Swimming club welcomes new coach

A new head coach has taken the reins of the Gunnedah swimming club, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise in swim teaching and coaching.

Colin Marley is a highly qualified swimming coach whose coaching career spans more than a decade.

Possessing a passion for developing swimmers and competitive performance, Colin has worked with children and adults while focusing on learn to swim programs, stroke correction and competitive squad training at an international level.

Colin’s coaching career began while living in Fiji in 2008 and volunteering with his daughter’s learn to swim program. He eventually came under the tutelage of Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) coach Cindy Adair who was rolling out coaching, technical official, learn to swim and water safety courses at the request of national governing body Fiji Swimming.

Keen to take his coaching experience further, Colin progressed from a learn to swim teacher to squad coach at Suva’s Tritons Swim Club where he specialised in squad training, technique development and stroke correction.

Colin went on to coach two swimmers on the Fiji national team, including his daughter who swam at the Oceanic swimming championships and another swimmer who later represented Fiji at the Commonwealth Games and 2016 and 2021 Olympics.

In 2014, Colin returned to Australia for work and family reasons. He served as a swim coach across all levels at several facilities in the Hunter area, with his latest teaching and coaching position at Maitland Aquatic Centre.

Colin also coached a group of 15 adult triathletes training for the Port Ironman in 2019 and 2020.

Moving to Gunnedah this year to be closer to family, Colin has dived into the head coach role at Swimming Gunnedah with enthusiasm and a desire to share his knowledge of guiding swimmers from beginner to advanced levels.

Colin has taken over from former coach John Hickey, who has moved on after eight years of committed service and success with the club.

Colin said no child should specialise in a particular stroke, while all children should learn to swim 200m Individual Medley.

“I’m pedantic on technique,” Colin said.

“I believe kids can be fast when they’re juniors because they’ve had a growth spurt compared to other kids, but over time, a child who has good technique will always come out ahead.

“I’m also passionate about incorporating drill work and technical skills like how you come off the wall, so that you eventually do everything without thinking and develop muscle memory.

“We do a lot of drill work with all facets of stroke and the individual parts of stroke like arms or good head position and other drills specific to kicking.

“We also work on the kids’ cardio fitness and race specifics like dives, turns and streamlines.”

Colin said one of the most important things when coaching was making sure the children enjoy swimming and have fun, as well as ensuring they engage.

“Swimming training is hard enough, looking at a black line, so if you can incorporate things the kids will enjoy and give them challenges, they can get on board and set about achieving them,” he said.

“It’s also about getting them to understand they may not always win races, but the target is to look at personal best (PB) times and set realistic PBs for short, medium and long term.”

Developing a good club ethic was also identified as an important driver, and ensuring the older children support and encourage the younger swimmers.

Colin is quickly embracing the Gunnedah club, and said it was a young squad he was keen to develop.

“My aim is to help the kids progress to achieve the best they can,” he said.

“That might be a race in the school swimming carnival or getting a National Age time.

“I get a real kick when seeing the kids get out of the pool with a big smile on their face and seeing what they’ve achieved.”

Colin’s dedication to the sport and his depth of experience make him a valuable asset to the Gunnedah club with his passion for swimming spanning across all levels.

“To me swimming is a life skill,” Colin said.

“A lot of swimmers that stop, come back to the sport.

“Once you’ve developed that ability to swim and swim reasonably efficiently, it’s something that stays with you forever.

“I think kids that engage in swimming training on average do better in life. It encourages them to multi-skill, multi-task and it creates a lot of opportunities with schools, scholarships and universities.”

Swimming Gunnedah president Louise Whitton thanked John for his service to the club and has welcomed Colin aboard.

“Colin comes highly recommended and accredited for the role,” Louise said.

“I would also like to thank the committee during this time of change and members for supporting the change.”

Colin’s qualifications also extend to pool management and lifeguarding.

He holds multiple certifications including AUSTSWIM accreditation as a teacher of swimming and water safety, competitive stroke teaching and a Swim Australia Foundation coach.