SLSNZ High Performance Personnel Changes

Jonelle has taken a step back from her role as HP Coach Lead for Pool Rescue after securing a new and exciting role with Canterbury Rugby as Personal Development Manager. This is a fantastic career opportunity for Jonelle and we wish her all the best as she focuses her energy and time adjusting to her new role.

Jonelle is committed to remain a valued part of the SLSNZ HP Coach Network.  In fact, as part of her Te Hāpaitanga, she is undertaking a project to support a small group of coaches within the SLSNZ HP Coach network with development plans using methods learned during her time on Te Hāpaitanga.

On behalf of the SLSNZ HP Programmes, I would like to acknowledge the valuable contributions that Jonelle has made over the years for SLSNZ HP and NZ teams, she is highly respected, a reflection of her passion, dedication, rapport and work ethic.

John joins the SLSNZ HP Team in a pool coaching support role through to Life Saving World Championships (LWC) later in 2022. He brings with him energy, a wealth of experience and innovative thinking.

John’s day job is as a Senior Performance Swimming Coach at Northern Arena in Silverdale, Auckland. His coaching background extends through to open Swimming World Championships level.  He has spent time assistant coaching to Dean Boxall, the ‘rock star’ coach of Australian gold medal swimmer Ariarne Titmus.

With a number of internationally experienced pool rescue swimmers already in his squad, John’s influence on team performance at the upcoming LWC is bound to be positive.

Following the LWC2022, we will be seeking a replacement of the HP Coach Lead role (pool). In the meantime, John’s role is to support the performance preparation of athletes on target to LWC2022.

Tom has been working with the HP Coaching team over the last year to observe and capture the coach planning process as part of his AUT post-graduate studies.

Tom has a number of skillsets aside from being an academic and a SLS coach. We discovered he is a graduated Performance Technique Analyst (PTA). With the skills to capture, analyse and interpret performance and technical data, Tom has agreed to formalise his role as a PTA for the HP Programmes.

Tom will be working with the HP Coaches to help enrich coaching and performance feedback with athletes. PTA insights will be invaluable to the HP Programmes moving forward.

With a need to increase athlete representation and better connection within the HP Programmes, particularly during these challenging times, Steve has proactively taken on the role of inaugural ‘Open Squad Captain’. This is a great opportunity for more athlete representation throughout the LWC2022 campaign.

Being chair of the ILS Athlete Commission, Steve is a strong athlete advocate and extends his invitation to HP Squad athletes (youth & open) that are keen to ask questions, learn, and/or share their perspectives.