Leanne Sirup

Gary VanderMeulen: great teacher of balancing discipline and fun
Bruce Clarke: taught me that planning is very much the key to furthering success
Dano Thorne: excellent teacher and example of patience and of how effective few words can be.

Head Coach Aboriginal Team BC: Swimming @ NAIG 2006
Head Coach Cowichan Aquannis Masters Swimmers 2002 - present
Head Coach and Director of Swimming Cowichan Stseelhtun Swim Club 2004 - present

I very much believe in the development of the athlete as an individual. 
You can only train the physical side of the athletes so much before the one sided attention creates an imbalance within the other facets of the person.
Only when the whole individual is addressed, I believe we can then achieve success.

I cannot think of one particular instance that stands out as my greatest achievement as a coach.  What does come to mind though are those small victories as coaches we get from those who are lacking in confidence ~ for whatever reason ~ and you are able to help guide them in their development.  It is such a reward to aid in one's personal growth. 

Positive reinforcement and illustrations to teach and refine new skills.  Likening something new with something already known makes it much easier for the swimmer to comprehend and then perform.

As a general rule, I encourage all my swimmers to have interests outside of the pool.  It is not uncommon that one of my swimmers will proudly show their '200 nights of reading' ribbon that they have earned.  Or tell me in great detail how their most recent Dance Recital went or excitedly show their achievement of a New Belt in Kung Fu. 
Each person has numerous interests and I strongly believe that each should develop those interests to help them become stronger and more diverse as individuals.

NAIG 2006
Age Group Nationals 2003
Team Aquatic Sports BC Championships 2002, 2003, 2004
Masters Swimming Canada National Championships 2005
Masters Swimming BC Provincial Championships 2002 - 2006

As a coach, the achievements that I am most proud of is when one of my swimmers has achieved one of their lofty goals and they personally are proud of the accomplishment.  To see their perseverance and determination come together to that one moment of pure elation: nothing makes me more proud. 

"maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses"