Meet Our Coaches

Hi, I’m Wes! I grew up on the East Coast of the United States, where I developed a passion for competitive swimming and swam for more than 17 years. I competed with New England teams including the Manchester Sunfish, Seacoast Stingrays, and Mass Bay Marlins before swimming Division I for the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During my four years at UMass, I helped the team win three Atlantic 10 championships, competing in sprint breaststroke as well as mid- and long-distance freestyle.

My coaching philosophy centres on building strong fundamentals, developing proper technique, and nurturing a lifelong love of swimming. I believe in helping swimmers of all ages become comfortable in the water, understand how their bodies move, and develop skills that can take them from recreational swimming to competitive performance.

One of my favourite parts of coaching is watching swimmers grow, gain confidence, and experience the excitement of reaching new milestones in the pool. As a parent, I especially enjoy guiding my own children, along with other young swimmers, through the journey of learning, improving, and competing. I’m thrilled to be part of the Breakers team and look forward to sharing my experience and passion for swimming with the next generation of swimmers.

Development, Intermediate, & Senior Swim Coach

Hi everyone!! My name is Sya, and I’m SO excited to be back with the Cowichan Valley Breakers as a coach! I swam with the Breakers for 10 years, so this club has always been a huge part of my life, and I’m thrilled to now be on the coaching side. This season, I’ll be coaching PreBreakers, Development and Juniors! I absolutely love working with kids and helping them discover how fun swimming can be. I aim for every swimmer to feel welcomed, supported, and excited to come to every practice. My goal is to help everyone grow their skills and become fast swimmers all while creating a fun, positive, and safe environment where they can be themselves and enjoy being part of the team. So Excited for this awesome season!! I look forward to meeting you all!😊

Junior, Development & PreBreakers Coach

Hi, my name is Yelaina, and I am a student at Frances Kelsey Secondary School. I have a strong passion for athletics, especially swimming. I have been swimming with the Breakers since I was six years old, where I’ve built my skills, strength, and love for the sport over the years. Along with competing, I also enjoy working with younger swimmers and helping teach kids, sharing my experience and encouraging them to grow in the water!

Development & PreBreakers Coach

My name is Hudson and I am very excited to be joining the Breaker's coaching team. Outside of swimming I enjoy playing football and going to the gym. I have been in summer swimming since 2019 with the Oak Bay Orcas and my favourite stroke is breaststroke. Recently I have made a lot of progress in my own breaststroke earning a provincial medal. Something I think is an important aspect of swimming is that swimming is not just based on your best times and results. Swimming is about putting all of your effort in each day. Everyone has some bad days and some amazing days and it is important that we can learn from both. 

PreBreakers 1 & 2 Swim Coach

Coming soon! Get to know Charlie Woernle and learn more about his swimming background and coaching philosophy.

PreBreakers 1 & 2 Swim Coach

Greetings! My name is Yannick and I have been on the Breakers Swim Team for 6 years now, and I plan to keep swimming! My favourite stroke by far is breaststroke. I’m really excited to get into the water with the PreBreakers this season, I have some great ideas that I can’t wait to bring to the pool. I’m new at coaching, and I look forward to finding ways to get our swimmers excited about every practice. Go Breakers!

PreBreakers 1 & 2 Swim Coach