Neptunes Coaching Staff
Matt Torres - Head Coach Swimming & Water Polo
My name is Matthew Emmanuel Torres. Some of your may know me as Bond... James Bond. I was born on May 17th 1991 with full intentions of becoming a swim coach right from the get go. Two months after being born I was already in the water taking swimming lessons at the pool. As I got older I slowly moved away from the water and started playing Soccer. That didn't go so well so decided to get back in the water and in 2001, I joined the Haney Neptunes Summer Water Polo program coached by Justin Mitchell. As a water polo player I have been very successful. After my first year of play water polo I joined the competitive swim program with the Neptunes. It was amazing. The thrill of getting up on the blocks against your friends and out-touching them is a great feeling. During my time as a swimmer and a water polo player, I also dipped my foot in other sports. These sports include Volleyball, Basketball, Rugby, and Football. Those were all dropped and I mainly focus on weight-lifting, running, swimming and compete in water polo tournaments when I can.
As for coaching, I began in 2004 as a volunteer for the Hammond program (the Haney Neptune farm team so-to speak.) Cody Dodds and I both began our first summer as coaches alongside of Justin Mitchell in 2005 coaching water polo. I continued to coach polo up until the 2010 Summer Season. My brother (Tim Torres) is now filling my shoes on the water polo side of things.
Through the years of coaching water polo I grew a large interest in coaching swimming and I slowly moved over to the swimming side of the Haney Neptunes. Coaching swimming has brought me so much joy, watching kids develop from such a young age, and also watching the club grow each year (we must be doing something right). My most memorable moment, over all the other amazing moments I have had as a swim coach, came last year at Provincials when the Div. 1 boys I had been coaching received a bronze medal in the 200m Medley Relay. Dedication, hard training, and attention to detail had paid off. It was a great moment.
Currently I am taking some high school courses that I did not take while I was in high school with intentions to apply for a university in Ontario where I plan on studying Kinesiology. My goal is to one day become a physiotherapist or personal trainer. Extras: things you may want to know... years ago, a not-so-semi-sort of-scientific experiment was done which discovered that my DNA fuses with H2O (water). The benefits of this is that I have extraordinary power and speed in the water. Yes it is true, I am the world's first AquaMan. When I was the age of 7, Green Lantern and Captain America rescued me from being attacked by an angry pack of saber-tooth tigers. I owed my life to them until recently I saved the human race by being hit by a giant asteroid which the Justice League could not stop. Superman and the Green Lantern have both given me a bit of their powers in times of need. If I am never not on deck... I may be out saving the world.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Diane Lego - Swim Specialty Coach - 6 & Under and Hammond Development
Hi my name is Coach Diane and I have been involved in teaching/coaching swimming for the vast majority of my life. I started out taking swimming lessons when I was young and did not like it one bit. I remember sitting on the edge of the pool, freezing cold and crying, so I have developed great empathy for kids who are scared of the water and have found many fun ways to teach the skills needed to become a great swimmer. Developing new swimmers is just one of my goals in teaching kids the skills needed to become good swimmers, but teaching a life skill that will stay with them forever is the bigger goal.
For many years I was a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor as well as a lifeguard and have worked in many pools in Vancouver and became a supervisor in pools both in Vancouver and in Coquitlam. I am also a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor trainer and have taught many young people the skills necessary to teach people of all ages to learn to swim.
I started out my competitive swim career as a summer swimmer in Vancouver and then coached both summer club as well as winter club for a number of years before going to school in Quebec to earn my Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics. I have played water polo at a competitive level as well as taught level 1 diving and level 1 synchronized swimming. As well I have also spent many amazing experiences paddling both a canoe and a kayak and explored the underwater world in scuba gear, so I guess you could say that when it comes to water, I have a pretty well rounded life experience.
Presently I am going to school to become a Special Education Teaching Assistant and hope to be working in the field by Fall 2011. My passion for working with children will just take me into a different field, but I see coaching swimming as a long term part of my life. I will continue to help develop the new up and coming coaches to share my love of teaching the art of swimming.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Talana Madu - Swimming Coach
I began summer swimming at the age of 7 in the summer of 2002 with the Haney Neptunes. I was unable to swim a complete length of the pool even though that was a requirement to join. But, my love for the water quickly showed when I completed the swim-a-thon three weeks later doing 60 lengths in one hour. Shortly after joining swimming I also joined the Synchronized swimming discipline too, competing at many competition and receiving numerous awards. I retired from Synchro in 2009 receiving gold in my age category at Provincials. Swimming has always been a major part of my life. Along with that it is a very positive experience for me and I hope to make your child’s a positive one too. I really enjoy coming to the pool and coaching the kids and seeing their love for swimming grow. My qualifications include National Lifeguard Service (NLS), Water Safefy Instructor (WSI) and Medical First Aid Responder (MFR) certifications. This year I hope to bring my very energetic and enthusiastic attitude to the club and help all of my swimmers reach their goals and make swimming a fun and fulfilling experience for them. In my spare time I enjoy volunteering with the city of Maple Ridge children’s day camps. I love to play the piano and editing of photos along with doing numerous other sports like volleyball, basketball, track and field.
Jordan Kopp - Swimming Coach
I have been swimming since the age of 8. Back then I could hardly keep up with the rest of my group. I remember always being the last one to finish and being dead tired. Since then I have improved in not only skill but in my love for the sport. After my first year of swimming I decided that I wanted to be a coach. Swimming has been a big part of my life; through it I have met some of my best friends. I first started coaching for the Hammond program in 2007. I love coaching because I get to share my love of the sport with many other kids. In February 2010 I took my Bronze Medallion and Bronze Cross and have completed my National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). Through coaching I hope to make the swimmers love the sport as much as I do.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Thomas Yeo - Swimming Coach
I started my swimming when I was about six. Back then, I was swimming with Red Cross, but at the age of eight, I switched over to the Haney Neptunes. I also used to play hockey and water polo but my love for swimming was greater. I have swum competitively over the past eight years, with both the Haney Neptunes and the Haney Seahorses. I have won gold a few times over the years at Regionals, and have placed in the finals at Provincials. Just recently I have switched from the Seahorses to the Surrey Knights Swim Club. Over the years, my love for the sport has grown tremendously. I've been coaching since 2006 for the Haney Neptunes. Out of all the clubs I’ve been to, this club has been my favorite because it has the most events and get togetherness. I can’t wait to begin coaching each weekend and I hope to help my students achieve their dreams and be the best that they can be. Oh and by the way, I have also completed my bronze medallion, bronze cross, and the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), with more qualifications to come. See you at the pool!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Nick Todd - Swimming Coach
My parents tell me I was always a “water-baby” but hated getting my head wet when I was little. I joined the Neptunes when I was eight because I was having trouble passing my swimming lessons. I knew instantly that I had found the right sport. I did Fall and Winter Maintenance and then demanded my parents let me compete in the summer. I've been coaching since 2006 and I love every minute of it. I get so excited when I see that same love of the sport in the swimmers I work with. I have already completed my Bronze Medallion and Bronze Cross courses, my National Coaching Certification (NCCP) and am working at finishing my AWSI so that I can get my National Life Saving certification this Spring. I have been fortunate enough to have qualified and even medaled at Provincials over the years, in both swimming and water polo and know that it takes hard work and determination to achieve in the sport. I hope that through both my swimming and coaching abilities I will be able to inspire fellow swimmers to achieve their goals; in swimming and life.
Chelsea Rogers - Head Coach Synchro
I started synchro swimming when I was seven years old. I tried gymnastics, I tried tap dancing, but never really wanted to stick with either of them. I wasn't a natural when I started swimming. I definitely had to work to get where I am today. After doing synchronized swimming for ten years, going to Nationals 5 times, competing in an International competition, winning regionals as an individual swimmer, and competing in teams, combos and duets, I decided it was time to retire knowing that I had other aspirations to meet, such as being a coach.
I have been coaching with the Haney Neptunes for over two years, and enjoyed every minute of it. Every competition that my girls and I have been to, we have come out with big smiles on our faces and gold medals around our necks. That's the biggest joy to me as a coach, is seeing success through my swimmers after all of the hard work we have put into out practices. What I love most about this sport is the amount of option you have within it. There are many different areas in synchro that I have seen girls not master right away, but also excel in the first time they try it. When I swam, I loved how I could be great at one thing, yet not so good with something else but I still managed to have tons of fun and succeed whenever I tried my hardest. Synchro is a great way to stay in shape, have fun, and meet new people. Some of my best friends today are ones that I have swam with for the past 5 years. Also, I now have the knowledge and experience that I need to stay in shape and stay fit.
My overall goal as a coach is for every athlete to have a good time. Regardless of how good they are at synchro or how long they have been doing it. I love making people laugh and sharing my experiences with people. This is the relationship I always hope to have with my athletes. I have many aspirations as a coach, but it all comes down to being involved with synchro for the rest of my life. Hopefully as a coach, but also as a swimmer.
Have fun, succeed, try hard, and maintain a positive relationship with everyone around you.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Tim Torres - Coach Water Polo
Hi, my name is Tim Torres and a current coach for the Haney Neptunes. I played water polo for 6 years and 4 of them playing at the elite level. I have traveled all over Canada and much of the West coast playing water polo and have been to Identification camps for western national teams. Other sports I have played are soccer, basketball, and rugby. Some of my interests are playing a variety of sports, exercising, and watching movies. One thing that I am proud of in the past year is a trip to Rwanda I took with a group of youth in the summer. We were there for 3 weeks and did things like build a playground, visit villages and help build houses and toilets, go on a safari and run day camps for kids. It was an incredible experience and I hope to go back one day. Lastly, my future aspiration is to become a Psychologist and travel with sports team or help out youth and kids.