Ron Jacks

Ron is the PCS Director of Swimming, and one of its founding coaches. He is a NCCP Level IV and NCI Master Coach. In recent years, Ron has been recognized for coaching excellence by Swim BC, the BC Swim Coaches Association, the Canadian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association, and Swim-Natation Canada. He was National Open Water Coach of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2004, a Paralympic Coach for the 2004 Athens Games and the Canadian Open Water Head Coach at the 2005 World Aquatic Championships in Montreal and 2006 Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria. He received a National Domestic Excellence in Coaching Award in 2003 and 2004, a Petro-Canada National Coaching Excellence Award in 2004 & 2008, and a 2004 International CSCTA Team Award. He was also awarded the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009 BC Coach of the Year (SWAD/Para), and the 2002 BC Coach of the Year (16 & under age group).

Ron is one of very few coaches who has completed a hat trick at the International level, with medalists among able-bodied swimmers, swimmers with a disability, and open water swimmers.

One of Canada's finest swimmers of the 1960s, Ron won many medals at the 1964, 1965, and 1966 National Championships and set seven Canadian records between 1965 and 1972. In his formative years, he trained with the Vancouver 'Y' swim club, under Canadian coach Ted Simpson. Ron attended Indiana University from 1966 to 1972, training under legendary coach James "Doc" Counsilman. In 1971 he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology. He competed for Canada at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and the 1972 Munich Olympics, and won multiple medals at the 1966 Commonwealth and 1967 and 1971 Pan-Am Games. He is a member of the Canadian Swimming, the BC Sports and the Swim BC Halls of Fame.

In 1972, Ron retired from competitive swimming and turned to coaching. In Vancouver, he was head coach for the Arbutus Swim Club and founded the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club. Ron was head coach with the Hyack Swim Club from 1974-1984. He arrived in Victoria in 1984 as head coach of the Victoria Amateur Swim Club. He helped establish Island Swimming in 1988, and was Director of Swimming for Island Swimming and Island National Swim Center (INSC) until 2002.  Since 2002 he has been Director of Swimming for Pacific Coast Swimming. Since November 2005, he is also the SNC Canadian National Open Water Coach.

He is a National High Performance Coach and was selected to the 1996 and 2000 Olympic and 2004 & 2008 Paralympic Games (unfortunately, he was unable to attend the 2008 Paralympics) and 2006 IPC Swimming Championships staff. He has also coached for Canada at numerous World Aquatic Championships, Commonwealth, Pan-Pacific (including as Head Coach in 1993) and Pan-American Games.

Ron has produced finalists or semi-finalists at every Olympic Games 1976-2004, coached two Olympians to Bronze medals (Shannon Smith and Pam Rai), and coached two World Champion Open Water swimmers (Kim Dyke - 1993 Open Water World Cup Series Champion and Greg Streppel - 1994 World Open Water Champion).  He has trained many of Canada's top swimmers, including Olympians-Paralympians Stephanie Dixon (multiple Paralympic medalist and World Record Holder), Christin Petelski (1996 & 2000 Olympic Games finalist), Nathan O'Brien (2004 Athens Olympics semi-finalist), Rick Say (Olympic Games finalist), Nikki Dryden, Wayne Kelly and Jon Kelly; Commonwealth Games athletes Danielle Bell, John Stamhuis, Philip Weiss, Suzanne Weckend, Dino Verbrugge and Anne Barnes; and FINA World Aquatics Championship Open Water competitors David Creel and Karley Stutzel.

[thanks to the BC Sports Hall of Fame for early biography]