25 Years of Coaching Excellence at NKB

Celebrating Coach Scott's 25 Years of Coaching Excellence at NKB
July 12, 2025

Please join us as we raise a cheer to one of the most dedicated, impactful, and occasionally pink-accessorized coaches the Barracudas have known, Coach Scott! Twenty-five years at one club is an extraordinary testament to loyalty, passion, and enduring excellence, so we celebrate both the legacy he's building and the momentum he is leading with into the remarkable years still to come.

Coach Scott has been a steadfast force leading NKB's growth and transformation. He works with the community to build relationships and build new pools. He is deeply committed to staying current with the ever-evolving world of swimming, engages with the latest research, and collaborates with peers both at home and across the country. Coach Scott keeps a close eye on trends in technique, training science, and athlete development. He remains current on advancements in swimwear and swim technology. He continually adapts his approach to dryland training and whole-athlete development, recognizing that success in the pool starts with strength, balance, and well-being far beyond the pool's edge. He's even navigated the pause and pivot of a global pandemic to find Olympic success. Through it all, his leadership has always resulted in new ways to inspire, create connections, and move NKB forward.

But the swimmers - his swimmers - the Mighty Barracudas. Only they know the actual impact Coach Scott has had, and it doesn't matter if he was inspiring the love of swimming in his earliest grassroots swimmers or guiding athletes onto the Olympic stage. He does it all with heart, humour, needed tough love, and a relentless belief in every swimmer's potential.

Scott's résumé boasts head coaching roles not just with NKB but with regional teams, Team Ontario, and Team Canada. It is littered with accolades, honours, and medals. However, it's the personal milestones he's helped swimmers reach that speak most to the impact he has had. One athlete reflected on learning "the profound importance of empathy and adaptability when interacting with others," a skill they credited to Scott's unwavering patience in answering their endless questions after practice (even when it was the same question… every single day). Scott's ability to meet people where they are emotionally, mentally, physically, and yes, repeatedly, leaves a lasting impression on those he coaches.

Whether you were one of his 10&U rookies or swimming your first 400 IM under his watchful eye, an athlete chasing your first national cut or someone who survived his gruelling training camps because they were punctuated with games and adventure, you also knew Scott's secret weapon: he makes excellence fun. And personal. Just ask a Barracuda how we ended up with a pink! In our logo. 

The impact he leaves on his athletes carries well beyond their time at the pool with him. Alumni are regularly popping up at the Nepean Sportsplex to say "Hi Coach Scott!" give updates on life, and in some cases introduce their children, aka the next generation of Barracudas, for him to coach. He's even inspired many to return to the pool deck as coaches themselves, continuing the ripple effect. And so perhaps it's these people who can share best about Coach Scott.

Please take a moment to look back at Scott's past 25 years. Click on this Video link to see the pictures and hear their stories.  

Thank you, Coach Scott.

Your dedication has not only shaped champions but has shaped the very spirit of NKB. Here's to you — and to the shared pursuit of excellence that defines us all.

💚🩷🖤 #MightyBarracudas