Coaches

Head Coach

Gord Emmerson

Gord is the long time Head Coach of the Ernestown Barracuda Swim Club, of approx. 100 swimmers.

He is a certified coach with Swim Ontario and Swim Canada. 

Under Gord’s guidance, swimmers have consistently qualified for Ontario and National Championships, and many have represented Ontario and Canada on Provincial and National Teams. A number of Gord’s swimmers have also achieved Provincial records.

Assistant Coaches

Dirk Helmstaedt

Dirk grew up right here in Kingston, and got started in competitive swimming from a very early age. After a successful age group careerthat included a stint as ranked number one in the country, Dirk moved out west to study at the University of Calgary and to swim for the Dinos. By the time Dirk was done his degree in Kinesiology he would have national level U Sport medals to his name, numerous team championship wins, and an appearance at the Olympic Trials.

Dirk then started on the road that would eventually lead him to a near 20-year career as a City of Calgary Firefighter. This career would see Dirk instruct many different aspects of emergency work, including Swift Water Rescue, Emergency Jetboat Operations, and Dive Rescue and Recovery. Retiring as a Captain in 2020, Dirk and his family embarked on a three-year sailing journey that took them to many different countries, through the Panama Canal, and across the Equator…twice. When the sailing journey ended, Dirk returned to Kingston after having been away for 30 years.

This return home also saw him come back to one of his first passions: swimming! Dirk started coaching with EBSC in January of 2025 after renewing his coaching certifications. Dirk has an “athlete first” mentality when it comes to coaching, and although he draws on
decades of past swimming experience, he also believes that some “new school” thinking is important when it comes to coaching today’s
athletes.

Margaret Dunn

Margaret is a lifelong swimmer. Starting her swimming career as an 11 year old,  Margaret swam with

 the Trenton D

olphins then KBM until she was 18, before attending Queen’s University and Seneca Collage. 

Margaret is a certified coach with Swim Canada, and was the Head Coach of the Kingston Sharks Swim Team from 2002 until 2005, before coaching with EBSC. Margaret enjoys coaching swimmers of all ages and abilities.

Margaret’s dad, Tom Dunn was also a long time Swim Meet Referee for Eastern Ontario.

Margaret continues to swim and train for triathlons.

Sam Mastell-Marr

From Edmonton, Alberta Coach Sam has been coaching swimmers aged 5 to Masters for the past 9 years. She swam competitively up until High School and now attends Queen's University where she is the President of the Sailing Team. 

After she receives her Bachelor's Degree, Sam will be getting her Master's in Coaching and Sport Performance. Currently, she is in the process of getting her coaching Level 2 while focusing on expanding on the USRPT method in her coaching. 

She is very excited to be back for another great swim season! Please never hesitate to reach out to her if you have any questions.

Lauren Banks

Coach Lauren is from EBSC’s hometown of Amherstview and swam competitively with EBSC for six years. During her last year of swimming, she became a Level 1 certified coach and started coaching the Junior and Gold Barracuda’s. Lauren is also a Head Instructor at the YMCA, as well as at the Beaver Lake swim program. Lauren has her LSI, making her eligible to teach higher level Bronze swim courses.

Lauren is in her second year at Queen’s for the Concurrent Education program, in hopes of becoming a high school math and biology teacher. She has always wanted to be a teacher and really enjoys getting to work with all the different age groups on the team. 

Lauren is excited to be back coaching after taking a year off during her first year of university and cannot wait to see what the new swim season brings!

Emily Coens

Coach Emily has been a part of Ernestown Barracuda Swim Club long before she started coaching with the team this season. Emily swam competitively with EBSC for about 10 years and previously coached alongside Coach Gord during her final years on the team. During her years of swimming, she took the opportunity to become a Level 1 certified coach and hopes to continue to learn and grow as a swim coach this year.

Emily has received her Bachelor’s degree at UOttawa and will be attending Queen’s in the fall for her Master’s in Occupational Therapy. In her free time she loves to hike, spend time with her friends and family, and swim.

She is thrilled to be back on the pool deck with her home team and cannot wait for a great swim season ahead! If you have any questions for her, don’t be afraid to ask.