Swimming club welcomes new top coach

(CBAC): It’s set to be another busy swim season for the Camana Bay Aquatic Club (CBAC). Not only has the competitive swim club added a new training group to its offerings and expanded its swim school due to growing demand – the club also welcomes new Head Coach Brad Hutton. He joins the club this week with more than seventeen years of competitive swim coaching experience. Previously, Hutton was Head Coach to the St. John’s Legends in St. John’s, Newfoundland, during which time the club doubled its number of competitive swimmers and performance levels greatly increased.

He hopes to play a similar role in CBAC’s development; the three year-old club has been expanding rapidly and now boasts more than 140 members.

“Brad is a perfect fit for our club,” said CBAC President Jeffrey Wight. “He comes to us from a similar background – a small town community. And just as we have watched our club grow from a simple idea to an amazing team, Brad was instrumental in the Legends’ development from a small, local club to one of Canada’s most respected swim teams.”
Hutton is looking forward to using his experience not only to benefit the club – but also to grow the sport of swimming locally.

“My coaching experiences have taken me across Canada, where I have been able to work with many of the top coaches and build a club that is highly regarded across the country. I am now looking forward to meeting other coaches from the local swim clubs and using our combined skills and expertise to further advance the high level of swimming in the Cayman Islands and beyond,” he said.

The new season also brings new additions to CBAC’s mix of competitive and fitness training groups. Age Group Performance is for swimmers 10 years and older who have outgrown Age Group Development but are not quite ready for CBAC’s top training group, MaplesFS Select. The group will train and compete both locally and internationally. For non-competitive swimmers, Wight recommends the club’s growing Aquatic Fitness programme.

“The focus is on fitness and technique, while having fun,” he explained. “Kids that play other sports come to the pool twice a week to work on their cardio and cross-training – plus, it simply keeps kids busy and active.”

Launched in January this year, the Camana Bay Aquatic Club Swim School also saw a successful first season, growing from 20 to more than 80 participants. And this term, the swim school becomes an integral part of Cayman International School’s Physical Education curriculum.

“Swimming is an essential skill for every person living in the Cayman Islands. Ensuring children learn to swim at an early age not only provides a number of health and social benefits – but could also one day save a life,” Wight said. The Swim School also offers adult beginner and intermediate lessons, and caregiver classes for adults working with children around water. Classes take place at the Camana Bay Pool and registration is open.

“I am very proud of the success of our club and excited about the future as we begin a new season with Coach Brad,” said Wight. “We’re looking forward to reaching new heights and standards and I have all the confidence in the world in our new coach. I expect it is going to be another great year for competitive swimming in Cayman.”