We would like to share an important Club update with you all, regarding our Head Coach, Dave Rees.
After 6 incredible years with ORCA, Dave will be stepping away from his role as Head Coach.
Dave joined us at the height of Covid, a time when many community clubs struggled. ORCA thrived, growing year on year and this is in no small part down to Dave’s influence and leadership as Head Coach.
Dave will be with us as Head Coach up to August which has been agreed to allow Dave & the Exec Committee time to plan for his succession.
As a Club, we are in an incredible position, particularly with the depth of our current coaching team and the number of Level 2 qualified coaches that we retain
It is because of these strong foundations Dave has helped build that the time feels right to appoint a new Head Coach for the future of ORCA.
Dave has been a hugely valued part of ORCA for the past 6 years, we are incredibly grateful for his dedication, commitment, and the positive influence he has had on swimmers at our Club. We look forward to a new chapter for both the Club and Dave.
Many people will be familiar with seeing Dave poolside, however Dave has put an incredible amount of time in behind the scenes and with his fundraising efforts for our Club.
Over the coming months, the Exec Committee will begin the process of appointing a new Head Coach. Our focus will be on ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining the supportive, high-quality coaching environment for our ORCA families.
We thank Dave for everything he has, and continues to do, for the Club. We also look forward to welcoming him as a swimmer to our Masters squad where Dave is keen to compete again (He was once accused of being pretty good).
This will no doubt come as a surprise to many and we will endeavour to keep everyone updated as plans develop.