Head Buckaroo: Doug Vanderby

 Doug is the founding Coach of NTMSC. Coach Doug brings a high degree of leadership, direction, and motivation to the Club. His workouts are legendary and catered to all the levels of the members in the Club. You'll know it, when you enter the 'Church of Doug'... To sum up his coaching philosophy: never use the word "can't" in front of him....

Doug was the 1st recipient of Masters Swimming Ontario Coaching Excellence Award (2020), 1st recipient of Canada's Coaching Excellence Award (2009) and University of Toronto's 2020 Arbor Award

Before becoming a masters swimmer, he had extensive training as an age grouper and won several University titles. He was Ryerson's Male Athlete of the year in 1982. As a masters swimmer, Doug has been Canadian, US and World Champion. Has several Canadian Masters Records in the 50, 100 & 200 Breast, and a prior World Record for his age group in the 100m Breast. As well, he competes at the World Police /Firefighter Games (Now a Graduated Firefighter) and holds several World Records in those swimming events. He is also a serious open water swimming specialist - the rougher the waves, the better!

Outside of Masters Swimming, Doug is very much involved in Swim Canada. Doug is a certified Swim Canada Level 3 Trained NCCP Senior Swim Coach. He is an Assistant Coach to the University of Toronto Varsity Swim Team (2005 until present), under Canadian Coaching Legends Byron Macdonald & Linda Kiefer. He has been a integral part of U of T's  Men's 2012-13, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2023-24 and Women's 2015-16, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 Canadian University Championship Teams. He also also an Assistant Senior National Coach at the Toronto Swim Club (Head Coach Bill O'Toole), past Assistant Coach at the University Toronto High Performance Swimming Centre with Australian's great distance and open water coach; John Rogers (JR) from 2008 to 2012. Doug surrounds himself with great Mentors!

Doug is a certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE), a International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Peer Fitness Trainer, certified as a Level 1 Functional Movement Systems Trainer. He has been profiled in the Canadian Million Metre Challenge. and as a Tri Swim Coach at Masters Swimming Canada. In July of 2023, with over 35 years as a Firefighter, Doug 'Graduated' from Toronto Fire Services....

 

Jennifer Button Coach: Jen Button

 Jen is one of the most dynamic Masters Coaches around. The enthusiasm and knowledge she puts into the workouts makes them ones to remember.

Jen entered international waters for Team Canada in 1997 and reached the podium for the first time at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg where she raced to a silver medal in the 200-metre butterfly. Jen went on to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics at age 23 where she finished in the top 20 in both the 100-metre and 200-metre butterfly. She also played a key role in the relay events and was a member of two relays that reached the final, the 4x100m medley relay (6th) and the 2x200m freestyle relay (7th). In 2002, she broke the Canadian 100-metre butterfly record three times and produced bronze medals at the Pan Pacific Championships and Commonwealth Games, the two key international events for Canadian swimmers in 2002. Jen was the first Canadian woman to swim the 100-metre butterfly in under a minute and that stood until the summer of 2006. A recognized NCCP Swim Coach. Recently Jen completed her Masters in Sports Administration in Switzerland, worked with the Canadian Olympic Committee, UNICEF and presently is with RBC.

 

 Coach: Suzy Simonetti

 Great things come in small packages and make very big splashes! Coach Suzy has a extensive NCCP certified technical swimming coaching background. On deck, she is a dynamo, always watching and giving feedback to club members. As well, she is a very established Masters Swimmer!

 

Coach: Judy Garay

 Judy comes to our group was a vast amount of swimming knowledge and calmness. She was Canada's top Breaststroker in the late 70's, where she held the Canadian record and was a member of the 1978 Commonwealth Team. While a member of the University of Toronto Woman's Team, Judy was undefeated in her breaststroke events and voted the Female Athlete of the Year. At the age of 42, she returned to U of T for her teaching degree, made the varsity team and again won the 50 breast! Never say never to Judy..... Judy is a certified NCCP Coach and currently Director of Athletics at Bishop Strachan School. 

 

  Chief Executive Social Officer: Chris Smelt

 Chris's positive and upbeat energy is always fun to be around. He's been an avid swimmer from age group (Cornwall Sea Lions) through his Ryerson days in the early 80's (swam on Coach Doug's relay team).  He feels at one with Triathletes and he's done many of them - but very sensibly - he prefers to take transitions at a more leisurely pace - they usually take many months or years to get through.  He eschews all rules regarding racing in - for instance - 'an Ironman' and prefers events like the OUAA championships in 1985 to do the swimming bit...the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour 10 times 1991-2005 for the biking bit and the 2004 Marathon for the running part.

He started at Summerville (as most of us do) with the North Toronto Masters in the summer of 2005 as the 5th Chris and has been trying to keep up since (his favorite phrase being "oh do please lead...").  He made the mistake of writing a little story about a Karaoke event / dinner and sending it out - management found out about it and now his meanderings get posted under the banner 'Roving Reporter' on the flashiest, busiest and most interesting Masters Swimming Website in the World. Then he was caught taking down everyone's e-mail addresses and sending out invites to parties/events etc.  Management perked up again...and here he is now a CESO.

is a certified Kinesiology with a special focus on biomechanics and biomechanics of injury in swimming. As well, she holds a master’s degree, M.Sc. in Kinesiology & Health Science in the area of Sport Psychology. Her research focused in the field of training stress and predisposition to athletic injury, she presented at the 12th World Congress of Sport Psychology in Marrakech, Morocco and  at the 41st Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology conference in Toronto.