Coaches

Ryan Frost

National Age Performance Squad Coach

Ryan learnt how to swim at the age of 10 where he quickly developed to qualify for his first state age championships at the age of 12. In the years to follow he competed at state and national age and open level in the 400m and 1500m Freestyle, 200m Fly, 200m Breaststroke and 200m IM. In 2006, Ryan began teaching learn to swim and coaching mini squads, which he continued for the next 6 years. Ryan finished his own swimming career at age 19 and began studying PD/H/PE teaching at University. After 2 years out of the water, and missing competitive swimming, he made the decision to progress from learn to swim. Ryan became a competitive coach with his local swimming club to continue his passion of competitive swimming in a different capacity.

Ryan spent four years as assistant coach, during which time he trained swimmers from junior level squads through to junior and age state level competitors. His passion continued to grow for competitive swimming. After completing his Physical Education degree, Ryan made the decision to return to University and undertake a Sports and Exercise Science degree with the aim of becoming a high-performance coach. In 2016 he took on the role of national age head coach where he was able to apply his skills and knowledge and help swimmers achieve at a state and national age level.

Coaching Appointments

• Bronze Licence Coach
• Former State/National Age and Open Swimmer
• Bachelor’s degree in health science (PD/H/PE, Sports and Exercise Science)
• Total of 15 years’ experience teaching and coaching in aquatics and water safety
• Coached swimmers to Junior State medallists and record holder
• Coached swimmers to Junior Sharks team
• Coached 3 swimmers to Emerging Talent Squad
• Coached swimmers to Senior State gold, silver and bronze medallists
• 4 years as area development coach
• Coached National Age finalists (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
• Coached State team qualifiers (2016, 2017, 2018)

Kaz Suzuki
State Age Competition Squad Coach

Kazunori Suzuki is SOPACs State Age Competitive swimming coach. Before joining Swimming NSW, Kaz was a performance squad coach in the Blue Mountains. He is also a pool lifeguard for CBCity (Canterbury Bankstown).

Prior to becoming a swim coach, Kaz worked in IT and tourism. Kaz is Japanese and he migrated to Australia in 1990. Kaz has a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Architecture Engineering from Nihon University in Japan. Kaz likes coaching because he likes helping people to achieve their goals. He was a competitive national level swimmer in Japan and has a strong passion for swimming.

Coaching Appointments

• ASCTA Advanced Swimming coaching licence
• Nihon University Buzan high school national team in Japan. Main strokes were Freestyle and Backstroke.
• Kaz has been a performance squad coach since 2016 in the Blue Mountains.
• In 2019 he coached 8 national qualifiers (14-17 years) and 7 state qualifiers (12-17 years).
• In 2019 in Adelaide, one of his swimmers who won one Silver medal in the 14-year Boys 100m Breaststroke at the Australian Age Championships in Adelaide.
• A 16 years girl Kaz coached qualified for the 50 Breaststroke at 2018 Commonwealth Games trials.
• Kaz also coached silver (state level), bronze(Competitive level) and mini (beginner level) squads at the Blue Mountains leisure centres as well as adult Masters.
• He also sometimes coaches school programs at Max Parker Leisure Centre in Bankstown.

Daniel Benvenuti
Junior Competition Squad Coach

Daniel has been a long time regular at Sydney Olympic Park, starting off his swimming career there in the parents and babies classes, and later re-joining in the learn to swim levels. He quickly worked his way into squads at the age of 13, and then soon following making state qualifying times at 14 for 100 breaststroke. Throughout the nest year he would end up making the 100 and 200 breaststroke, the 100 butterfly and the 200 IM at state age championships. Later on in his career he attended his first nationals at Brisbane in 2012, and continued to make national age and open events until he retired at 19. He then went on to teach learn to swim for 5 years at Sydney Olympic Park, where he eventually got a role as a mini squad coach, quickly progressing up to junior squad, than transitioning into competitive squads with age development 1 (transition squad) and now to age development 2 (junior squad). Daniel is currently doing a bachelor of arts/ bachelor of teaching at University and is on track to completing his degree by the end of the year.

Coaching Appointments

• Teacher of competitive strokes (Austswim)
• Former state, national age and open qualifier
• Swim teacher for 7 years
• Coached metropolitan medallist’s

James Traiforos has been training and competing as an elite level swimmer, selected onto a number of Australian and NSW teams for the past 10 years. James has coaching experience at MLC Marlins, Trinity Grammar School and Meriden, ranging from learn to swim to junior competition squads. James is currently studying a Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies) at the University of Sydney.
 
We are very excited to have James lead the Transition Competition Squad, and he brings a wealth of experience to this role. James aims to provide an enjoyable and rewarding squad environment, passing his knowledge onto swimmers transitioning through the program.