurable in a race sense, yet demonstrate success clearly—the observation over time of swimmers growing, improving—seeking that rush that comes with pushing the absolute limits of their ability— and maturing into young adults and very talented swimmers.

My two sons swam for LSC and, Kirk, my older son now swims on the University of Waterloo’s team. I’m very pleased to be able to share my passion for swimming with a wonderful group of enthusiastic swimmers at LSC.

I have been involved in swimming and many other sports throughout my life. At the age of 9, I started swimming competitively in Montreal, Quebec. I trained with both the Beaconsfield Bluefins as well as Pointe-Claire Swim Club. By the age of 10, I had several provincial age group records and made the Quebec Age Group team. I qualified for Nationals at the age of 11. It was an exciting time, not only because of the swimming, but also because it provided wonderful opportunities to travel across the country and build lasting friendships.

Competitive swimming was eventually replaced by marathons and other activities, until a few years ago when I was drawn back to the pool. I am now training 3 times a week with a Masters Swim Team and compete occasionally. I have my Skills (Level 1) NCCP certification and have been coaching with LSC since 2008. When I work with the young swimmers, I try to break the strokes down into real life examples that they can relate to. My daughter, Keely, swims with LSC and has discovered along with her team mates that hard work at practice is rewarded at the meets - personal best ribbons! Although I enjoy sharing the swimmers' success at meets, the discipline, determination and commitment to attending practice five and six times a week as an impressive accomplishment in itself.

Competitive swimming not only helps our children develop a healthy approach to fitness, it also instills a sense of discipline that will ultimately carry them long into adult life. I am very pleased to share my swimming experience and skills with LSC swimmers and hope that they will enjoy and learn from the challenges that competitive swimming offers - as I did.