Whether we’ve been coaching swimming for half our lives or we’re new to the sport, the one thing that the Splash coaches have in common is that we’re all 100% dedicated to being the best coach that we can be through constant research, innovation, and collaboration with other coaches. This is the only way to ensure that we’re helping our swimmers be the best that they can be – there’s nothing more demotivating than a coach who accepts anything less than your best.

You’ll find the Splash team to be friendly, approachable, lively, involved and encouraging – find out more about about us below.

Lee-Anne McQueen

Lee-Anne is absolutely passionate about helping children and adults to realise their full potential through swimming.  Whether it’s through the self-confidence and sense of accomplishment gained by learning and mastering such an essential life-skill, through the lessons in tenacity and endurance one gains in those hours spent training towards your swimming goals, or through the self-awareness and sense of responsibility that learning to teach and pass on swimming skills to others will bring you, Lee-Anne is continually inspired by the positive changes that swimming has the potential to bring about in people’s lives.  Lee-Anne is currently on maternity leave, returning in July 2012.

Simon McQueen

Simon’s mom Hilary, who was one of Cape Town’s first swimming teachers, encouraged him to start teaching neighbourhood kids to swim for R1 a lesson when he was 12 years old.  After qualifying as a primary school teacher, his passion for swimming brought him back to the pool deck, and he’s been a motivating and dedicated swimming coach ever since.  In 2011, Simon accepted a full-time Swimming Co-ordinator post at Wynberg Girls’ Junior School, and now mostly coaches alongside the Splash team, as well as running his new swimming and watersports equipment shop, www.watersportshop.co.za.

Claire Trollip

Having grown up watching her and Simon’s mom Hilary teach just about every child in Fish Hoek to swim, Claire was naturally brought back into swimming after qualifying as a primary school teacher, and loves working with children on an individual or small group basis.  Claire has been teaching for about 12 years, and is inspired daily by the role she plays in children’s lives as she transforms them into confident, competent, enthusiastic little swimmers.  Claire is taking a break from teaching for a couple of months to spend more time with her daughter, and will return in October 2012.

Melody Clark-Pitt

With a wealth of teaching and leadership experience through childcare, Playball and Catrobats, Melody’s love of working with children 1-on-1 led her to teach swimming at Splash in 2008, where she thrives on helping children to discover their own talents and abilities.  Her passion for empowering people of all ages with this essential life-skill has now grown to incorporate increasingly popular adult classes.  Mel has endless patience, treats every swimmer as an individual, and encourages each swimmer to get the most out of every lesson.

Kate Sives

Kate is a self-proclaimed water baby, and most enjoys working with children on a one to one basis.
One of the topics dealt with in her Honours degree in psychology was childhood development, and she relishes being a part of the process of helping a child to progress from being shy and under-confident in the water, to being capable and self-assured.
Kate has been teaching at Splash for over 2 years now, and has grown into a meticulous, dedicated, empathetic and empowering teacher.

Janine Patel

Janine comes from a family of swimming coaches, and has been involved in swimming for 30 years, not only as a swimmer, but also as a synchronised swimming competitor, coach and international judge.  Having taught thousands of children to swim over the past 11 years, Janine has developed a passion for passing on her love of the water and aims to ensure that everybody that comes through her hands will leave with a love and enjoyment of swimming.  Janine’s professional and diligent manner, constant smile and happy disposition ensures that she’s always a favourite amongst swimmers and parents.

Michele Bakker

About a year ago one of Cape Town’s best swimming teachers noticed the incredible way in which Michele interacts and connects with children, and encouraged her to channel this natural affinity for getting the best out of little people into swimming.  Always keen for a challenge and a new adventure, Michele ‘took the plunge’, changed careers, and has never looked back!  So what does she think so far? ‘I love how I never stop learning from colleagues and from my children, and am inspired by how I’m able to help children gain confidence, independence and a sense of achievement by getting onto their level and giving them my all at each and every lesson.’

Emily Picket
Emily is an incredibly committed, innovative and resourceful young teacher.
She runs the Splash Saturday swim school efficiently and to a very high standard.
Emily also runs her own swim school in Fish Hoek during the week and is a volunteer paramedic.