Anaconda's Wayne Lock named Swim England Coach of the Year

Wayne Lock of Anaconda Swimming Club has claimed the title of Swim England Coach of the Year.

The London regional nominee has been at the club for around 23 years, starting his journey at the age of nine.

Beginning as a swimmer, he then went on to become a lifeguard at 16 and then a temporary coach just two years later, after completing his teaching qualification.

Wayne said: “I did sports science at uni, so when my head coach left when I was 18 I ended up taking a role of a temporary coach.

“Results were going well over the few years I was doing that, so they just said ‘do you want the job’ and I said ‘no definitely not because there’s no way that I’m experienced enough to be head coach’.

“But they said ‘just take it on board and we’ll support you’ and the rest is history.”

Successful culture

Wayne has totally transformed the club and has ‘cultivated a fun loving but also very successful culture’ which has helped nine swimmers qualify for British and Swim England Summer Nationals during the past three seasons.

He gave an insight into his coaching methods and what has lead him to be so successful over recent years.

“For me I think the main thing is trying to develop them as characters as opposed to swimmers.

“They’re human beings first, we develop them as people and then the swimming comes.

“The most important for me is that they’re happy and they’re enjoying what they’re doing, because if they’re not there’s no point in them doing it in the first place.

“The club’s got a real family vibe to it, pretty much every coach at the club right now has swam there at one point in their life which I think is quite unique and rare.

“At the moment for me it’s just about enjoyment. I would like to achieve a few more goals within my own club before even thinking of anything else outside of that.”