The newest face to Nose Creek Swim Association’s team is making a big splash.
Swimmers, coaches and parents are offering up praise for new assistant head coach, Alexx Diep.
The former Killarney Swim Club coach began substituting in late 2010 before being offered a full-time contract at Christmas.
It didn’t take long before NCSA President Greg Nixon realized the club had a great opportunity in front of it.
“One thing I learned quickly about him is how truly passionate he is about the children,” he said. “I think we’re in a really great position with our coaching.”
Diep has 14 years coaching experience and earned a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree from the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec in 2001 to augment his training.
After graduation, he headed west to Edson, Alberta, for a head coaching job.
“Nothing was really appealing at the time in Quebec,” he said. “I was always intrigued about Alberta.
Two years after running the show in Edson, he trekked south to Calgary’s Killarney Swim Club in 2004 where he worked for five years.
But in November 2009, a desire to travel the world with fiancée Genevieve Boivin, saw Diep quit his day job. The pair toured 12 different countries between Australia and Brazil, returning to Canada in September 2010.
“I came back and after the first few times that I subbed (in Airdrie)… I realized how much I missed it,” said Diep. “I didn’t miss coaching per se, I missed the interaction with the kids.”
Diep coaches 12 to 16-year-olds and makes sure to focus on elements beyond the pool to shape kids into complete athletes.
“Because I’m coaching such a young level of kids at 13, they have exposure to the full scope of being an athlete,” he said. “It’s not just about swimming, but things around swimming: coordination, strength and nutrition.”
For Dawn Granley and her 14-year-old son Matthew, swimming with Diep is already paying dividends.
“He’s swimming faster, his technique has been improved,” Granley said of her son’s ability. “It’s not just swimming technique, but also making him a healthy athlete. He’s spoken to (Matthew) about his nutrition, which I really appreciate.”
Diep says it’s all part of the job.
“At this level, I feel I need to teach them and show them all these things while they pick up the swimming part of it,” he explained. “It must be second nature to them because at 16, 17 and 18, no coaches will take them by the hand because you develop those (skills) as a young swimmer.”
