OTTAWA – Swimming Canada has announced the members of the 2016-17 Select Coaches Group.

The candidates were chosen based off of their outstanding applications, their ability to coach swimmers to “On Track Times” and/or have coached on a national team at the youth, junior or senior level. Since 2015, the eight selected coaches have led 13 different swimmers to Canadian national teams.

Each coach will be financially supported to visit a mentor coach who will provide them with a valuable learning opportunity relevant to their coaching situation. A focus will be placed on peer learning environments, with each coach preparing a written report and a 20-30 minute presentation detailing their experience that will be shared with the whole group.

In addition, the selected coaches will attend the FINA Gold Medal Clinic in Windsor, Ont., and witness elite competition during the first two days of the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in December.

“We once again had a very strong group of applicants,” said Iain McDonald, Senior Manager of High Performance Coaches and Centres. “The group we have selected stood out and are positioned to greatly benefit from this experience.”

The Select Coaches program, now in its third year, plays a significant role in Swimming Canada’s mission to be amongst the world’s leading swimming nations by 2020.

“Swimming Canada is committed to providing development opportunities for our coaches,” McDonald said, “and we focused on producing a steady stream of Canadian high performance coaches capable of coaching swimmers to international success.

“The Select Coach Group is a key component of this strategy.”

The following coaches have been named to the 2016-17 Select Coaches Group:

Abderrahamane Tissira – Regina Optimist Dolphin Swim Club, Regina, SK

Bill O’Toole – Toronto Swim Club, Toronto, ON

Brad Dingey – CSI-Pacific NextGen Swimming Program, Victoria BC

Brian Johns – UBC Dolphins, Vancouver BC

Chris Stone – Halifax Trojan Swim Club, Halifax NS

Robert Novak – Markham Aquatic Club, Markham, ON

Rob Pettifer – Richmond Rapids, Richmond BC

Tina Hoeben – KISU Swim Club, Penticton, BC