Why I coach the way I do
Dragon Boat Coach. Systems Thinker. World Champion.
I wasn’t the strongest paddler. I wasn’t the fastest either. But I became a Canadian national champion, not by talent, but by figuring out how to get better. That mindset became the foundation of my coaching: break things down, find the inefficiencies, and rebuild performance through systems, story, and simplicity.
A world champion dragon boat coach and Canadian national champion paddler with nearly 30 years in the sport. I've raced and coached at the highest levels, helping individual paddlers and reach Team Canada and become world champions on the international stage in both dragon boat and outrigger. I have also coached a World Championship team and was a coach for Team Canada.
This isn’t just coaching. It’s performance design.
I don’t just coach from instinct. I coach from systems.
With a degree in engineering and more than 25 years of experience in IT, I approach paddling like a performance puzzle. Each stroke, every phase of the race is composed of different systems. Speed comes from not only understanding those systems, but also knowing how and when to apply them.
I coach competitive paddlers, full teams, and coaches who want to get faster not by paddling harder, but by paddling smarter.
My focus is dragon boat first, outrigger canoe second. I help good paddlers become great, and I help teams find speed they didn’t know they had.
Most paddlers train harder. I help you train smarter.
Coaching isn’t just cues. It’s clarity, connection, and sometimes comedy. I teach through story, analogy, and humor to make the science of speed stick.
When I coach, I break each stroke down into applied systems. When these fundamentals work together, they generate speed.
What are these systems? Some are:
Biomechanics: how your body moves and what’s actually driving that movement
Fluid dynamics: how your paddle interacts with the water
Exercise Physiology: how you apply force and maintain output
Sports psychology: how you prep, focus, and respond under pressure
Physics: the fundamental laws of motion and energy
Team systems: how individuals sync and move as one
My approach helps paddlers move beyond the “feel” of a good stroke into the understanding of what creates real, repeatable speed. This is the foundation of everything we build together, from technical feedback to team performance.
Every stroke is a system made up of smaller systems: biomechanics, water interaction, body mechanics, mindset. The catch, the pull, the push. When you understand each part and how they fit together, you don’t just move better. You move faster.
Coaching that meets you where you are
From first-time paddlers to national-level athletes: get faster by design. Whether you’re paddling for the first time or pushing to compete at an elite level, I tailor coaching to meet you where you’re at and help you level up.
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I work with individuals who want to move from good to great. If you're aiming to make a competitive team, follow a structured training program, earn a seat on the National Team, or simply want to paddle faster with less effort, I can help you train with purpose.
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I mentor coaches who want structure, confidence, and better results. That includes everything from practice planning and technical drills to communication and feedback strategies that actually land with your team.
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If your team is training hard but not seeing results, I’ll help you build alignment technically, mentally, and strategically. From stroke timing to race-day execution, I work with your existing strengths to engineer real speed.
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As a certified leadership trainer, I also help athletes and coaches grow beyond performance, building the clarity, discipline, and mindset that supports not only racing success but real-life momentum.
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Elite performance isn’t one-size-fits-all. I continue to refine my approach and partner with experts in areas like nutrition, strength training, and recovery, offering guidance or referrals when you need to take your training to the next level.