COACHES â 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. Alexâs 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!
Alexandraâs 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.
Hughâs coaching style emphasizes fun and technique and he canât 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 Masterâs 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 Gâs 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 wasnât 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 canât wait to meet the INT2s and get the season underway!
Hadleyâs 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 bachelorâs 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 heâs 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 canât wait for the season to get underway.
Brett Caswell
âPractice 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!
Brettâs 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 Canadaâs 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 canât 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 – SUMMER 2025
Zoey - SR2
Zoey is very excited to be returning as head coach for the 2025 Vikings Swim Season.
This will be Zoeyâs sixth year coaching and second season with the Vancouver Vikings. Previous to her time at the Vikings she was head coach for the team she grew up swimming for the Salt Spring Stingrays where we swam competitively for 13 years. During her time as a swimmer Zoey made 13 provincial teams, making plenty of friends and memories along the way. In 2019 she made the transition on to the pool deck permanent by taking on coaching as a full time position.
Zoey is finishing her fourth year at UBC where she is studying environmental and sustainable geography. When she isnât on the pool deck you can find Zoey lying at the beach, reading a good book or knitting. Zoey is looking forward to an absolutely epic summer with the Vikingâs community.
Jocelyn - SR1
Jocelyn is beyond excited to return to the Vikings this summer! After missing last season, she couldnât resist coming back. Jocelyn has been part of the Vikings since the age of six and has loved every second of it. In 2017, she transitioned to winter swimming but remained involved with the Vikings as an assistant coach before stepping into a full coaching role. This summer, she is thrilled to be working alongside Coach Zoey as Assistant Head Coach!
Jocelyn grew up in Vancouver and, as mentioned, swam for the Vikings. The Vikings sparked her love for swimming, making every summer with the team a highlight of her childhood. She later moved to VPSC to further pursue the sport and went on to swim at UVic for her first two years of university. Even after stepping away from competitive swimming, she knew she wanted to continue coaching and share her passion for the sport. Jocelyn recently completed her Bachelor of Elementary Education at the University of Victoria and will be graduating this June!
Outside of the pool, she loves spending time outdoors, whether at the beach or with friends. She also enjoys playing other sports, especially volleyball. Although she once thought her last season with the Vikings was her official farewell, she couldnât be happier to be back.
Mira - INT1
Mira is thrilled to be returning as a group coach this summer!
Mira swam with the Vikings from 2014 to 2019 before transitioning to winter swimming with the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club for two years. After her swimming career, Mira went on to coach with both the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club and the Vikings, where she developed a passion for mentoring younger swimmers.
Currently, Mira is studying psychology at UBC. When she isnât studying or on the pool deck, you can find Mira reading a book, exploring the outdoors, or trying out a new recipe!
She is excited to be back on deck with the Vikings this summer and looks forward to another great season!
Hayley - JR1
Hayley is thrilled to be returning for her third season as a group coach this summer!
Hayleyâs passion for swimming began when she joined the Vikings in 2014 as a Mini Viking. She then discovered her passion for coaching when she volunteered as a junior leader and was an assistant coach. Her favourite event to race is 100 backstroke, but she also loves relays with her teammates.
Currently, Hayley is studying commerce at the University of Toronto. She cannot wait to return to Vancouver and spend the summer with the VIKs community. Hayley is eager to share her swimming knowledge and enthusiasm with swimmers. Off the deck, you can find her going on runs, cooking, or at a cafe grabbing coffee.
Hayley cannot wait for the fun barbecues, water gun fights, coachesâ beauty pageant, and the thrilling swim meets the 2025 season will bring. She looks forward to seeing everyone on deck!
Ryder - INT2
Ryder is stoked to be coaching again with the Vikings this summer!
He's been swimming with the Vikings since 2016 and the WPGA Wolves since 2013. This is his third year coaching with the club and his second year as a group coach. Next school year, he's off to UBC where he will be pursuing a degree in the BIE program. His favourite events are definitely the 50 and 100 free, but 50 fly is a close runner-up.
Outside of the pool, he loves spending time in the gym, working on his aquariums, learning languages, and skiing.
Ryder canât wait to dive into the season, helping his swimmers grow as athletes and, most importantly, have fun!
Tea - JR2
TĂ©a is excited to return to the Vikings for her third year of coaching summer swimming.
TĂ©a started swimming with the Vancouver Vikings when she was five years old and swam with the Vikings for twelve consecutive years. She loves summer swimming and fondly remembers the friendships she made and all the fun she had over her time as a swimmer. Her favourite stroke is breaststroke, but she also loves the 200IM. Her best memories are of swim meets, hanging out with her teammates, and competing at provincials in Kamloops. TĂ©a now spends her school year in Kingston, Ontario where she is going into her third year of life sciences at Queens University. She loved coaching the past two summers and is returning this year to pass on her enthusiasm for the sport to her swimmers. She canât wait for the season to get started!
Nicky - JR3
Nicky has been swimming with the Vikings since 2015. He has a passion for swimming, and has been an Assistant Coach for the last 2 years. He has also just completed his first year at the University of Victoria in Kinesiology.
Nicky's favorite stroke is butterfly, and he also likes to swim the 200 IM. This is his first year as a Group Coach with the Vikings, and he is super excited to pass on his knowledge to the younger swimmers.
In his free time, you can find Nicky playing Pokemon, recreational volleyball or watching some natural disaster movie. He is really looking forward to getting to know and coach the next generation of Viking swimmers. He is also looking forward to the water gun fight, the barbeque, and the many swim meets.
Looking forward to a great summer!
Minou - Novice
Minou is so excited to continue with the Vikings as a coach!
Minou grew up in California and started swimming competitively there when she was 6. She was on a team there until 2023 when she moved to Vancouver. She has been coaching a summer swim team for the last four years and is so happy to continue coaching at Vikings! She also swam for the Vikings and her favorite strokes are butterfly and freestyle.
Currently she is in her final year of high school at Ăcole Secondaire Jules Verne and when sheâs not studying you can find her going for walks, baking, and spending time with her two cats.
