Academy Team​

​Maz Spruce​:  Academy Head  Coach

​Marie Spruce is Head Coach of Academy.  She has been working as a free lance self employed swimming coach at  Abingdon Vale Swimming coach since March 2023 until the current date.

​Maz trained as a swimmer at Hillingdon Borough for many years and started helping out at the club from a young age, completing her pool helper course at 14 and level 1 teaching qualification at 16.

She taught swimming until she left for university to train as a children’s nurse in Oxford.  She has two children at AVSC and they moved from WWHSC in 2022, where she did her level 1 coaching course and coached in Academy. She completed her level 2 coaching course last year. She strongly believes a positive attitude and consistency is vital to swimming success and enjoys nurturing her swimmers to achieve this.

​Dave Lowe

I have been involved in swimming pretty much all of my life. Initially as a competitive swimmer I then moved to the teaching and coaching side of the sport. I hold Level 1 teaching and Level 2 coaching qualifications. I have coached at AVSC on an almost daily basis for many years and also teach a wide range of swimmers with Abingdon Dolphins Swim Club.

I believe that excellent technique is fundamental to excellence in swimming and will encourage andmotivate my swimmers to aim high in order to help them achieve their full potential.

Logan Bryan

I am a very technical-driven coach having trained and raced in all different strokes and distances including open water, and believe that this is the key to being a successful swimmer as well as making the sessions as fun but challenging as I can.
 
I currently hold my Level 1 and 2 teaching qualification and Level 1 coaching qualification, working and looking forward to completing my Level 2 in the near future.

I am a current National swimmer at AVSC as well as a previous multiple age-group Welsh national gold medallist and multiple time county champion in a range of strokes and events. In 2021 I qualified for the Olympic trials for 50 and 100 breaststroke. I have been swimming since I can remember and coaching for 5 years.

​Emily Lawlor

Swimming has always been a big part of my life whether it be for fitness, water sports, competition, mental health or fun. I started teaching in 2008 and have since taught a range of ages from baby swimming all the way through to adults learning to swim. I currently hold Level 1 and Level 2 teaching qualifications. I started coaching AVSC’s Academy 3 on Saturdays in 2022. 

My sessions focus on technique and strategies to help the children implement coaching points. I believe that to be a great swimmer, strong foundations are key and I encourage the swimmers to think and feel as they swim, helping them to self-analyse and reflect on their stroke whilst they are in the pool.​

Justin Beasley

Justin joined the AVSC coaching team in 2022 and is currently a coach with the CD squads. He is a qualified level 2 coach and has been working swimmers from Academy to Performance squads since
2017.

​Madison Langley

I having competed for AVSC at British and English Nationals multiple times for the 50 and 100 backstroke. I have achieved gold and silver medals at regional and county championships as well as attending regional performance camps. I have been swimming for my whole life and competing for nearly 10 years. Being part of the AVSC team has given me opportunities like leadership experiences when I was club captain.

I have my Level 1 teaching qualification and aim to complete my Level 2 in summer 2023. I really enjoy coaching and look forward to meeting new swimmers!

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​To contact the AVSC Academy, please email us on [email protected]