Coaching Team

David Vine - Head Coach

david_vineQualifications

  • Club Coach Qualification Level 3
  • Swim England Coach 2024 Programme 2018/2019
  • Swim England Level 2 Award in British Open Water Swimming
  • BSc (Hons) Science, Health, Exercise and Sport
  • BSc (Hons) Psychology
  • British Weightlifting Association Level 1
  • NRASTC- National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches
  • Personal Coaching History

I started coaching at 15 at Wycombe Swimming club when I was dragged down to poolside to help with squads, and I have been involved in coaching ever since. I took my first full time role at City of Cardiff in 2005 as the Assistant Head Coach before making the move to Leatherhead Swimming Club in 2009 to take on the Head Coach role.

Some of my recent coaching achievements include.

  • County Head Coach 2017 and 2018
  • Regional Head Coach (South-East) 2019
  • Swim England Coach Phase 2 Camp 2017 and 2018
  • Swim England Junior Team – FFM Golden Tour Nice – 2019
  • Selection to the UK Coaching Focus Program 2022/2023
  • Selection to Dubai for the Swim England DiSE program 2023
  • Member of the Southeast Coaches Forum – Since July 2016

Other Interests

I am a creative person, so I enjoy an activity that gets the mind working in this way. Spending as much time with my family as possible. I love to bake and will often be in the kitchen with my free time cooking up some new fun bakes for the family (and sometimes for the swimmers!)

Ambitions

To continue to deliver a programme that allows all swimmers to reach their potential and create an environment that enables swimmers to reach the highest levels. To ensure that we have an environment that both challenges and supports all swimmers in the programme.

Gordon Dart - Lead Coach Senior Performance 2

Well after not only being the youngest and best looking coach Reading Swimming Club has I have years of experience and this is the start of my 27th Season with Reading! Qualified to Swim England Level 2 Coach level and having started at Reading under the tutelage of the late Harry Wild I was eventually given my own squad by Chief Coach Tony Woodward and the rest is history as they say.

I have coached many swimmers to County, Regional and National level and disability swimmer to National and International medal standard.

I have held many positions in Swimming such as National Performance Director for Down Syndrome Swimming GB, Lead Swim England South East Para Coach, Regional Para Board Member Swim England South East, Chairman of Reading Cygnets and Reading Swimming Club Executive Committee Member.

If you have not been bored reading this then join the team and remember #Peoplebeforepermormance is true and not just a strap line!

Paul Hancock - Reading Water Polo Captain/Secretary/Match Organiser and Asst. Junior Coach

I joined Reading Swimming club in Sept 1974 and have been a member ever since - 48 years and counting!

Started as a swimmer and my first race for Reading was in Central pool (when the pool was 33 yds long) a 100yd race.

But got bored of lengths and early morning sessions and was recruited by my swimming/polo coach into the water polo squad.

Played Water polo for Reading (and some other clubs) ever since, in the local (London) league, in the national league and internationally (as a junior).

Also represented Berkshire in the Water Polo county championships.

Still playing water polo for Reading in the London League Division 1.

Been on the Reading Swimming club Exec committee for approx. 15 years as Water Polo Rep.

Restarted the Reading junior water polo section 2 years ago and now heavily involved with it's running and organisation (with the junior coach).

Started my water polo coaching qualification to assist the coaching of the juniors and to be able to give back some of my skills etc to the juniors.

Desperately want to get water polo back to Reading, to ensure Reading swimmers have the opportunity to see and try water polo, especially if they are getting disillusioned with swimming, or want to get involved in a great team sport and want to keep swimming and fit.

Antony Julian - Lead Coach Junior Performance

I am an ASA Level 3 Coach and have been with RSC since May 2022.

I have been teaching swimming since 1982, and started coaching in the 90’s.

I coached with BWSC in the Competitive strand, then moved to Hart swimming club as the Assistant Head Coach and was the Head Coach for two years.

BWSC asked me to come back to them to coach in their performance strand and I was there until COVID hit.

I have taught everyone from parent and toddlers groups through Counties, Regionals, Nationals and Masters World Champions, including swimmers with Special Needs.

I currently teach Food Technology and Swimming at Dove House School (A Special Needs School) in Basingstoke.

My sporting first Love is Judo, In my youth (many years ago!!) I was a Rhodesian and Zimbabwean judo champion, I represented my country in many International tournaments and was chosen to represent Zimbabwe at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which unfortunately was boycotted for political reasons.

Jess Brooks - Lead Coach Master

Leah Cohen - Lead Coach Development 1

To be updated

Cat Holmes - Lead Coach Development 2

To be updated

Jacqui Taylor - Lead Coach Development 3

Qualifications: ASA Assistant Club Coach (equivalent to ASA UKCC Level 2) Swimming, ASA UKCC Level 2 Teaching Aquatics, ASA Swimming Judge Level 2 and ASA UKCC Level 1 Teaching Synchronised Swimming.

After learning to swim at the age of 5, I swam competitively for various clubs in the London area, representing the London Borough of Croydon and the county of Surrey as well as Surrey Schools from the age of 9 until a cartilage injury at the age of 15 forced me to give up the sport. Backstroke was the first Southern Counties (district) event that I qualified for, but, when everyone else my age started to become taller than me, I switched to fly and IM! I returned to swimming in my twenties when I started teaching and coaching at Hitchin SC, then took on my own development squad at Bracknell SC. I was involved with Reading SC from 2001 - 2011, as lead coach for the link squad which formed the entry point for swimmers moving from the club's teaching programme to its competitive squads and as part of the teaching programme based at various venues around Reading. From 2009 - 2011 I was Reading SC's Swim 21 co-ordinator and workforce co-ordinator, arranging swim meets and co-ordinating volunteers to man events, qualifying as a judge level 2 in 2011. Best moments in swimming are hard to choose, but have to include passing an open water bronze medallion lifesaving award, despite having one leg in a plaster cast, working with ‘MyGames’ volunteers at the International Disability Championships in Sheffield in April 2011, watching synchronised swimmers that I had helped to coach as juniors compete for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics and returning to Reading in 2022 to coach the entry level squads again!

Jenny ‘JT’ Taylor - Lead Coach Development 4

To be updated