Simon Watkins has been training people to be swim champions for most of his life.

As a young athlete growing up in Wales in the UK, he injured himself, and found himself on a path toward helping others reach their potential as swimmers.

Now, he lives in Lismore with his family, manages the Trinity Aquatic Centre as the head coach and coaches people with disabilities.

This weekend, he’s in Sydney at the state age swimming championships with Trinity Catholic College student Tylah Crabtree and six other dedicated swimmers from the school.

“Tylah is one of the top swimmers at Trinity at the moment and will have ten swims over the next week,” he said.

“The Trinity swim club has a history of doing well in the past. 

“We’ve developed a group of athletes who are supportive of each other and compete at high levels.

“Tylah will be swimming for the Olympic trials next June in Adelaide and we also have a group going to the national age championships in Perth.”

Beginnings

Simon started swimming at a young age - since his parents took him to the local pool and he discovered he had a natural affinity with swimming.

“I started coaching people to swim when I was 16. By the time I was 21, I was the youngest accredited level three coach in the UK.

“Now I’m a gold licence performance coach in Australia.”

As well as being a competitive breaststroke swimmer when he was young, Simon was also a triple jumper in athletics. 

“I made it to the Commonwealth Games team in 2002 for athletics and swimming, but I injured my leg training for athletics,” he said.

“I had to have operations on my right, leg, hip and ankle and had to stop competitive swimming.”

Simon said it was because of the support of his own coach at the time that he threw himself into coaching others.

“If I didn’t have such a great coach to mentor and drag me through that, I would have been different in how I handled it.

“She helped me work through it and stay involved in sport and that made all the difference.”

Now, Simon is doing the same for so many other young people – instilling dedication and discipline into people passionate about swimming.

Emigration

Simon and his wife Hannah moved to Australia in 2008. 

“Hannah was a swimmer and a gymnast when I met her,” Simon said. “It was love at first sight.

“I was coaching at a local pool in the UK and Hannah was there setting up the swim squad.

“When we moved to Australia, we could see why it was called New South Wales – the landscape here looks like home.

Hannah also coaches and runs swim schools in the local area, and now, the busy couple have a young baby and juggle their duties as parents with their coaching duties.

Early mornings

As the manager of the Trinity Aquatic centre, he gets up at 4am every day and heads into work to open up the pool by 5am.

“When you swim, you’re in because you love doing it,” he said.

“I’ve been getting up at 4am ever since I remember – you either love it or don’t do it.

“The kids I coach arrive at the pool by 5.45am and we train till 7.45am, then they are back in the afternoon for a mix of gym and swim.

“It takes discipline to get up and get to training.

“It really helps with their schooling too when they are a disciplined swimmer – they have to get their homework done at night so they can get up and train next morning.”

Simon said not everyone on the swim team wants to be a competitive athlete – some may only come once a week.

“People can come along and train at a pace that helps them with the goal they are trying to achieve,” he said.  

“Some people swim for fitness and the social aspect.”

“We have had an explosion in the number of Trinity students using pool and coming into program now.

“I’ve been developing the program and club numbers have grown larger.”

Developing coaches and swimmers

Simon is also involved with the North Coast Academy swim program.

“It’s an agreement between Swim NSW, myself, Trinity and the North Coast Academy to provide opportunities for top swimmers,” he said.

“Swimmers trial to get in and we take 30 swimmers from the trial and they get extra sessions to work on techniques with me at Trinity.

“I’m also on the board of Swim Australia and ASCTA NSW and I’m involved in the learn to swim program, and its direction around the country,” Simon said.

“I look after swim schools and help with the direction and development of their programs, so they are teaching the right stuff.  

“I did the same in the UK and now I do a lot of education with the coaches association, teaching people to swim.

“I’m passionate about helping other coaches.

“It’s about making every swimming program on the north coast stronger and better.

Simon also writes a column in the Australian Coaches magazine and next year, he’ll be presenting at a conference in Dubai.

Coaching tips

“It’s about getting the fundamentals right and not compromising on skill and being determined to do the work and commit to the end goals,” Simon said.

“When young people get into swimming, it’s about their long term development as an athlete and keeping them in sports for a longer period - with development milestones.

“When it’s competitive, the pressure will always be there, but it’s about how you manage it.

“As coaches, we guide athletes and give them tools to manage it themselves.

Paraolympians

Simon has coached swimmers onto the Paraolympic championship Commonwealth team.

He is currently working with the Hong Kong paraolympic team, supporting coach development.

“I fly over here a few times a year to work with athletes and coaches,” he said.

He started working with disables swimmers in Sydney, when he was approached by a para-athletes at a club he was coaching in.

“I ended up working with the paraolympic program in Sydney, coaching Australian junior paraolympians and working with coaches.

“We focus on ability not disability – what you can achieve and can do.

“We provide an outlet and opportunity for them that they may not have in other sports.”

One of the top paraolympian athletes he has worked is include Sean Russo - a world champion medallist.

Keep going

Simon says that sport and competition “teaches you resilience in life all round - not just in sport”. 

“My advice for anyone who is passionate about sport is to keep going,” he said.

“Persevere and be resilient - it’s the nature of sport.

“It instils in us a work ethic and gives us a strong base to bounce back from.”