a little about me
Kia ora, I'm Timon, and the little dude in that picture is my son Teddy. He comes and coaches with me at Freyberg sometimes, I think the swimmers come more for him now than me but I'm okay with that!
Swimming to me is about moving easier, not harder. When you look at people in the water, your eye is generally drawn to swimmers that make things look effortless.
The beauty about this is anyone can work towards more ease. You don't have to be super athletic to swim well, awareness and technique is everything.
My coaching is built on reinforcing the basics of technique and training, and empowering you to understand your own stroke and rhythm in order to improve.
I've always loved the water. My uncle Peter ran the Wilkinson Swim School at Newtown School in the 80's, I still remember running down the concrete sides and stomping on the metal pump cover much to the annoyance of all the instructors and parents!
I went on to swim competitively, never to great heights, but I loved being fit, and the strength and confidence I developed in the water has given me many opportunities that I'm grateful for now.
My passion for teaching was ignited at TSW Swim School in 2000 (my old club) where I taught and coached hundreds of kids through till 2007.
When the pool closed in 2008, I moved to Capital Swim Club with many of our juniors.
Over the next 8 years I was able to grow a group of juniors (including current NZ star Lewis Clareburt) into National and International medal winners. Part of my success was the ability to create a fun and engaging environment, and this is what I bring to my adults squads now.
Feeling a bit drained from the grind of competitive swimming, I left the sport in 2016 to open my gym Bonobo (check it out here), but was lured back in 2018 to take over Ali Dennis's squads (formerly Fitness Goals)... Bonobo Swim Squads were born!
Coaching adults has reignited my love for swim coaching. I feel privileged to help people achieve their goals in the water, and aim to make swimming as fun as possible.
I am a Swimming NZ Silver qualified Coach.