Coaching Team
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Bill Penny: Chief Coach
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About Bill A Kiwi who hails from New Zealand's North Island, Bill is one of the most experienced high performance coaches operating in Britain today. Over five decades he has coached 60 junior and senior international swimmers and his swimmers have competed at international games at all levels, including the Olympics. Bill has a remarkable, durable and consistent record; he has guided swimmers to international status in each of the five decades in which he has been coaching. During his time as a club coach, Bill turned Beckenham into one of the most successful competitive swimming clubs in the country. Bill joined Atlantis as Head Coach from the Glasgow School of Sport, which he helped to establish and where he directed the School's swimming programme. Since Bill joined Atlantis in 2005, the club has gone from strength to strength. In 2009 Bill guided to national qualifying times an Atlantis record of four swimmers. To read more about Bill's remarkable life in swimming click here |
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John Eamer: Lead Coach, Penguins & Seals Squads
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About John John swam competitively between the ages of 11 and 16. He competed for Eltham Swimming Club and Crawley, because in those days Horsham had no indoor pool. He was a backstroker and in the early 1970s was a Sussex County backstroke age group champion and also competed at the Regional Championships. He came close to achieving a national time. He got sucked into helping poolside and coaching when his two daughters started swimming with the club and has been involved in this capacity with Atlantis for 14 years, making John our longest-serving coach. Over this period John has attained ASA Level 2 teaching/coaching qualifications. John has focused mainly on coaching our novice swimmers and today the Penguins and Seals. John says that the biggest buzz for him in working with our least experienced swimmers is seeing the big improvements that can be made over relatively short periods. He also takes great pride in seeing swimmers he has coached - like Katy and Cam - come through and go on to great things. So his advice to young swimmers is "don't get demoralised by your early experiences - swimming is a long-term business" "How do you eat an elephant?" he asks intriguingly. The answer? "In small stages!" He thinks young swimmers should approach their sporting development with the same mind-set. He is also a great believer in the opportunities that swimming creates to make great friendships and stresses how important it is for swimmers to help motivate each other. Wise words indeed.
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Andy Lobley: Deputy Head Coach
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About Andy L I've been involved with Atlantis since my daughter joined the club 4 years ago. It didn't take long for me to be drawn poolside. Since then I've taken my ASA Level 1 Teaching and Coaching, ASA Level 1 Coaching and ASA Level 2 Coaching Awards. I start my Level 3 Coaching Course in Jan 2011 and will be working hard to achieve this in the next 12 months. I am also the Team Manager for the club which involves Open Meets, Galas and squad training sessions. I have to say being a part of Atlantis is very rewarding and we have a great bunch of swimmers here. My love of triathlons means I am also a member of the Masters' Squad, although I tend to swim in the mornings on my own as time doesn’t allow for evening swimming, and the guys in the morning are way too fast for me. I'm a very competitive person and I love to see swimmers' reach their targets something as a club we are getting very used to. Long may this continue and keep up the great work everyone at Atlantis. |
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Hilding Kallman: Lead Coach Club & Masters Squads
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About Hilding
"Hilding, otherwise known to swimmers as H, or Mr H. I became involved from watching my two daughters start smimming from an early stage with Penguins at Lancing College with Linette Wheeler. They started as 4 year olds and progressed over 6 years. Therafter we joined Brighton Dolphins where I first started coaching and also joined the committee. We joined Atlantis five years ago and have helped my wife Lorraine doing Gala Secretary duties. I am currently in the process of gaining Level 2 coaching accreditation. I am now coaching at Atlantis with various squads and assist at Steyning and Billingshurst on leave relief. I am also qualified as ASA time keeper. I have served on the Atlantis committee for 5 years". |
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Sam Stocker: Land Training Coach
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About Sam
"When my eldest daughter joined Atlantis in October 2008, little did I know how consumed I would become with swimming! I've always had a passion for competitive sports and liked the all-inclusive nature of the club and rapidly caught the 'bug'. Most weekends became dominated by early mornings, T bags (with badges) and PBs! I even signed up for the Masters as a way of becoming more fully involved! I have been a fitness professional for over 15 years and hold internationally recognised fitness qualifications. I jumped at the chance to the lead the Club's Land Training Programme, which started in the New Year 2009, with 2 sessions a week. The physical development of the swimmers has been fantastic! The most rewarding aspect is watching the way the Land Training Squad has bonded as a team. They support each other in training and competitions and forge friendships based on shared experiences and a desire continually to improve. Tip: do your best and focus on your technique".
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Steve Barton: Steyning Coach
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About Steve Steve's love of swimming came from his mother, herself a good swimmer. He competed in free and back for his school - St. George's Walthamstow in East London (close to today's Olympic Park) - competitive swimming clubs were thin on the ground in those days. He recalls rising early to go and swim 3 or 4 times a week in summer at 6am in the local, open-air, Whipps Cross Lido. Steve admits that he was a more natural cross country runner - he competed at county level - than a swimmer. Like many others Steve was tempted poolside when his daughter Sarah started 9 years ago swimming with Atlantis. His temptor was Roy Pennington. Steve says that breast and fly are the most technically difficult strokes to teach - "all the component parts have to come together in just the right way". 90% of his work is technique work with the younger swimmers, rather than speed and stamina work, though he likes variety and the opportunity to take the top lanes at Steyning of bronze, silver and gold squad swimmers. He gets a buzz from seeing swimmers, who may not necessarily be the most naturally gifted, who through sheer grit, determination and perserverance come through in the end. They have great mental toughness he says. He advises parents to let their children decide for themselves what they want out of swimming. "To succeed at any sport, the athletes have to not just like what they do, but to love it". Steve has his ASA coaching level 1 and is in the process of completing Level 2.
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John Stebbings: Coach
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About John John's links with Atlantis go back longer than any other coach. He started swimming with the club as a youngster 27 years ago! In his late teens he endured a serious injury, which meant he was not able to swim for an extended period. He was encouraged by Anne Geale, now our President, to take his coaching badges. John is a fully accredited club coach having attained a standard that is equivalent to the current ASA Coaching Level 3. For a period after Bill's predecessor left the club, John stepped in to be acting head coach of the club. John continues to swim as much as a young family will allow and takes the Sunday evening session at the Pavilions. |
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Roy Pennington: Coach
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About Roy Roy has been helping poolside for 12 years from the time his son and daughter started training with Atlantis. He is an ASA Level 2 teacher. He has also done - and continues to fulfil - numerous roles in the club. He has served as chairman and oversaw the move of Atlantis into its new Pavilions base; he was also the chairman who brought Bill - an international coach - to the club. Today Roy organises all Atlantis meets, as well as serving on the committee as our Vice-President. He also takes specialist sessions on starts and turns. He is also renowned for finishing off his sessions with some hard-fought relays!
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Becky Harrison: Assistant Penguins & Seals Coach |
About Becky I started swimming at Northgate Swimming Club at the age of 6 and swam for them for almost 20 years. The highlights of my swimming career were representing Division 6 at the English School Championships where I swam 200 IM against Zara Long (Coached by Bill!) and achieving regional qualifying times. I gave up swimming in 1994 when I started work but did have a brief spell swimming Masters for Crawley SC representing them at the National Masters in 1999. I joined Atlantis as a parent in 2009 and last year was asked to help out with the Penguins and Seals on a Monday evening. Recently I have also taken on the Saturday morning session. I am an ASA Teacher and Assistant Coach. I have been teaching PE for 17 years, the last 15 of which have been at St. Wilfrids in Crawley. Swimming is a fantastic sport and I am delighted to be part of the Atlantis coaching team. |
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Matt Cumber: Assistant Bronze Squad Coach
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About Matt Just like the swimmers at Atlantis I started swimming competitively from a young age with several clubs including Wrexham , Mold and finally Chester City. I was lucky to be coached at that time by Commonwealth and Olympic medal winners . I swam at both County and Regional level for North Midlands in freestyle, butterfly and IM . I later moved into Water Polo with my club and then at a higher level when I went to University , captaining Lancaster University in both college competitions and an extremely tough and rough Lancaster League . Having moved down south I became involved with Atlantis when my daughters joined the club , moving from the spectator area to poolside with the encouragement of Paul Blyth . I passed my Level 1 teaching in 2009 and intend to take my Level 2 in 2011. I know from my own experience that a Coach can have a huge positive impact on a child in swimming as well as life , as I still remember mine from 30 years ago ! . It is therefore vital that the children thoroughly enjoy their time at Atlantis and ensure that they reach their potential at whatever level that is. |
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Rod Winter: Steyning Coach
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About Rod "After watching from the Steyning spectators' gallery for 8 years, our Club Chairman Andrew Dunlop encouraged poolside; passing both Level 1 and Level 2 Teaching Aquatics within 4 months. No longer can my 3 children ignore my helpful hints as a busy-body parent; they can now ignore me as one of their swimming coaches too! I am fully aware of the commitment & constraints that athletes & their families are put under in striving for performance. I swam competitively from the age of 6 for what became Elmbridge SC. 35 + years on I still hold some club records. By the age of 10 I was training in the water every day except Saturday, which was reserved for competitions and land training. An hour before school at the local pool and travelling an hour each way 4 evenings a week for a 2-hour session at Crystal Palace - the only 50m pool in the SE at the time. I hated training, as back in the dark ages there was no such thing as re-hydration - I was always perspiring, red and parched. However, for me it was just a necessary evil, enabling me to compete, which I loved. I wouldn't have had the experience of travelling & competing in exotic locations from Sweden & Switzerland to Swindon (ok maybe not Swindon!) Outside swimming, I have enjoyed competing & the social aspects of many sports and past-times. I enjoy the discipline of martial arts, the teamwork of volleyball, the camaraderie of rugby & the individual focus of racquet sports. Now, in between my coaching commitments for rugby and swimming - not to mention family chauffeuring duties - I try to fit in tennis whenever I can". |
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Natasha Power: Billingshurst Coach
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I have my Level 1 ASA teaching and am working to complete my Level 2. I have been teaching swimming lessons for several years now. I have been coaching at Atlantis for over a year, coaching Penguins and Seals Squads at Billingshurst. I have always loved being involved in swimming; there is always such a buzz in the pool, be it a training session or a competitive gala. My best swimming tip for everyone, which came from my old coach is: "It's not practice that makes perfect. It's perfect practice that makes perfect>" - but I'm sure you've all heard that one before!
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Gail Betts: Assistant Coach
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About Gail I first joined Atlantis as a swimmer at the age of 9 years old and started competing soon after. As a member of the silver squad, I was lucky to be part of the first swimming camp to Club La Santa, Lanzarote in 2007. Later that year I completed my ASA Helpers course, which allowed me to take a more active role helping poolside. I then eagerly awaited the chance to do my ASA Level 1 Teachers award, which I was finally old enough to do 2 year's later. Throughout my time in Atlantis as a swimmer and a coach, I have thoroughly enjoyed being taught and coached by the coaching team, who I am now privileged enough to work alongside and continue to learn from. More recently, I have received ASA accreditation as a Level 2 Teacher. It is my belief that not only is swimming an essential life skill, but it is also one of the greatest sports you can participate in, both as an individual and a team. |
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Melanie Davis: Coach |
About Mel |
