About Us
Our contributing coaches and experts will help you on your journey to swimming success.
Meet the Contributors
Gold Class Swimming aims to assist swimming coaches, parents and swimmers on their journey through competitive swimming.
The contributing coaches and experts at Gold Class Swimming are committed to providing high level instruction and support to coaches, swimmers and parents across a variety of platforms.
If you are looking to:
- fast-track your coaching
- provide support to your child who swims, or
- improve your own swimming to be the best that you can be,
then you have come to the right place.
Below you will find our more about the coaches and experts who contribute to Gold Class Swimming!
Leigh Nugent
Leigh Nugent is one of the best technical swimming coaches in the world. He enjoys working with swimmers of all ages and coaches of all abilities to help them to be the best that they can be. His love for the sport and helping people to succeed is reflected in his wealth of knowledge and easy to understand instructions.
As National Youth Coach for Swimming Australia from 2000 to 2003 and again from 2005 to 2009, Leigh has worked with many of the best up and coming swimmers and coaches in Australia and around the world. Leigh was the Head Coach of Swimming Australia in 2003-2004 and again in 2009-2012, leading the sport to its most successful Olympics since Melbourne 1956 in Athens in 2004.
Gary Barclay
Gary Barclay has been involved in the sport of swimming for more than 30 years in a variety of capacities including as a swim teacher, swimming coach, athlete manager, event manager and 17 years as CEO of one of the most successful swimming clubs in Australia.
Gary coached swimming for 12 years and was very successful with junior and age group swimmers with swimmers winning more than 100 gold medals at the State Championship level.
Gary is an author of multiple books including Behind the Goggles which has been written and designed for children who swim aged 8 to 14 years.
Gary contributes across all areas of Gold Class Swimming with a keen focus on the Swim Parent support program and conducting swim clinics around the country.
Megan Davis
Megan has 20 years of experience working extensively with athletes and coaches from a wide range of sports. With a Graduate Diploma in Child and Adolescent Psychology and a Masters in Applied Psychology (Sport), she has worked with the Australian Swim Team as team manager, and Australian Youth Team as a psychologist. She has special interest in performance enhancement skills, athlete life skills training, family counselling and special needs of female athletes. Megan has also represented Australia in swimming as an athlete.
Bec Stone
Bec Stone is a clinical nutritionist, former national-level swimmer and former swimming coach at one of Australia’s leading clubs. She understands the sport of swimming from an athlete, coach and nutritional perspectives and is a regular presenter to high performance swimmers and their parents. Bec is passionate about educating and inspiring individuals to reach and maintain their optimal health and well being. She is a strong believer in food as medicine and is passionate about all areas of nutrition. Bec is particularly interested in sports nutrition, gut health and weight management and has a Bachelor of Health & Science in Nutritional Medicine.
Nick Veliades
Nick is Head Coach of leading Victorian Club MLC Aquatic. He has a Bachelor of Applied Sports Science where his major interests were physiology and biomechanics and has his level 1 Strength & Conditioning certificate. Nick has coached numerous swimmers to Age National medals and onto junior Australian teams such as the Trans-Tasman Team, Youth Olympic Team & The Junior Pan Pacific Team. Nick was selected on the 2008 Junior Pan Pacific Team as a Team Coach. Nick has been named Victorian Age Group coach of the year and Victorian Open Water coach of the year on numerous occasions.
Shaun Curtis
Shaun is Head Coach of the very strong Norwood Swimming Club in South Australia. He has a philosophy based on a strong focus on technique, skills and teamwork and believes this provides swimmers with a strong foundation to have long term development as an athlete into their senior swimming years. He has a huge passion about the ‘team’ culture across the whole swimming club and believes that each swimmer, parent, official, coach, committee member has a crucial role in the team as the goal of each person involved is to see swimmers improve and reach their ultimate potential.
Guest Contributor: Rohan Taylor
Rohan Taylor has coached high performance swimmers for the past 20 years and is committed to “continuous improvement” in everything he does and everyone he works with.
Rohan has coached junior and age group swimmers of all age’s right through to coaching Liesel Jones to an Olympic Gold medal at the 2008 Olympics. Rohan is a guest contributor.
Swim Club Recognition Program
Gold Class Swimming recognises Swim Clubs from across Australia and around the world for investing in coach education and professional development, through the Swim Coach Advantage program.
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