Meet Joanna
C Squad
I have coached every level at Glenrothes, from the absolute beginners to having a spell as Head Coach of the club.
What is your fastest 100m time?
If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If you could only wear one colour for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Do you have any hidden talents?
I knit, play the bagpipes and I am learning Russian.
I started coaching at GASC when I was 19 years old. I have had a few breaks but I must be on a piece of elastic as I keep getting pulled back. I have coached every level at Glenrothes, from the absolute beginners to having a spell as Head Coach of the club. I have several degrees in Sport Science (both under- and post- graduate levels) and have worked with a number of Commonwealth Games and Olympic athletes from different sports in a professional capacity. I lectured in Sports Biomechanics at Abertay University for over 14 years but now I am in my 3rd year of a PhD in Engineering (Biomechanics) based at Aberdeen University, where I am modelling tendon transfer surgeries of the hand.
I was a coach for the Scottish Swimming programme for a number of years e.g. district squads and national squads. I have competed at Masters swimming but really struggle with the early morning training sessions...
My memorable moments normally centre around swimmers achieving something they are not expecting to. It might not even be swimming related e.g. a swimmer getting into a university of choice, or getting a new puppy. I often love it when they hadn't PB'ed for ages and then they finally drop a chunk of time. I always celebrate more than them.
Can I share a success story of one of my swimmers? I have a number of examples in this realm and they all centre around the swimmer overcoming adversity in some form or another e.g. one swimmer was not entered into a gala due to coaches mistake (very rare but they do happen!!) and the swimmer was terribly upset. We managed to get her slotted into the gala with a bit of jiggery-pokery (technical term) and the swimmer controlled their emotions and swam in their first ever gala with a cracking time. Things always go wrong and how the swimmer, or coach, deals with them, determines success.
I would love to swim along side Helen McKay! I have known her for more than a decade and have never managed it yet. One day....
There is no one more famous than Helen Mac but if we are counting television appearances then I would like to swim with Mel Marshal. She is known as Adam Peaty's coach, so top coaching tips, AND was world class 200m front crawl swimmer.
There are so many things that have made me laugh over the years. I always crack up at the swimmers playing the games at the end of the session. My funniest G.A.S.C. moment is not a coaching thing but a swimming thing: I won the womens (a bit old to be called 'girls') 2nd place trophy's in the 17 and over age group in the 2005 GASC Age Group Champs (200IM and 200m Free). By my calculations, I was pregnant with my son when I raced and therefore he has also won the womens 2nd place trophy's in the 17 and over age group in the 2005 GASC Age Group Champs (200IM and 200m Free) 😃.
I am proud to be a member of G.A.S.C. it really has a great family feel! The coaches become part of the family, in a sense and we really care about the swimmers as individuals. It is a relatively new club but it really lifts us when we see former swimmers bringing their own children to us for their swimming needs. Some have even joined us on poolside.
