Synchro Canada is pleased to announce the coaches who will be working with its 13-15 aged athletes and the assistant Coaches for the Senior Program. Manny Wu, Ajax, Ontario will be the Head Coach for the 13-15 program and Laura Swift, Verdun, Québec will be the assistant coach. Working with the Senior program as assistant coaches will be Chihiro Ishii, Toronto Ontario and Johana Vasquez, Boisbriand, Québec.
Manny and Laura will work with the athletes in the 13-15 Program who will be selected at the 2018 Espoir Championships in Surrey, BC, next June. The team is scheduled to compete at the UANA Panamerican Artistic Swimming Championships in Riverside, California, in August.
Chihiro and Johana will share duties for the Senior National Program Camp held in Calgary at the Repsol Sport Centre and the University of Calgary on May 4-27. Chihiro will travel with the team to the FINA World Series Canada Open in Surrey, BC, while Johana will assist at the America Open in La Mirada, CA – also a FINA World Series event.
13-15 Program
Manny Wu, Ajax, Ontario – Head Coach
Growing up in China, Manny Wu represented her country on the National Team at several world championships and the 2004 Olympic Summer Games. She began her coaching career in China, and then came to Canada in 2008. She is currently the assistant coach at RTC-Ontario where she works with Junior National level swimmers. She achieved her level 4 NCCP qualification in 2017. She was the 2017 Canadian Junior National Team Head Coach and an assistant in both 2015 and 2016. Her coaching philosophy involves working together as a team, making everyone accountable and responsible for their own and team roles. She believes a positive, competitive, and structured learning environment will help athletes to achieve their maximum potential.
Laura Swift, Verdun, Québec – Assistant Coach
Currently the Head Coach of the Dollard Synchro Club, Laura Swift is responsible for the organization of the entire club program, coaching staff, training program, and scheduling. She coaches athletes at the 13-15, junior and senior high performance level. A certified Level 3 coach, she served as Head Coach for the Synchro Quebec 13-15 Provincial ‘A’ team in 2017 and Assistant Coach for the Synchro Canada 13-15 National Team. She believes her responsibility is to not only instill a strong work ethic within the athletes she trains, but also to work towards helping them achieve their highest potential as individuals and to gain the confidence and self-esteem necessary to succeed both in and out of the water.
National Senior Program
Chihiro Ishii, Toronto, Ontario – Assistant Coach
Originally from Japan, Chihiro Ishii, began her coaching career in her native country, before coming to Canada and coaching at the Granite Club in Toronto. She has been involved with the 13-15 National team during her time at the Granite, and since 2017 she has been coaching at the Regional Training Centre Ontario (RTC-Ontario), where she has supported the Head and assistant coaches. She was responsible for coordinating the Solo and Duets at RTC-Ontario She was also involved in the SYNC EFFECT choreography camp and figure workshop, where she strove to create a specific story within each swimmer’s routine. She is a level 3 certified Coach in Canada and is also certified by the Japan Swimming Federation.
Johana Vasquez, Boisbriand, Québec – Assistant Coach
A level 3 certified coach, and working on her level 4, Johana Vasquez is in her 26th year of coaching, and is currently the Head Coach at Synchro Laval. She has a wide range of experience ranging from club teams, to provincial teams and national teams. She considers working with the best athletes and coaches in the country as a privilege and an opportunity to evolve on a personal and professional level. Her goal is to develop the best of each athlete according to their personality and to continue learning herself through working with the national team head coach, whose dedication is an inspiration to others to continue to develop and grow.