COACHING STAFF: Swim Season 2023/2024

Sarah Hynd (Head Coach) I began swimming on a swim team when I was 5 years old in Louisiana.  When I moved to Canada in 1990 I continued with swimming through swim lessons and joined the Regina Optimist Dolphin Swim Team when I was 11. Swimming became my passion at this point in my life and the team became my extended family. I swam competitively until 1999 when I graduated high school and went to University and received my Bachelorette of science in Nursing. 

In my Swimming career, I swam at the National level and attended Canada Games in Brandon Manitoba in 1997. I feel that swimming provided me with life skills that have continued on into my professional life. Swimming at the competitive level takes a lot of dedication and hard work. Setting goals and working hard to achieve them builds character in swimmers and doing this with your team mates creates individuals that can work well with others. This club is about building individuals as much as it is about building athletes. 

I have four children ages 16,14,12, and 10 that all love the water. All four swim on the team and enjoy being with their friends and traveling to meets. I would like to see all the athletes pull the same enjoyment out of the sport that I have seen in my girls. We are fostering a fun, safe and supportive environment for athlete development in the Chinook Swim Club. 

My love for swimming drove me to receive my 301 in training status. Through this program, I learned a lot of valuable teaching tools that I will be using with all of your swimmers. Over the past 6 years, I have been coaching with all of our experienced coaches and have learned so much from them. Throughout this season, I will be acting as head coach which means that I will be helping to organize the season, develop program planning and be a source of communication between all of the parents, coaches and the Board of Directors. All of our coaches have a lot of knowledge and experience to offer our club and will be working together to provide your athletes with the best experience possible. I look forward to the upcoming season! 

sarahgill2@hotmail.com

604-989-9020

Robert Hynd (Assistant Coach Provincial/Competitive Program) has been a coach with the Harbour Seals/Chinooks since it reformed in 2007. He swam competitively for the Regina Dolphins swim club from age 6 until age 20. This team was the top age group swim team in Canada in the early 1990s, consistently beating much larger teams from bigger cities. Pride, discipline and loyalty were key traits strongly emphasized by the coaches and are central to the success of the team. Rob went on to swim for the University of Regina Cougars and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and continues to swim a few times per week. He is in his 11^thyear of coaching the Chinook Swim Club and takes great pride in seeing young athletes improve. Robert is also one of our local dentists in Pender Harbour. 

rob_hynd@hotmail.com

Danielle Brault - NCCP 201 certified coach/301 trained with over 40 years of coaching experience.
As a swimmer Danielle enjoys swimming with Masters and specializes in breaststroke, IM, and sprints of any stroke. Danielle looks forward to coaching our Junior/Senior team on Wednesdays and sharing her vast knowledge of the sport with our athletes. A small selection of Danielle’s coaching experiences can be viewed below.

 Assistant Coach, previous Maui camps in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015
Head Coach, Victoria Masters Swim Club - 1994-2017
Founder & Head Coach Lahr Masters Swim Club (Germany) - 1985-86 Masters Head Coach & Founder, Equipe de natation de Cowansville - 1979-85 Head Coach, Equipe de natation de Cowansville - 1976-85 

daniellebrault@hotmail.com

Constantine Kudaba-(403) 466 – 2008. constantine_16@hotmail.com

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself for I’m a new face with the Chinook Swim Club and the Sunshine Coast. My name is Constantine Kudaba and I will be a new coach for this 2019/2020 season. I have recently taken my 101 certification through swim BC.  My wife and I have moved to Gibsons to start our new lives and we’re more than excited to be part of such a warm and welcoming community. I’m looking forward to meeting both you and the kids and hope it can be a positive experience for all. Some of you may actually see me at my other job teaching at Davis Bay Elementary. 

I will be working with the younger age groups this year while also being a helping hand when coaches are needed on deck. I’ve been coaching in the Lower Mainland for the past 4-5 years and feel it’s best to start with one group and build up from there. 

As for my background and experience, I’ve been a swim and water polo coach for the past 4 years with both the winter and summer programs (e.g. Pacific Sea Wolves, Burnaby Barracudas, Pacific Storm). Before that, I was an Olympian (2008 Beijing Summer Games) who was on the Senior Men’s National Water Polo team for 12 years. I played professionally in many leagues overseas (i.e. France, Montenegro, Australia) and eventually came home to follow my new passion – coaching and teaching. I’m really hoping to be a positive role model for these younger generations on the Coast. 

            Looking ahead, my goal is to teach kids the valuable skills, techniques, disciplines in the water that will cover all four strokes. Most importantly, to keep it enjoyable and fun. I look forward to meeting many of you at the pool. If you have any questions and/or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.