Coach Spotlight Series

There is quite a bit of distinguished coaching experience in the six decades since the formation of the Etobicoke Swim Club.

Swimming is an adventure, not an ordeal, and the club has a template for coaching excellence that includes one predominant name after another.

It goes without saying that heralded performances, ranging from Provincial and National records to huge accomplishments at the World championships and the Olympics, don’t occur without dedicated efforts by perceptive, intelligent and committed people.

Coach. A word described by the Cambridge dictionary as "the job or activity of providing training for people or helping to prepare them for something".

Swimmers, through hard work and determination, are responsible for accomplishing the heroics in the water. Very often, they get the glamour and spotlight. As for coaches, they are not the ones to glorify their own fame and achievements. The majority of times, they tend to be in the background. Their realization of the mastery of an athlete is many times reflected in the pursuit of excellence.

To many, it’s the culture of sport.

The triumphs and prosperity at ESWIM have come from immeasurable hours of leadership, education and experience. Very much part of the formula for success is wisdom and patience.

Rob Novak is next in a line of a distinguished list of coaches who have been part of the rich history of ESWIM - one of the dominant swim clubs in Canada.

There was the late Kevin Thorburn, a former director of swimming and Olympic coach, his remarkable achievements led to his induction to the Ontario Aquatic Hall of Fame. Paul Bergen, who led ESWIM to 13 National titles and Deryk Snelling, a recipient of the Order of Canada. Both Bergen and Snelling were inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame. There is also no forgetting icon Clifford Barry, who passed away this year, a three-time National Swim Coach of the Year who also contributed seven years to coaching at ESWIM, and a member of the Canadian Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame.

Now, the job is with Novak, who replaced Thorburn after his sudden death. Novak is no rookie when it comes to coaching - and no stranger to the club. He’s also good, very good, at what he does.

Novak returned to ESWIM after serving as head coach of the Markham Aquatic Club, and later, the Manta Swim Club in Winnipeg. Years of knowledge, experience and progress make up his resume.

“I am hooked on what can be called the atmosphere of coaching,” said Novak, while also recognizing the heralded group that contributed to excellence at ESWIM. “There is a genuine love of this sport for what it does and demands – and that includes accountability and responsibility.”

While Novak has a proven track record of combining honesty and communication, he knows it also contributes to building positive relationships with athletes who are thirsty for the knowledge offered by coaches.

“ESWIM is known for performance and excellence,” he said. “It’s my responsibility to bring about a mindset and approach that brings out the best from each swimmer – and, for some, it might take a bit longer than others. I also see it as being confident and presenting a passion for excellence.”

Novak was the coach of Katrina Bellio and Ruslan Gaziev, two swimmers from ESWIM, who competed for Canada at the recent Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Bellio beat her personal best time in the women’s 1500-metres freestyle by five seconds at the Canadian Trials to go under the qualifying time and earn a place in Tokyo. At her first Olympic appearance, she knocked another five seconds off her personal best time.  

Gaziev also made his Olympic debut where he swam in the men’s 4 x100 metres freestyle relay in the heats. Canada would go on to finish fourth in the final.

“My coaches philosophy has always been to never give up on my athletes,” said Novak, who has coached swimmers to appearances at the Junior Pan Pacific finals, the Commonwealth Games and to previous World championships and Olympic Games.

“We go through the journey together. It’s important to me to be prepared and I always look for ways to be better and help my athletes.”

With stress, tension and anxiety always popping up in the world of a coach, Novak, named to the 2020 Canadian Coaches Association Mentorship Program, admits to demanding a lot.

“When you have such a great club, there are expectations in the swim community because they know this is a High Performance Program,” he said. “We are committed to excellence. That takes hard work and a promise to do my best. I know it’s a huge honor to be in a such a special group of superb coaches - and I thrive on it.”

David Grossman is a multi, award-winning communicator and storyteller with a distinguished career in Broadcasting, Journalism and Public Relations in Sport and Government Relations.