Press Release
Swimming/Natation Canada (SNC) and the PacificSport National Sport Centre - Greater Victoria are pleased to announce the appointment of Jim Fowlie and Lynn Fowlie as the new head coach and the new assistant coach respectively of the PacificSport Victoria National Swim Centre.

Starting work on March 1, 2002, Jim and Lynn will assume all responsibilities around the planning and implementation of training and competition programs for the centre, which will focus on sprint and relay events.

"The new direction for the PacificSport Victoria National Swim Centre is two-fold, and that's great news for Canadian swimmers," says Roger Skillings, President of PacificSport National Sport Centre ? Greater Victoria. "Not only do we have an internationally experienced team of coaches returning to British Columbia, we have a new focused approach for swimmers in the disciplines of sprint events and relays." Originally from Prince George, B.C., Jim Fowlie coached in Canada from 1977 to 1992 in several capacities including head coach of the University of Calgary Swim Club, head coach of the North York Aquatic Club and national development coach with the Pacific Dolphin Swimming Association in Vancouver. In 1992, he moved to Canberra to work as a senior swimming coach at the Australian Institute of Sport. During his tenure with the Institute, his swimmers set numerous world records and won many gold medals at major international events. His Olympic credentials include one world record and four gold medals at the 2000 Olympic Games, and one bronze and two silver medals at the 1996 Olympic Games. Prior to launching his career in coaching, Fowlie was a member of Canada's national team from 1974 to 1976, during which time he held the world short course record in the 400m individual medley for two years and was a bronze medallist at the 1974 Commonwealth Games.

"Jim Fowlie has accumulated an unparalleled wealth of experience coaching at the Australian Institute of Sport," says Dave Johnson, head coach and director of high performance for Swimming/Natation Canada. "His knowledge of the Australian system in general and the specific experience he gained as a key participant in the Australians' preparatory build-up to the 2000 Olympics will be invaluable to Canada. I have no doubt that Jim will make an immediate and significant impact on Canadian swimming."

Born in Hamilton and raised in West Vancouver, Lynn Fowlie's coaching career in Canada included assistant coaching positions in Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto between 1981 and 1990. She was the head coach of the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club before moving to Australia in 1992. Shortly following the Fowlies' move to Canberra, she became the head coach of the Ginninderra Swim Club where she coached for seven years, building the team from a local age group program to one of the largest contingents at the Australian Open Nationals in 1999. In addition to her head coaching duties, Lynn took on the position of facility manager of the Kaleen Swim Centre in 1996 and became responsible for the day-to-day operation and program planning for all aspects of the swimming centre. Before taking on her new position in Victoria, Lynn will finish up her 12- month scholarship position with the swim team at the Australian Institute of Sport, where she also completed her graduate diploma of elite sports coaching. Having been the assistant manager for the Australian swim team from 1997 to 2000, including the 2000 Olympic team, Lynn also brings a wealth knowledge and experience in this area to PacificSport Victoria.

Once they are settled back in Canada, the Fowlies' first priority will be to draw swimmers to this new program.

"The goal of the program will be to win medals for Canada," says Jim Fowlie. "Medals in the first four years and gold medals in the second four years."

"The PacificSport Victoria Centre's swim program will be modeled off the Australian Institute of Sport swim program," adds Fowlie. "The AIS has been the most successful swim program in the world for the past 20 years. The target group for the program will be older (20 years of age and over), focusing on sprint and relay events. However, we are not limited to this area. We look forward to returning to Canada and having a successful working relationship with club coaches across the country."

Combining world-class coaching support and athletes services, the PacificSport Victoria National Swim Centre is one of eight national swimming centres to open since 1994, in an effort to strengthen the high performance delivery system for swimming in Canada. In addition to providing training and coaching support, swimmers under the centre umbrella are offered services and support in strength training, sport medicine, sport science, as well as paramedical support services such as massage, chiropractic care, physiotherapy and nutritional counseling.

The PacificSport Victoria National Swim Centre, located at Saanich Commonwealth Place, was created through a partnership between Swimming/Natation Canada; the PacificSport National Sport Centre ? Greater Victoria; Swim BC, the provincial sports governing body for swimming; and Island Swimming, a local Victoria swim club.

As the national sport governing body for Canadian swimming, SNC has over 70,000 members represented by more than 350 clubs across the country. Sport Canada, a branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage, is a major funding partner of the association. National swimming centres are now established in Halifax, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Montreal, Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg.