Thursday, January 30, 2020

Swimmers - please welcome your NEW coaches for 10-22 February!





Dear Swimmers

This year marks the 10th anniversary of us welcoming a cohort of highly experienced international coaches to the brilliant Claremont Pool to undergo 2 weeks of intensive Swim Smooth Certification and mentorship by the team of Paul, Adam, Emma and new team member, Myffy. The coaches will be with us from 10-22 February - perfect time for your final Rottnest Channel Swim preparations - and we hope that you will welcome them with open arms as you always do!

The coaches this year come from:

  • Canada
  • England
  • Wales
  • Ireland
  • United Arab Emirates
  • New Zealand

New this year, the coaches have already begun many of their certification tasks using a new Learning Management System which we've built over the last 12 months to ensure a more fluid and comprehensive training program for them all. They'll be hitting the ground running and then following the 2 weeks in Perth will have a few final assignments to submit before they go on to become fully-fledged Swim Smooth Coaches in their respective regions. This will bring our global number of coaches to 56, many of whom will be travelling to Mallorca, Spain at the end of May to join us for our very first collective Coaches Conference to celebrate the 10 years working together and helping to improve the world of swim coaching everywhere. Exciting times.

Here's a little BIO for each of the coaches coming in February for your reference:

Samantha Bradley (neĆ© Warriner), Taupo, New Zealand, 2008 World Triathlon Champion (listen to our podcast with Sam here):

Sam says: "I am passionate about helping others achieve their goals. After being a former Pro myself I love sharing my expertise and stories. I am currently head coach at sweat7. I run a triathlon swim squad here in Taupo that includes 2x open water swim sessions and 2 pool sessions. I have been trying to get on a Swim Smooth course for quite a while but never in right area. I love coaching but need my knowledge updating and a new stimuli. I love seeing athletes improve their technique and helping them gain confidence in open water. But I am now looking to improve my knowledge and educate myself further. This course excites me!"



Andrea Garrington, Bridgend, South Wales, UK:

Andrea says: "I have worked in training and development for most of my career. I suppose it is safe to say that helping people realise their full potential has been the focus of my professional life. I 'discovered' triathlon 9 years ago and it seemed a natural progression to become involved in coaching. I was supported by my club as we had no female coaches. My particular interest is working with middle aged women. I believe I can relate to them, appreciating their personal challenges and showing how triathlon can transform them both physically and mentally. We now have an amazing supportive group, having the most enjoyable and satisfying time of our lives."



Penny Mullan, Vancouver, Canada:

Penny says: "My strength is keeping the enjoyment in swimming for those who are either burned out or have anxiety around swimming. I have a background in Life Coaching and have worked as a Life/Fitness coach for many years. The Life Coach skills play a huge part in my success as a coach. I use my intuitive and listening skills every time I step onto the deck. I also have a keen eye for stroke deficiencies. I don't always know the best way to direct improvement, this is why I would love to get more training from your program to improve in this area."



Brent Perkins, Northampton, England, UK:

Brent says: "I am good team player, and looking to improve all the time and want to become a Swim Smooth certified coach in the fullness of time. I coached and worked last year 2018 with. 9 athletes that had never completed a full distance triathlon some could not swim or ride a bike, all 9 complete Challenge Roth and raised £242,000 for GOSH."



Maxine Strain, Dublin, Ireland:

Maxine says: "I literally grew up in a pool. Being South African, I guess it came with the territory! I absolutely love the water and have only come to swim teaching/coaching in the last 18 months. Having spent most of my adult life working in sales, marketing, event management, PR...you get the picture...I love to work with people, I decided I needed to get a better work/life balance. I am a mum of 4 so having a flexible career was something I wanted so I decided to make that happen. For many years I had heard others say that you should find your passion and you will never work a day in your life. I believed such a thing existed, but how would I get there? About 2 years ago I decided to put aside all of my fears, ditch my day job and train as a swim teacher. I didn't realise how much I actually knew people AND swimming. I have been hooked ever since!"



Paolo Mangilinan, Dubai, United Arab Emirates:

Paolo says: "Working with kids and adults for almost 6 years now, I have gained a lot of experience to handle any abilities in swimming, whether they are beginner, advanced swimmer or elite swimmer/triathlete and to get selected by Swim Smooth would be great for me to reach the full potential to be a better coach."



Here's to a great 2 weeks!

Cheers,

Paul