ABOUT SUSC
ABOUT THE SYDNEY UNIVERSITY SWIMMING CLUB
SUSC is one of many sporting clubs operating under the umbrella of Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness (SUSF). The Club is a competitive club and caters for swimmers of all ages and offers a range of squads for young people who love to swim - from kids just graduating from the Learn to Swim program through to serious Age-group and Open competitors going through to National competitions.
SUSC has had many well-known swimmers competing at international level for the club, including; Matthew Abood, Matt Dunn, Chris Fydler, Elka Graham, Brett Hawke, Sarah Hilt, Katrina Porter, and Phil Rogers to name a few. However, in 2016 funding which the Club received through Swimming Australia was cut. This caused the Club to lose its High Performance Coaches, its high profile swimmers and its reputation as the most prominent swim club in Sydney.
The rebuilding phase commenced early in 2017. Other key achievements during 2017, 2018 and early in 2019 have included; significant growth in the number of Sydney Uni student members, further collaboration between the SUSC and Sydney Uni Swim School resulting in increased Club membership and swim meet participation and excellent performances being achieved at a state, metro and national level.
This success has been underpinned by a dedicated coaching team. The current Head Coach of Sydney Uni Swimming is Paul Bruce who brings a wealth of experience. Paul is supported by Jake Hodgetts and Anton Nikulin. Paul, Jake and Anton are building a strong club culture, which is based on having clearly defined competitive objectives, creating a strong sense of inclusion and being committed to open communication and constructive feedback. By living these values the Club also hopes to fulfil its mission of ‘Empowering young people to be champions, in and out of the water, for a lifetime’.
COACHES
PAUL BRUCE
Head Coach
Paul commenced full time as Head Coach - Sydney University Swimming in January 2019.
He is Australian Swim Team Coach #117, holding a Gold Licence Swimming Coach accreditation, having been a Coach, Sport Administrator and Board member at all levels and disciplines within the sport of swimming for over 25 Years.
Paul has held positions with several swimming clubs throughout his career, commencing with establishing the Tuggeranong Vikings Swim Club in the ACT from 1991 to 1996, and his international stint in Canada from 1997 to 2001, before returning to Australia and coaching the Wagga Wagga Swim Club until 2004.
It was following the 2004 Olympics that Paul was recruited to Swimming Australia in a Coach & Athlete Development role that saw him also work as an Assistant Coach at the Australian Institute of Sport leading into the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Following that experience, Paul returned to full time coaching in Western Australia creating the opportunity to work with a team of athletes competing on the international stage including multiple World Cups, the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Pan Pacific and Para Pan Pacific Championships then culminating in his selection as a Coach to the New Zealand Team for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Paul was awarded an Australian Swimming Coaches & Teachers Association Award for outstanding coaching achievement for Coaching athletes to Nation or International medal winning performances in Age Group, Open, Multi Class and Open Water Swimming in the one year and was named Swimming WA's Coach of the Year in 2015.
Paul returned to the east coast of Australia taking up the Director of Swimming role with the City of Sydney at the end of 2016 before returning to his true passion of Coaching here at Sydney University in January 2019.
"I have big plans for our Lion's Pride here at Sydney Uni Swimming, many of which have started to come to fruition. I'm confident we have the right coaching personnel in place, a great mix of University Students and Swimming Parents on our Management Committee, an improved squad progression pathway, and the continued financial and facility access support from SUSF to ensure our athletes success, both in and out of the water." - Paul Bruce
JAKE HODGETTS
National & State Age Coach
Jake has had a passion for swimming since a very young age and throughout his early career he won numerous NSW Age Titles and held several NSW State All-Comers Records. In 2012, after successfully medaling in two events at the Australian Age National, Jake was selected as part for the Junior Australian Swim Team.
After many years of competing at Australian Open Nationals between 2012 to 2017, Jake decided to retire from competing and took up an internship at the New South Wales of Sport, which saw him work as Physiologist and Coaching Assistant with the Swimming Australia Technical Hub Squad throughout 2017-2019. Jake took up his full-time Assistant Coach position at Sydney University in 2019 and set his sights developing the age group squads at Sydney Uni. He has recently completed a Bachelor of Exercise & Sport Science and has continued to further his studies by recently graduating with a Masters of High-Performance Sport.
"Swimming was a huge part of my teen years, with the Coach and other athletes at my junior club being influential to the person I am today. I want to instil a positive and supportive culture at Sydney Uni that will allow athletes of all ages to perform at their best across all aspects of their lives." - Jake Hodgetts
ANTON NIKULIN
Emerging Talent Coach
Anton started as a swimming instructor at the club in October 2015 whilst finishing a Diploma of Sports Development. Anton holds an ASCTA Bronze Coaching Accreditation.
Anton was born in Russia, but after finishing high school decided to pursue his dreams in Australia and found his passion for teaching the sport of swimming and guiding young swimmers to achieve their goals. Anton was a competitive swimmer in Russia until 2012 with a number of first places at State Level. He has recently returned to competitive swimming after a 6 year break and currently is training as a member of Sydney Uni's Varsity Squad with a goal of qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the near future.
"Sydney Uni Swimming is a great place to be a part of. It is a privilege to be working with and next to the right people who are committed to achieving similar goals and shae similar beliefs for the sport of swimming. My goal for Sydney Uni Swimming is to create a fun learning environment for young swimmers where they can achieve new heights with consistent practice and positive mindset and maintain a lifelong enjoyment of the sport." - Anton Nikulin
COMMITTEE
Elka Whalan
President
Irek Kowalski
Vice President
Thomas Hay
Vice President - Student Rep
Oliver Kazda
Treasurer
Scott Dillon & Frances Smith
Secretary
Arukshan Pavalachandran
Race Secretary
Tony An
Club Registrar
Howard & Nicole Penny
Marketing & Communications
Paul Bruce
Coaches Representative
Elizabeth Gan
Social Media
Evi Howdin & Christine Gough
Fundraising
Maja Grujic &
Ping Lo
Team Manager
Cath Chatterton & Steve Mordue
Member Protection Officers
Ana Da Silva
Uniform Officer
FORMS &
DOCUMENTS
Swimming NSW have an extensive range of information for new swimmers (and their parents) such as Code of Conduct, what to expect at your first meet, JX Awards, information about nutrition, etc. Visit: https://nsw.swimming.org.au/swim-0
Safe Sport Framework
Swimming Australia has a Safe Sport Framework which is a policy designed to keep everyone safe.
Visit: https://www.swimming.org.au/integrity-policies-rules/safe-sport-framework