The Noosa Swimming Club (NSC), with its home at the Noosa Aquatic Centre (NAC), has had some outstanding success developing swimmers at a highly competitive level. The NAC Swim Squad focusses on long distance and Open Water events.
This NAC Swim Squad is directed by legendary coach John Rodgers (JR) who is currently mentoring up and coming squad coaches Kareena Clark, Joao Fernandes and Ciro Ramalho, to be the future of this successful swim squad program.
JR relationship with Coach Clark is deeply invested, and includes coaching and guiding her to a career highlight at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where she achieved a bronze medal in the 10km Open Water event.
Rodgers also coached Hong Kong national Bill Thorley to the 2020 Olympic Games. Bill has continued to be an integral part of the squad for six years and has represented his country on multiple occasions.
This level of international success is one of many for JR, who has coached at the AIS and other high performance centres, in Canada and Australia over his long career.
JR’s most recent achievement is coaching NAC Swim Squad member Nicholas Sloman to an extraordinary 5th place finish in the 10K Open Water event at the 2024 World Aquatic Championships in Doha. This outstanding result secured the young Sunshine Coast resident a berth on the Australian Olympic team preparing for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this July and August.
Sloman, who is the 5 times Australian Surf champion and 5 times Australian Open Water Champion, also led the Australian Relay Team to a Gold Medal in the Mixed Open Water (4 x 1500m) event at the same world championships.
The NSC performance depth was on high display at the 2024 Australian Open Water Championships in WA, where club member performances led to the NSC winning the Best Open Water Swimming Club in Australia award.
This national recognition was also the catalyst for NSC being awarded the region’s best sporting team honour, the Sunshine Coast Sports Award.
At the Australian nationals NAC Swim Squad member Thomas Raymond made history becoming the first swimmer to ever win all three (3) races, including the 5k, 10k and Mixed Open Water (4×1500) championship events.
The NAC Swim Squad also compromises of surf specialists, including former Coolangatta Gold Champion Carla Papac and Nutrigrain Ironwoman Gemma Smith-Welch.
Other surf specialists Niamh Arthur and Dylan Wilson from the Sunshine Beach Surf Life Saving Club finished the Australian Age Surf race in 1st and 3rd place, respectively.
The NAC Swim Squad program also hosts world class international triathletes, with German Jan Frodeno, arguably the best triathlete of all time, regularly joining the squad when not committed to her busy international competition schedule.
Currently, New Zealander Amelia Watkinson, who lives permanently on the Sunshine Coast is part of the NAC Swim Squad`s daily training regime. Other international triathletes,comprising of Britain’s Tom Bishop (2018 Commonwealth Games Champion) and Sian Rainsley (Triathlon World Cup winner), Daniel Baekkergard (3rd at the 70.3 2021 World Championships) and Chilean Barbara Riveros (Four-time Olympian) are some of the names who also regularly train with the NAC Swim Squad.
