COACHES – SUMMER 2021
Alexandra Kouzas
Head Coach & Coach Practice Time 1: SR1 and SR 2
Coach Alex grew up in South Africa and swam competitively for 13 years. In 2013, she moved to Canada to continue swimming, while attending the University of British Columbia. Alex’s best stroke has always been Freestyle (sprints), with the 50m Free being her favourite event. She competed at the National and International level for South Africa and, in 2012, qualified for the South African Olympic Trials.
Her proudest swimming moment, however, was after she took a year off swimming in 2015 and then returned and qualified for the 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials. Shortly after the Trials, Alex partially tore her bicep tendon and supraspinatus which meant, unfortunately, that she had to take some time off training. She attempted to make a return to the pool, but soon after decided that it was time to hang up her goggles.
Alex has coached for the Vancouver Vikings Swim Club for six years. Having worked her way up from the MV2 group, all the way through to the P1 group this Summer. Currently, she is the Head Coach for the Vancouver Vikings and also the UBC Masters Swim Club for adults.
Alex graduated from UBC in 2019, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Special Education. She is now finishing up her second degree at UBC in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) to teach elementary school education.
Alex prides herself on being a technical coach, who is able to create a fun and supportive environment for all her swimmers. She is extremely excited to be coming back as both the head coach and group coach this Summer and cannot wait to get to know each of the swimmers in her group!
Alexandra’s email address is coachalex@vancouvervikings.com.
Hugh Dauvergne
Assistant Head Coach - floating between groups as needed
Hugh is very excited to be the assistant head coach this summer! Hugh will be floating between groups assisting Alex and the other coaches where needed.
Hugh spent the last 10 years both swimming and coaching for the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club where he was a provincial medalist and an age group national qualifier. Although Hugh never swam or coached with Vikings before this summer, he is no stranger to the coaching team. In fact, Hugh swam competitively with Coach Alex and Coach Mackenzie, and has won high school provincial medals swimming with Coach Sam.
Currently, Hugh is completing a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto with a major in History.
Hugh’s coaching style emphasizes fun and technique and he can’t wait to contribute positively to the already amazing Vikings community.
Go Vikings!!
Mackenzie Gunther
Practice Time 2: Coach Senior 2 and Intermediate 1
Mackenzie joined the Vikings in 2011 as a swimmer in the Junior group, and over the next four summers became a provincial medalist and record holder. She then joined VPSC where she swam for the next three years. Mackenzie swam at UBC where she was a member of the UBC Thunderbird Swim team. She just graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and will be attending a Master’s program in the fall in Global Affairs.
Mackenzie has been a Vikings Winter Maintenance coach for the past five years and was the MV1 coach in the summer of 2019. She has also coached for the UBC Masters Swim team. Mackenzie is so excited to continue to be a part of the Vikings family this summer and pass on her knowledge and passion of the sport to her swimmers.
Mackenzie G’s email address is coachmgunther@vancouvervikings.com.
Hadley Gunther
Practice Time 3: Coach, INT2
Coach Hadley is thrilled to be returning to coach with the Vikings this summer! Having coached MV2 for the past two seasons she is very excited to be coaching INT2 this summer. Hadley has swam from the Vikings for 9 summer seasons. When she wasn’t swimming, Hadley played water polo competitively throughout high school and competed at the 2017 USA Junior Olympics along with earning a silver medal at the U19 Canadian National Championships in 2018.
Hadley is currently attending the University of Calgary majoring in History with a goal to graduate in 2023 and pursue an after degree in Nursing.
In her spare time Hadley enjoys playing volleyball, making awesome playlists on Spotify and watching Jeopardy!
She can’t wait to meet the INT2s and get the season underway!
Hadley’s email address is coachhadley@vancouvervikings.com.
Sam Watanabe
Practice Time 4: Coach JR1
Sam is looking forward to another great season with the Vikings this year! He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s of science degree studying pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Toronto and is thrilled to be returning to Vancouver for the summer.
Sam has spent many seasons as a swimmer with the Vikings, and was coach for the MV3 group in 2019. He has also spent many hours teaching at learn-to-swim programs as well as coaching his high school swim team.
Sam is quite the outdoorsman, so when he’s not on deck, he likes to spend his time at the beach or exploring the mountains! This year, he will be returning as coach for the JR1 group and can’t wait for the season to get underway.
Brett Caswell
Practice Time 5: Coach, JR2
As a long-time member of the Vancouver Vikings since 2011, Brett has always taken great pleasure returning to the summer season and is beyond excited for the 2021 season.
In his first season as a group coach, Brett hopes to make this summer enjoyable and memorable for the JR2 swim group.
When reflecting upon the quintessential experience of summer swimming, Brett is reminded of water gun fights, scores of potlucks, and swim meets that were as exhausting as they were fun. Although these activities may not be possible this year, Brett is confident that the Vikings spirit will persevere!
Brett’s previous coaching experience comes as a Vikings Junior Leader (volunteer coach), an assistant coach, and as a Vikings Winter Maintenance group coach. He is also completing his certification in Swimming Canada’s National Coaching Certification Program. Brett is currently completing his final year at Kitsilano Secondary School, and will be attending UBC in the fall, pursuing a degree in Science. Away from the pool deck, Brett enjoys reading, cooking, and jogging.
Eager for the summer season to start, Brett can’t wait to improve the technique, morale, and speed of the JR2 swimmers!
Maya Kennedy
Practice Time 6: Coach, MV
Maya is ecstatic to be joining the Vikings team for her first summer as a group coach and sixth season overall! Having been an assistant coach for two years and a group coach through two Winter Maintenance sessions, she is looking forward to working with the Mini Vikings this summer and developing young swimmers into athletes.
Having started as an anxious swimmer who was terrified of diving and developing into a two-time Provincial Championship finalist, Maya strives to foster resilience, leadership, and a lifelong passion for fitness in her swimmers.
A current grade 12 student at Kitsilano Secondary, Maya will be attending the University of Pennsylvania in the fall to study economics and life sciences. She enjoys picnics at the beach, road trips with good coffee, and (of course) being at the pool. GO VIKS!!!
COACHES – FALL 2022
Brett Caswell
Winter Maintenance Head Coach & P2, P3 & P4
This fall, Brett is returning for his 4th year of coaching Winter Maintenance and he is excited to begin his position as head coach!
Whether it be on deck or in the water, Brett has enjoyed every moment with the Vancouver Vikings since he joined the club in 2010. When reflecting on his favorite moments swimming with the Vikings, he is reminded of water gun fights, potlucks, and swim meets that were as exhausting as they were exhilarating. Brett’s favorite individual events are 200 IM, 100 butterfly, and 100 breaststroke, but he finds nothing can compare to an exciting relay with his teammates!
Brett’s coaching history with the Vikings includes working as a Junior Leader (volunteer coach), as an assistant coach, and as a group coach during both the summer and Winter Maintenance seasons. Outside of the Vikings, Brett has also shown his love for coaching with the Special Olympics of BC swim team and as the head coach of his high-school swim team.
Off the pool deck, Brett is pursuing a degree in Computer Science at UBC. Outside of coaching, you might find Brett hanging out with friends, cooking, or studying on campus!
Alex Kouzas
P1 & P3
Alex grew up in South Africa and swam competitively for 13 years. In 2013, she moved to Canada to continue swimming, while attending the University of British Columbia. Alex’s best stroke has always been Freestyle, with the 50m Free being her favourite event. She competed at the National and International level for South Africa and, in 2012, qualified for the South African Olympic Trials. Her proudest moment, however, was qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Trials for Canada after having taken a year off. Unfortunately, a partial tear in her bicep tendon and supraspinatus is what ultimately lead her to hanging up her goggles.
Alex has worked as both the head coach and group coach with the Vikings for the past 7 years! She now works full-time as an elementary school teacher and juggles teaching, school swimming, and Vikings. When Alex is not at the pool, she can be found riding her bike around the city, watching netflix and exploring new coffee shops and restaurants.
Alex prides herself on being a technical coach, who is passionate about creating a fun and supportive environment for all her swimmers.
Dima Lim
P1
Dima has been competitively swimming since 2007. He grew up in Kazakhstan and then moved to Burnaby, BC with his family in 2012. Throughout high school, Dima represented Simon Fraser Aquatics and medalled at various national and international competitions. After graduating from Burnaby North Secondary, Dima enrolled at UBC to study microbiology and immunology. He has contributed to winning 4 consecutive national titles for UBC Men’s Swimming and represented the Canadian National Team at World University Games in 2019. His most recent accomplishment was winning the silver medal in 50m Butterfly at Canadian World Trials in 2022. Currently, he is in his fifth-year at UBC and is one of the UBC Thunderbirds Team Captains.
Dima’s coaching history includes coaching UBC Masters since 2019 and UBC Performance Swim Camps in 2020. Dima is very excited to about share the knowledge he gained from racing at a high level with the Vancouver Vikings!
Sara Godon
P4 & P5
Sara is currently in her 5th year as varsity swimmer and is studying physics and biology at UBC. She’s been swimming competitively for 15 years and is now a World Championship Trials Qualifier and USPORT National Champion with the UBC Thunderbirds. Originally from Gatineau, Quebec, she has been coaching with her home team since 2014. Since moving to Vancouver 4 years ago, BC has become her home. Hiking, snowboarding and going to the beach are some of her favorite things to do when not at the pool. She’s looking forward to working with the Vikings for the first time this season and getting to work with the future of the Vancouver swimming world.
Lauren Caswell
P5 & P6
Lauren is very excited to be returning to coach with the Vancouver Viking swim club. Lauren began her swimming career in 2008 as a “mini-Viking” and progressed to a multiple BCSSA individual medalist in 2011. In 2012, Lauren transitioned to winter swimming, where she swam for VPSC for 5 years before committing to swim with the UBC Women’s Varsity Swim Team. As a thunderbird, Lauren help contribute to the team’s two U-sports national championship wins. Lauren coached for the Vikings swim club from 2018-2020, and has also coached for the UBC Masters Swim Team and Special Olympics swim team. Lauren’s coaching philosophy is to ensure the swimmers learn proper technique in a safe and fun environment. Lauren recently graduated from UBC with a B.Sc. in Cognitive Systems, and is currently in her first year of medical school. When Lauren isn’t at the pool, you can find her running and biking along local trails and sampling all the local coffee shops Vancouver has to offer.
Ian Wicken
P6
Ian is one of the of the P6 coaches this year and he looks forward to teaching the kids new drills and techniques. He has been swimming with the Vancouver Vikings since he was the age of 4. And his siblings were involved with the cub for even longer. Whilst he is a "new coach" with the Vikings, he has coached elsewhere in Vancouver most notably with the UBC aquatic center. Again, he is looking forward to a really fun winter training season.
Hailey Lim
Assistant Coach
Hayley is super excited to join the Vikings’ coaching team as an assistant coach this fall season! In the past two years, Hayley has volunteered as a junior leader and has created a passion for coaching. She joined the Vikings in 2014 as a Mini Vikings and is now a senior swimmer of the club. Each year she looks forward to the start of the season and can’t wait to share her eagerness and give the younger swimmers the fun memories she was given throughout her years in the club! Her favorite stroke to swim is backstroke but also enjoys freestyle. Hayley is currently a grade 12 student at Eric Hamber Secondary and is also a part of the swim team there. In her spare time, you can find her walking at the beach, watching Netflix, or baking. See you on deck!
Tea Gilberg
Assistant Coach
Téa Gilberg has been swimming with the Vancouver Vikings for 13 years. She has also been swimming with her school, West Point Academy, since grade three. She is in Grade 12 and is one of the swim team captains. Although her best stroke is breaststroke, she loves butterfly and the 200 IM. She has been passionate about swimming her whole life and she’s extremely grateful for the opportunity to pass this excitement on. Since she has grown up around the swimming community, she has been exposed to lots of training and coaching styles as well as the highs and lows of competition. She’s incredibly excited to pass on her knowledge, experience and passion to the younger swimmers in the club.
