National Coaches Week

National Coaches Week is September 14-20 and we will be highlighting five coaches from the Swim Ontario community. It is a time to celebrate positive impact that coaches have on our athletes, sport and community. #ThanksCoach

By David Grossman

If you haven’t figured it out by now, there are many personal pressures and lots of stress in life.

You can see it quite clearly when observing those involved in the world of sport.

It’s body movement, stamina, the essential training, the task of dominating opponents and even exceeding expectations. All are very much obvious when a physical activity involves going up against opponents in competition.

Paige Miller has gone that route. Experienced, talented and owner of numerous positive performances, Miller is now in an important role of leadership. You may have heard the term – giving back.

She has piled up a plethora of accomplishments as a swimmer. They range from an assortment of medals, personal best times, being chosen a 17-time All-American, owning a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One gold medal in the 100-yards backstroke – and even awarded an athletic scholarship.

One more thing. You can’t forget her domestic accomplishments. On the National stage, Miller was a four-time Canadian Senior National Champion and former Canadian record holder in the 50-metres backstroke and on the 200-metres medley relay.

While excelling in the backstroke and butterfly, it has been a fun ride for Miller.

Things are different now.

You’ll know she’s showing up for work when you hear her riding her Kawasaki motorcycle. Might even catch her listening to her favorite heavy metal music. It’s defined as “a loud, intense genre of rock music driven by heavily distorted electric guitars, powerful bass-and-drum rhythms, and aggressive or dramatic vocal.”

She’s been a benefactor of exceptional, and maybe even superior, coaching. Now, it’s the flipside when it relates to instruction and mentoring. Miller is in control, and is the one overseeing and responsible for development and performance with the Orangeville Otters Swim Club.

As head coach, she has a growing membership of 200 swimmers in a variety of ages – and it’s easy to spot them at the multi-faceted Alder Recreation Centre. The facility has an eight-lane 25-metres indoor lap pool, a leisure pool and, yes, even a water slide.

It may also be a bit of déjà vu time for Miller.

Now 35-years of age, she spent a great deal of her younger years in a pool and learning to swim Miller started her competitive aquatic career also with the Orangeville Otters. Then, it was off to the COBRA Swim Club located in nearby Brampton.

Learning to swim as a five-year-old was, let’s say, a challenge. In fact, Miller didn’t like it one bit. Maybe some anxiety issues or falling off a sailboat in Lake Ontario, while looking for a piece of non-expensive jewellery, was a factor back then.

Things did change. Four years later, she won her first gold medal in the 50-metres breaststroke at an in-house swim meet. Then, at age 11, she qualified for the Ontario championships. Other achievements included a bronze medal at the Junior Nationals at age 15.

Recruiting coaches started lining up and Miller would accept a scholarship from Texas A&M University located in College Station, Tx. It’s about a 90-minute drive from Houston.

That school, whose sport nickname is the Aggies, had swimmers who won a record eight medals at the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, beating its previous record of seven set at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.

While at Texas A&M, Miller had her only major injury. It happened during training at the university football stadium, she was running up and down steps, missed one and fell. Doctors revealed that x-rays showed a broken bone near her ankle. That all happened with an NCAA championship not far off. She would later get the green light to compete and finished eighth in a race.

“There are times when an athlete raises doubts,” she added. “For me, it was simple and straightforward. Get stronger, heal, more training and prepare for the next race.”

When some athletes would tend to back off competition, Miller had alternative plans. Fed by a determination to do well, that’s exactly what materialized over time.

Now, having earned a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Masters in Statistics, she is also pursuing a Doctorate to enhance a career in data analytics. Sum it up and Miller is focussed on making swimming more than just a physical activity, but a place for fun and learning basic life skills.

“Coaching is so much fun, so rewarding, teaching and engaging – and it doesn’t feel like a job,” said Miller, who has previously coached with the Dorado Stars in Caledon, Brock University in St. Catharines and the Oakville Aquatic Club.

“Swimming is not an easy sport and interacting with people, which I am good at, is very important. You see everything as a coach. Parents can be overbearing at times while others trust you. Like many things, you build a level of trust, good dialogue and avoid problems with good communication.”

With Canada’s National Coaches Week set for September 14 to 20, Swim Ontario is saluting all coaches. Miller is one, randomly selected, for a special series highlighting the thousands of individuals who have impacted young athletes in a positive way.

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 50+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations. In 2026, he was inducted to the Toronto Sports Hall of Honour with a Lifetime Achievement Award.