Our coaches
Our coaches are committed to long-term success and sustainability. The Head Coach is responsible for the Club's Swim Programme and works collaboratively and in unison with the Squad Coaches and Otters Management to deliver the Swim High-Performance Plan.
Balazs Sasvari
Head Coach
Contact [email protected]
I am a Swim England Level 3 senior swimming coach and Level 2 gym instructor, and trained at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. I was a member of the national open water swimming team in Hungary. I participated at several FINA and LEN open water cups (England, Egypt, Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Czech Republic). I was Hungarian National Champion four times over long distances from 3 to 10 km. I have over 15 years’ international coaching experience, and have coached in the UK, Egypt, Hungary and the Faroe Islands. I joined Otters in November 2021 from Middlesbrough Amateur Swimming Club where I was Head Coach. Before this I was the Head Coach for the Faroese National Swimming Team and spent four years as Head Coach at Modernian Swimming Club in Bedford.
I passionately believe in working with each swimmer individually to help them achieve their full potential, whether to swim at the highest level, swim as part of a mixed suite of activities, swim for fitness or to move into teaching or coaching, and believe that investing in our coaches’ own development is an integral part of enabling our swimmers’ and the club’s development. Our squad structure reflects this, and follows Swim England’s long-term athlete development plan. In competition, the club enters open meets on a regular basis. These are specially selected meets to fit in with the training plan for each swimmer and to gain vital race experience.
Qualifications:
- Level 3 Swim Coach (Swim England)
- Level 2 Gym Instructor (Discovery Learning)
- National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches (NRASTC)
- STA Level 2 Pool Plant Operator
- Bachelors degree in Physical Education (University of Hungary)
Ross McGarvie
Assistant Head Coach
Contact [email protected]
I have been involved in swimming for 14 years, I loved it from a very young age. I have been coaching for 4 years now and thoroughly enjoy it. Going to nationals twice for open water at 15 and 16 years of age was my biggest achievement.
Georgina Vane
I joined Chalfont Otters at the age of 8, as a swimmer and have continued to swim, qualifying for Counties, Regionals and Nationals in the recent years. After qualifiying as a level 1 swimming coach I started to direct my time into coaching instead of swimming. I have now been coaching for four years and have really enjoyed coaching the younger swimmers. I have recently qualified as a Level 2 coach and Level 1 swim teacher.
Kelvin Jones
Swim coach and land training coach
Kristi Vafiadis
Swim coach
