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Coaches

Director of Swimming

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]

Peter Vizsolyi

Technical Director, Vikes Coach

pvizsolyi@pacificcoastswimming.com

Peter is a medical doctor with a Diploma in Sports Medicine; he has been the Head Coach of the University of Victoria Vikes swim program since 1983. He holds academic appointments at both UVic and UBC, and has been an NCI Master Coach since the Institute was founded in 1986.

Peter was the Chair of Swimming for the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games Society (VCGS), was one of the people primarily responsible for organizing swimming events at the Victoria Commonwealth Games and a powerful advocate behind planning and building Saanich Commonwealth Place as a High Performance centre. He was also on the VCGS Board of Governors and Medical Committees.

Peter helped establish Island Swimming in 1988, and was Technical Director for both Island Swimming and the Island National Swim Center (INSC) until 2002. Since 2002 he has been Technical Director for the University of Victoria - Pacific Coast Swimming Association. He has also been a Vice-President of the Canadian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association since 2000 and sits on several Swimming-Natation Canada (SNC) Committees.

As an athlete, Peter was a National finalist. He had the opportunity of swimming under several of Canada's greatest coaches and has been able to utilize these experiences in developing his own approach to coaching. He has been recognized for coaching excellence by Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIAU/CIS) Association, the Canadian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association, and SNC. He was CIAU Co-Coach of the Year in 1988 and 1998, was 2003 FISU World University Games Canadian Head Coach, and has represented Canada on several other occasions.

Peter has coached twenty-one international athletes who competed under the Vikes swim banner. Team members have won over 200 National and International medals, and Vikes athletes have included Commonwealth, Pan-Am, Pan-Pac and Olympic medalists.

Rod Barratt

Director of Athlete Development, B-Group Coach

rbarratt@pacificcoastswimming.com

Rod is the Pacific Coast Swimming Director of Athlete Development, and one of its founding coaches. He is currently B-Group coach, and Varsity Assistant coach. He is an NCCP Level II/III coach. Rod has been recognized for coaching excellence by Swim BC, the BC Swim Coaches Association, and Canadian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association. He received a National Domestic Excellence in Coaching Award in 2003 and 2004. And was the recipient of Coaching Bursaries through swim BC and SNC in 2015 and 2017. Rod has sought mentorship opportunites with coaches in England(2015), Denmark(2017) He is a past instructor with the NCCP Swimming 101 and Community Coaching programs.

He was awarded the Swim BC 14-15 coaching staff of the year in 2017, 16 and 15 and Swim BC 13-14 year old Coach of the Year for 2013, 2010, 2005, 2002 and 1997. He was also head coach for the 2004-2005 Swim BC Provincial Age-Group and Prospects Team both Short Course and Long Course seasons. Coach of over 70 Provincial Record setters in BC and Alberta, and 10 National Age Group Record setters.

Rod swam competitively to the Youth National level in Manitoba. As a coach, he worked his way west to British Columbia from Manitoba and Alberta. From 1984-1986 Rod was with the Manitoba Marlins Swim Club as assistant and then head coach. He was head age-group coach and elite age-group coach for the University of Calgary Swim Club from 1987-1992, and then head coach at the Red Deer Catalina Swim Club from 1992-1996. During these years he was twice recipient of the Alberta Coaches' Council Outstanding Contribution to Coaching Award (1991, 1994). Rod then became head age group coach at Island Swimming/VASC, from 1996 to 2002. Since 2002 he has coached with Pacific Coast Swimming, developing swimmers to Provincial and National levels of competition, and as well, coordinating a very successful Elementary School Swim Program 2002-2014 before passing it on to other staff.

Rod was on the Board of the BC Swim Coaches Association from 1998-2002, serving as President from 2000 until 2002; as its President, Rod represented the Coaches Association on the Swim BC Board of Directors. Outside British Columbia, he has served on the Boards of the Canadian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association (1995-1997) and Swim Alberta (1994-1996), and chaired the Alberta Coaches Association and Alberta Open Water Swim Committee (1994-1996). Also while in Alberta, Rod was women's coach on the 1992 Canadian Youth Eight Nationals team and observation coach to the 1995 European Championships. He was named head coach of the 1996 Alberta Canada Games Team - except he moved to British Columbia - our gain! In 2015 Rod was selected as the Women's coach for Swim BC's Western Canada Games team. Both the women's and men's teams won their competitions. In 2017 Rod was selected to coach the BC Women's Canada Games team and coached 3 athletes onto the team.

Rod's swimmers have achieved as Provincial, Youth, Junior and Senior National finalists and medalists, and International Youth Team members and medalists.

He believes that swimming is a grounding for life and the character development that happens while you are in Pacific Coast Swimming is integral to the life you will lead. Rod is an active outdoor pursuant in climbing and sea kayaking.

Mark Lancaster

General Manager, C-Group Coach

mlancaster@pacificcoastswimming.com

Mark is the PCS General Manager and Development Coach, and one of its founding coaches. He is an NCCP Level III/IV coach and a graduate of the National Coaching Institute of Victoria. In addition to C-group coaching and PCS management duties, Mark coordinates PCS development programs at Saanich Commonwealth Place, the University of Victoria, Gordon Head and Sooke Recreation Centres. He also manages the University of Victoria Summer Swim Camps.

Rumour has it that Mark swam competitively in the British Columbia Interior. He was head coach for the Cranbrook Triton Swim Club from 1982 to 1987. He then moved to Victoria and became head age-group coach for VASC (1988-1990), after which he was head coach for the Coho Swim Club (1990-2002); he was also General Manager of the Island Swimming Association from 1998-2002. Since 2002, Mark has coached with Pacific Coast Swimming, developing swimmers to Provincial and Club National levels. In addition, Mark has coordinated Victoria Open Water competitions at Thetis Lake and the Gorge for many years.

Mark's swimmers have achieved Regional, Provincial and National Age-Group rankings and standards. Many of those swimmers have gone on to achieve national and international success.

Ryan Clouston

Vikes Coach, Senior Assistant Coach

rclouston@pacificcoastswimming.com

Assistant coach Ryan Clouston moved to Victoria at the age of six and began swimming competivley at the age of of 10. The Winnipeg native continued to swim competitively until the age of 18 before joining the University of Victoria Vikes swim team. Clouston's varsity swimming career spanned five years while he completed an undergraduate degree in physics. He also coached lightning fast levels 3-5 on a part time basis during this time.

Clouston retired from competitive swimming following his five-year career and began his studies towards a Master's Degree in Ocean Physics at UVic. He was subsequently hired as the assistant head coach at UVic in the fall of 2010, a position he holds to this day. Additionally, Clouston has worked closely with Ron Jacks of Pacific Coast Swimming as an assistant coach and is a qualified NCCP Fundamentals coach.

In 2013, Clouston received a grant from the Canadian Swimming Coaches & Teachers Association (CSCTA) that enabled him to coach at various international open-water swim competitions during the summer.

David Creel

B-Group Coach

dcreel@pacificcoastswimming.com

Coaching B-Group National Development at Saanich Commonwealth Place.

I swam for 17 years and loved pretty much every minute of it! I swam to the World Championships in Open Water swimming. Swimming enabled me to travel the world and meet so many friends. I would love to Pay it forward! My other interests are Scuba diving, water sports, and being outdoors. Call (250-588-6720) or e-mail me before 3 p.m or after 8 p.m.

Catalina Manders

D-Group Coach, LFSS Coach

cmanders@pacificcoastswimming.com

This is Catalina’s first year coaching for PCS. She swam competitively for 12 years with the Campbell River Killer Whales and has had the pleasure of coaching for two years. A recent graduate from the French Immersion program at Carihi Secondary, Catalina looks forward to her time in Victoria. She loves working with kids of all ages and seeing them improve over the course of a season.

Conner Milligan

D-Group Coach

cmilligan@pacificcoastswimming.com

After swimming for six years himself, this will be Connor's fourth year of coaching, though it is the first at PCS. In the past he has coached everything from swim schools to masters groups. He is currently attending second year at UVic with the intention of completing their Kinesiology program. Living and working in Campbell River for the last ten years, he is looking forward to the new challenges and opportunities this club will present him. Connor comes to PCS having coached some of the best 10 & Unders in the province over that past couple seasons!

Dayna Eldridge

D-Group Coach

My name is Dayna Eldridge, I swam competitively in Ottawa for GO Kingfish for 10 years and have been coaching for various teams for over 5 years now. I’m currently studying at UVic in my second year and I’m very excited to be coaching again for PCS.

Courtney Northrup

D-Group Coach

Courtney has been coaching with PCS for two years, starting with the Lightning Fast Program, and now coaching D group, and working with the School FAST program. A retired competitive swimmer, originally from Yellowknife, NWT, Courtney has been involved with the world of swimming either as an athlete or a coach for about 20 years.