Marina Pollara, Head Coach (ASA Club Coach)

Marina Pollara

In 1975 Marina achieved the Italian Qualification of Assistant Teacher and in 1978 the Italian Qualification of Swimming Teacher. In 1997 she achieved ASA Assistant Teacher and in 1998 the ASA Swimming Teacher. She holds the NVQ for coaching, teaching and instructing adults and children (level 2). She is a qualified lifeguard.  Between 1975 and 1987 she taught and coached at competitive level in three Swimming Clubs in Rome, Italy. In 1993 she coached at the American Club in Tokyo, Japan. In 1998 she joined the Harbour Club as swimming instructor for babies/toddlers classes and two advanced swimmers squads. She has been coaching with Wandsworth since 2000.  Marina's sporting career covers:

• 1961-1964 Attended all levels of the Italian Olympic Committee swimming courses.
• Member of C.C. Aniene and S.S. Lazio Swimming Clubs in Rome.
• 1963-1969 competed in individual and relay events at the Italian National Championships, holding the Italian records in different Age Groups.
• 1966-1970 competed in several International Swimming Galas.
• Selected for the Italian pre-Olympic National Team for Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972.
• 1984 competed in several Master Galas in Italy and in the Italian Master Championships in Genoa, Italy, winning four national titles with two new national records.
• 2001 competed in Masters galas and at the European Master Swimming Championship in Majorca, Spain.

Shaun Brooking (Dolphins)

Shaun Brooking

Shaun joined WSC in 2010, with responsibility for the Dolphin squad. He holds a Bachelor of Sports Science degree (with honours in Human Performance) from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa and has subsequently been teaching swimming to a variety of age groups and abilities in the UK. Shaun presently works as a swimming instructor for a chain of private sector health clubs. Shaun is an STA Level 2 Coach, a qualified lifesaver and an Associate member of the STA. In his youth he swam breaststroke at national level, competed in triathlons and in national level lifesaving competitions for his country at the Common Wealth and World Championships in 2004.

Cindy Hanegraaf (Head Teacher, Otters and Seals)

Cindy Hanegraaf

Cindy has been involved with WSC since 2002 as a parent of a swimmer and has been a coach for the Club since 2004. Many of our most able swimmers originally learned to swim under Cindy’s guidance and watchful eye. She now oversees the teaching squads (Otters, Seals and Dolphins) and coaches the Otters and Seals. She is an STA Level 2 Coach and a qualified life saver. Cindy started her involvement with competitive swimming at a small local club and her school in Maryland, USA and then partially financed her university studies in fine art with swimming teaching and lifeguarding. After spending the intervening years practicing as a graphic designer with architecture and planning firms in the US and UK, Cindy found her interest in teaching and coaching rekindled when trying to find adequate swimming instruction for her own children. She also teaches swimming at other venues, maintains a small practice as a freelance graphic designer and artist, and attempts to manage a household of two teenage children, a husband, a dog and a cat. 

Kamilla Kozlowska (County Coach)

Kamilla Kozlowska

Kamilla has been with WSC for several years. She is head of the County Squad but also helps with the training programmes for the Regional and National swimmers as well as supporting Cindy with the Seals and Shaun with the Dolphins. Kamilla obtained a Masters degree in PE from the Academy of Physical Education in Wroclaw, Poland. She is an ASA Club Coach and is a qualified life saver. Kamilla has been involved in Club level coaching in the UK for the past 15+ years as well as teaching swimming at leisure centres and local schools. Kamilla comes from a family of accomplished swimmers (her mother swam for Poland); as a teenager she competed for many years at regional and occasionally at national level specialising in backstroke and medley events.

Kate Thurlow

Kate Thurlow

Kate has been a member of Wandsworth Swimming Club for 10 years, first as a competitive swimmer, competing at regional level specialising in Individual Medley events and breaststroke. Kate was forced to quit competing due to illness, but got her Level 1 teaching certificate in 2007 and started helping Cindy with the Seals and Otters and now has her level 2 certificate. She is a qualified lifeguard and a J2(S) swimming official and aims to become a referee in November 2011 (just in time for the Olympics!). She is currently studying Biomedical Sciences at Newcastle University and teaches at the local pool up north as well as coaching various WSC squads during the holidays.