Julia Murden
Championship Coach
Email
In 2009 my then eleven year old son was selected for a pathway
development programme in swimming. In plain language that means you
have to get up at 5.30 in the morning four mornings a week and
train approx twenty hours a week - my son was keen, I was not. I
had the normal parent concerns, would he burn out? What would it do
to his education? Would I be able to get up at 5.30am four
mornings a week?
After a long hard think I decided training twenty hours a week
at eleven years old was crazy but I did not want to disappoint my
son as he loved to swim. My next step was to try and get him
involved in another sport involving swimming, so we tried triathlon
but as Will quickly pointed out to me “you cannot swim
butterfly in triathlon mum” so that wasn’t to be. In
typical mum fashion I said never mind son we will do this together
and I will coach you and ten years later here we are.
After starting a club with one swimmer in 2009 I now have a
large family, that I call my swimming family. I have met some great
people, I love the swimmers I coach and I have had the privilege of
working with some great young people. I have developed swimmers
from junior swimming all the way through to senior national
competition and I am now watching some of our first learn to swim
children thrive in a competitive environment.
I have learnt that coaching is about passion about belief and
commitment about believing in young people often before they
believe in themselves, the results are a joy to witness and be part
of.
Abbie Parton
Assistant Coach
Email
I am presently studying at Newcastle University BSc Sport and
Exercise Science
I have been active as swimming as sport for a number of years,
in 2012 won County Championships in seven events in my age group my
main strokes being free and fly.
I have finaled at Regional Championships and National compettion
in butterfly in 100m and 200m events and I have previously
qualified to compete at British Championships (Olympic Trials)
I enjoy being able to pass on my knowledge and experience and
making sure that swimming stays a fun and enjoyable experience for
all swimmers I coach
Paul Callender
Development Coach
Email
I have been with Aquajets for several years now and I originally
became involved as a parent. After helping out with several
sessions I soon developed a passion for coaching and teaching.
After gaining a coaching qualification, I have been developing the
young swimmers of the Development and Junior squads for the past
few years. Technique and enjoying the learning process plays a big
role in my sessions and my aim is to develop their skills in
order to advance them to the next squad and to prepare them
for competitive swimming.
William Murden
Swim School Teacher
Email
I have been in and around the water since before my first
birthday and joined a swimming club at the age of 10. My passion
for swimming grew in leaps and bounds, reaching the top of the
british rankings for my age by the time I was 11. Over the years I
have traveled all over Europe to take part in training camps and
watch world championship competitions. I have also competed
across the country in county, regional and national level
competitions. At 18 I went to Stirling University in Scotland where
I got the opertunity to train with multiple commonwealth, world and
Olympic swimmers. I am currently training with the hopes of making
Olympic Trials in 2020.
Lucas Lowery
Swim School Teacher
Email
I joined Aquajets when I was twelve years old and I am still
enjoying my swimming no as much as ever.
Over the years I have made some great friends and had the
opportunity to compete all over the country and travel abroad to
train.
I wasn't amazing when I started with my swimming but with a lot
of hardwork and dedication I have managed to reach the top levels
at my sport. I now compete mainly in the sprint events and
specialize in 50m backstroke.
I presently study at Sunderland University (Mechanical
Engineering) and I am a qualified level two teacher and life guard
It's great to be teaching the young swimmers and I hope the get
a much from the sport as it has given me - Just Keep Swimming !
Reece Graham
Swim School Teacher
Email
I have been a member of Aquajets for over 3 years, and was
inspired by the ethic of the club from a very early stage. As a
teacher at Swim school I now get to share my experience with
younger children, hopefully providing some inspiration for them as
individuals. I train regularly with the champion squad and
have not only developed as a swimmer, but as an individual and a
member of the teaching team.
