Welcome to new Head Coach, Sam Barkwell!

Hello swim families,

We hope you are all enjoying your summer and getting ready to cheer on our Canada Summer Games competitors soon.

We are excited to announce that Sam Barkwell will be joining us as Head Coach! Here’s a brief introduction from Coach Sam:

Sam Barkwell has been involved in the sport of swimming since 2005 - first as an athlete, growing up training and racing in Southern Ontario, enjoying success at the provincial and national level before beginning his coaching career at his childhood club in 2015. 

Over his time in coaching, Barkwell has had the privilege of developing his craft at all levels in the sport, from directing learn-to-swim programs to working alongside high performance and USports varsity athletes.

Sam has previously coached in Hamilton, ON and Vancouver, BC - before more recently serving as the Head Coach in Salmon Arm, BC, and Fredericton, NB. Sam's holistic, people-over-performance approach to coaching leadership has led to rapid growth of enrolment in both of his head coaching stints, as well as making meaningful strides in high performance success, working in partnership with athletes to break provincial and national records and even qualify athletes for international teams. 

Sam brings his passion for personal and athletic development to the pool deck each day, with a focus on personal relationship building and understanding each athlete's unique goals to better serve them in their pursuits in and out of sport. 

In his spare time, Sam loves spending time outdoors with his 2 dogs, Max and Chloe, and he is a die-hard fan of his hometown Hamilton Tiger-Cats. 

Sam will be moving to Yellowknife with his 2 dogs and is actively looking for accommodations. Please spread the word and keep an eye out for any suitable accommodation options. You can reach him here if you find something: [email protected]

Please give a warm Polar Bear welcome to Sam and we are looking forward to getting into this upcoming season!