Mike is a life-long swimmer who competed on the national level in his native country of Canada, ranking in the top-5 in backstroke events as an age-grouper and competing in the Canadian Olympic Trials in 2000 and 2004. He also reached NCAA Div-1 All-American status in his university swimming career in the USA.
Mike has coached a variety of levels since beginning his coaching career in 2004, including small children, Club/Age-Group swimmers, and Collegiate level swimmers. He earned his USA Triathlon Level 1 and Youth & Juniors certifications in 2012 and joined BarryS Coaching as an assistant multi-sport coach. He is also a U.S. Masters Swimming Level 3 Coach.
In 2012 Mike and Coach Barry Stokes created TriMasters Swimming to support the under-served and under-coached niche of triathlon swimming. This program became the foundation for Swim Smooth Louisville. Mike was introduced to Swim Smooth in 2014 in search of better coaching tools help athletes in the water. In 2016 he attended a 3-Day Swim Smooth Coaches clinic in Cocoa Beach, Florida, then the 2-week training in Perth in January 2017.
Mike's passion is in teaching adults how to swim freestyle for triathlon and the open water. You'll experience the Swim Smooth philosophy of "coach the athlete, not the stroke" underscored in all of Mike's coaching.