Coaching Team
Each squad at Stirling Swimming is allocated a lead coach, who is responsible for delivering the training for that squad. The Head Coach, Charlie Boldison, is in overall charge of the coaching arrangements for the Club.
It is club policy to provide swimmers with regular feedback on their performance. In addition, if anyone needs to discuss a swimming-related issue in more detail, please contact the relevant squad coach or the Head Coach. Contact should normally be made by email after which a meeting can be arranged if required. Please note this is not usually at poolside when the coach is busy coaching!
Youth & Senior Performance Squad
The goal for the swimmers at this stage of the club is to prepare to perform their best at a District, National, and/or International level, whilst also balancing the academic demands upon swimmers during their time at this stage of the sport.
Head Coach: Charlie Boldison - Youth & Senior Performance Squad Lead Coach
Charlie Boldison previously competed for Great Britain on the international stage most notably at World Short Course Championships, held in Windsor, Canada in 2016. Throughout his swimming career he picked up numerous National and British titles predominantly in the 50, 100, and 200m Backstroke events.
Since retiring from competitive swimming, he now holds a UKCC Level 3 coach qualification, and has coached at the University of Stirling, as well as Stirling Swimming Club as a squad lead coach, and more recently took part in Scottish Swimming's Coaching Futures programme which placed him within City of Glasgow Swim Team between 2021-2023, where he took on the position of Lead Age Group Coach. In 2023 his swimmers earned a total of 22 individual medals at SNAGs.
E-mail: [email protected]
Potential and Junior Performance Squads
The goal at this stage in the club is for swimmers to continue their development of all 4 strokes, strengthen their training background, and to gain experience racing across a wide range of events. Swimmers in these squads will be encouraged to train and compete regularly, with the goal of achieving qualification standards for District and Scottish National level events, such as SNAGs.
Assistant Head Coach: Gary Vandermeulen and Alison Sheppard - Potential and Junior Performance Squad Lead Coach
E-mail: [email protected]
Junior Development and Development Squads
Junior Development and Development are coached by a team of squad coaches led by the Head and Assistant Head Coaches. The goal at this stage of the club is to continue developing swimmers' core competencies across all 4 strokes and skills required for the sport, whilst also aiming to prepare the swimmers to compete more frequently and understand how training can complement their fitness and future performance goals.
JD + Development coaching team:
- Mark Stoops
- Laura Williamson
- Rory Dickson
- Tony-Joe Trett-Oliver
- Chris Muir
- Harper Whitehead
For any queries relating to JD or Development, email Charlie Boldison at: [email protected]
STARfish Programme
The STARfish programme aims to help swimmers transition from swimming lessons to club based training. Main focuses are ensuring swimmers can demonstrate correct technique across all four strokes and are competent executing all skills required for the sport, i.e. tumble turns, dives, streamlining, lane discipline and an understanding of training.
STARfish coaching team:
- Clare Dawson
- Rory Dickson
For any queries relating to STARfish, email Charlie Boldison at: [email protected]
Youth Training Squad
This squad aims to provide a non-competitive option to swimmers who wish to focus more upon building fitness and improving strokes in a more relaxed environment.
For more details on this squad, email: [email protected]
Masters Squad
Masters Squad provides training opportunities to over-18 members who may either wish to train-to-compete, or just wish to train for fitness amongst their peers.
The Lead Coach of the Masters squad is Craig Coull
Email: [email protected]
