Coaching Philosophy
Our coaching philosophy is centered on fostering a high-performance culture that emphasizes athlete development, well-being, and excellence.
GSC is committed to creating a structured and supportive environment where athletes can achieve their full potential by balancing rigorous training with clear recovery principles. Prioritizing long-term growth over short-term gains, the club values aerobic conditioning, personalized training plans, and open communication with athletes and their support teams. Central to GSC’s approach is a commitment to safeguarding athletes’ physical health, emphasizing injury prevention, and requiring proactive injury management through trusted physio partners.
The “Geelong Way” philosophy—PRIDE, RESPECT, COMMITMENT, COLLABORATION, and NO LIMITS—serves as the foundation for building a team culture that strives for elite performance at the highest levels.
With a strong focus on cultivating excellence, GSC inspires leadership, accountability, and adaptability within its athletes. The club is dedicated to providing a high-performance training environment, with access to expert coaching, advanced facilities, and individualized pathways to success. Collaboration with families, support staff, and external organizations reflects GSC’s vision for a destination club that attracts and nurtures elite athletes while celebrating success at the national and international levels.
By integrating cutting-edge tools and workflows, GSC remains innovative and focused on achieving excellence in coaching practices, ensuring athletes are well-equipped to excel in competitive swimming.
Aaron Tenabel
Aaron brings extensive experience to the Geelong Swimming Club as Head Coach, focusing on performance excellence. A former competitive swimmer with the 1993 Australian Dolphins Swim Team, Aaron spent 15 years gaining invaluable insights into high-performance swimming.
As a coach, Aaron guided athletes to Paralympic gold medals (Sydney 2000), state and national podium finishes, and representation on international teams like the New Zealand Tri Series. He combines this with expertise in sports administration, including governance, strategic planning, and facility management.
Returning to Geelong Swimming Club, Aaron is dedicated to creating a high-performance environment that fosters talent and achieves success on national and international stages.
Rob Steinman
Rob is a former swimmer with Ballarat GCO and Albury Swimming Club and has participated at National Age and Open competitions over an 18 year swimming career. He has coached at various levels over a 10 year period between 1993—2003 and coached juniors to Country Championships during that time. Rob is a Primary School teacher who also has Aus. Swim and Competitive stroke qualifications.
Nathan Bury
Nathan brings over seven years of swim coaching experience to the team at Geelong Swimming Club. Starting his journey as a competitive swimmer, Nathan has since channelled his passion for the sport into coaching, working with swimmers of all levels, from beginners to performance-driven athletes. He currently leads the State Gold and Development Squads, fostering a positive, goal-oriented environment to help athletes reach their full potential.
Nathan’s career has spanned various roles, including on deck, administration for multiple swim centres and running programs for swimmers of all abilities. His attention to detail and focuses on building strong relationships with athletes and their families have contributed to many success stories. In addition to his work at Geelong Swimming Club, Nathan is also the Head of Swimming at Geelong Grammar School, where he leads the APS swimming program and is driving the team toward continued success.
Mark Cooper
Mark represented New Zealand at various international meets including the Trans-Tasman Series, Youth Olympics, Youth Comm Games and World Cup Meets. He secured multiple national age group records and various national titles. Mark has over 17-years experience in Swim Teaching and Coaching, whilst also working as an AustSwim course presenter. Mark is also a Neuro-Coaching specialist through his business Cooper Consulting. He works with varying groups/ages – from trauma suffering through to elite mindset conditioning for athletes.
Kai Vincent
Kai has been a swimming teacher for 8 years and progressively worked his way up the ranks developing a deep understanding of swimming technique. Kai is currently studying science and has recently completed a diploma of outdoor education and adventure tourism where he learnt a range of skills that have enabled him to become a skilled leader. In 2022 Kai worked at the outdoor program known as Timbertop where he became a role model and found the strict line between being a firm but fair educator, Kai has a great ability to sympathise and support his athletes while also pushing them to achieve their best.
Alicia Licorni
Alicia was a competitive swimmer for a decade, beginning her career with the Eltham Swim School Dolphins before transitioning to the Doncaster Templestowe Swimming Club. At DTSC, she served as club captain for two years and earned state age medals, state open times and national age times. After graduating from high school, Alicia relocated to Geelong, where she is currently pursuing a university degree at Deakin University. Additionally, Alicia has also accumulated over four years of experience as a learn-to-swim instructor at various swim schools.