Coaching
Our coaching team is led by our Head Coach, David Walker and is made up by a number of assistant coaches who are mostly former swimmers of Livingston and District Dolphins or Aquanauts of Livingston. They work hard to develop our athletes realise their full potential, ensuring that they are engaged, motivated and supported to achieve their goals, whatever they may be.
David Walker
David swam for both Aquanauts and LDD, as well as Swim West Lothian, reaching national level. He has an MSc in Sports Performance and a first class honours degree in Sports Science, as well as being a Level 3 Personal Trainer. He started his coaching career with LDD and Swim West Lothian, before moving to Aberdeen where he was the Head Coach of the Robert Gordon University team. He has also worked at the Bluewater Elite Swim Training Centre (B.E.S.T Centre Sports) in Mallorca where he was the Head Coach of the B.E.S.T Mediterranean Swim Team. When he is not on poolside, David works as a Personal Trainer, working with a variety of athletes from different sports as well as people looking to get fitter, stronger and healthier. He believes that being a swimming coach is about much more than just the time swimmers are in the pool and that it is an opportunity to help them reach their potential in all aspects of their life.
Ross Thomson
Ross has been part of the club since the age of 6. He started off as a beginner in the LTS programme and worked his way up the club pathway. He managed to reach national level before deciding to get his qualifications and become a teacher and coach. Ross qualified just before the first lockdown. After he stopped swimming competitively, Ross wanted to use all his skills and knowledge, to help develop the next cohort of up and coming swimmers. Ross is currently studying Sport and Exercise Science at Heriot Watt University and along with his commitments to the club, is working at Oriam Sports Performance Centre at Heriot Watt. He has had a passion for sport his whole life, with some of his favourites being swimming, football and running. Once Ross has graduated, he plans to continue studying to become a Sports Physiotherapist or Sports Nutritionist.
Joe Walker
Joe has been coaching for over 20 years and is an Amateur Swimming Association Level 2 Teacher and a UKCC Level 3 Swimming Coach, as well as having a British Cycling Level 1 Cyling Coaching qualification. He has a BSc in psychology including sports psychology (2013) and an MSc in Sport Performance Coaching from the University of Stirling (2020). He was a Secondary teacher for 27 years and for the last 11 has worked for the Scottish Goverment as an education advisor. He’s also a British Swimming Judge 2S. His philosophy is to help swimmers become better people not just better swimmers, and he loves to learn new stuff all the time to help him be a better coach.
Jake
Jake has been involved with the club for over 10 years. He began his coaching journey as a poolside helper at the Swim School and gained his Scottish swimming teaching qualification along with his National Pool Lifeguard Qualification. He is currently studying for a degree in robotics at Heriot Watt University and plans to travel the world when he graduates. Jake enjoys working with swimmers at all levels and helping them to achieve their goals. He thinks that there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing swimmers excel in the sport.
Struan
Struan swam with LDD and gained his coaching qualifications during this time. He has been coaching with the club for 4 years, is a qualified lifeguard and also holds an Early Years Qualification. He is currently at University in Edinburgh studying Computing. His philosophy is that everyone can improve all of the time.
Nyah Archibald
Nyah swam with Bathgate ASC for 8 years. Her favourite stroke was butterfly! She became a qualified swimming teacher in 2020 and has been coaching since then. She is currently studying Audio technology in Glasgow and music is a huge part of her life, just like swimming.
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