Bryan iliscupidez
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Bryan Iliscupidez is enjoying his fourth season with English Bay. At the age of 10, he began noncompetitive swimming at the Red Deer Catalina Swim club in Alberta. Following that first year, Bryan earned a spot from Regionals to Provincials by the end of the full season. The only issue was with breaststroke being his predominant stroke, having been faster than his freestyle times.
Bryan completed his final year as a club swimmer at age 17, making a provincial team to swim at the North American Challenge Cup in LA, and wrapped up his competitive history at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Trials. While he was completing his Bachelor’s Degree at Red Deer College, Bryan kept coaching for the Red Deer Catalina Swim club. This reimagined his love for the sport through team spirit and achievements from his swimmers. Bryan is looking forward to coaching part- time for his fourth season with EBSC. Taking on more responsibilities as Co-Coordinator for EBSC. “I am looking forward to swimming with our membership and getting to know everyone as a fellow athlete.” |
Laura-lee findlater
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Laura joined EBSC in 2002 and has been an active member ever since. She was first drawn to the club for its civilized workout times, but the instant comradery and challenging workouts kept her coming back.
Laura grew up swimming her parent’s back yard pool and took the Red Cross swimming lessons on her mom’s insistence. She swam a couple of seasons with her high school swim team and continued to swim on her own for fitness in university. Laura joined EBSC as a fitness swimmer and found it to be a great way to relieve stress and a perfect companion to her other favorite activity – eating dessert. She has started attending masters swimming meets more frequently in the last few years, competing at Provincials for the first time in 2018, 16 years after she joined. Laura enjoys swimming in the ocean in the summer and impersonates a cross-country skier in the winter. She works in environmental consulting for the mining industry which has taken her to far flung places in BC, the Yukon and abroad. Jason is in his third season as a member of EBSC. Growing up in South Africa, Jason grew up in the water, swimming for his schools from Grade 3. His dad, also a swimmer, taught him proper technique in their backyard pool.
Moving to Canada in 2008, he joined Crescent Beach Swim Club where he competed as a summer swimmer and later represented his high school. Jason stopped swimming in grade 9 as he no longer felt comfortable in woman's changerooms and swimsuits. A year later, Jason began his transition from female to male at the age of 16. In his second year at UBC, Jason joined the UBC Masters Swim Team, training again after almost 7 years off. His love of the sport was quickly reignited. Joining English Bay Swim Club a few years later, he quickly dove back into competing, going to almost every meet that season. When pools were shut down due to COVID, Jason purchased a wetsuit and started open water swimming. While terrified of everything in the water, he loves being in the ocean and has started competing in longer distance open water races, despite being a sprinter in the pool. Jason also started training for and competing in triathlons. He and his dad can often be found on the start line together. Jason loves welcoming new swimmers to the team. Joining EBSC was one of the best decisions Jason made and is so grateful for all of the amazing friends he has made through the team. |
Tim smith
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Tim Smith is in his third season as a member of EBSC.
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Steve Ogden
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Steve Ogden has been swimming with the English Bay Swim Club since 2000, dropping in the first few years when visiting from Sun Peaks and then joining the club as a regular full-time member. Steve swam competitively, taught swimming, lifeguarded and coached until his early twenties and then took ten years off before getting back in the pool and swimming with other LGBTQ+ Master’s teams in Toronto, Calgary and then Vancouver.
This is Steve’s second year volunteering on the Executive and while he doesn’t compete in swim meets anymore, he really enjoys the workouts and camaraderie of swimming with the team. Outside of the pool, Steve does project work with Destination British Columbia working with visiting travel media and travel trade to promote travel to beautiful BC. Steve also loves to travel and ski and snowboard, and often the two go hand in hand. |
ryan zokol
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Ryan is in his third season with English Bay. Born in Vancouver, and raised in the farmland of Ladner, Ryan started swimming at an early age when he joined the Ladner Stingrays. He swam competitively for over a decade and took home many provincial gold medals. His days swimming as a team in his youth are some of his best memories.
As Ryan moved into highschool, swimming got replaced with rowing. In grade 9, Ryan got asked to join the grade 12 varsity team and then proceed to win gold at the Canadian National Championships for four consecutive years. In the summer of his grade 11 year, Ryan competed in the Canadian Henley Regatta, an international competition, and also took home gold. Currently when Ryan is not in the pool for swimming, he might be found racing sailboats, scuba diving, or playing water polo. It is easy to see that Ryan has a love for water. As the Swim Meet Coordinator, it is Ryan’s commitment that the team experiences the same joy, excitement, and love that he knew when attending swim in his youth! |
taylor bird
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Shortly after moving to Vancouver in 2021, Taylor joined the English Bay Swim Club. Being new to the city, he was happy to receive a warm and friendly welcome from the team. Now entering his second season with EBSC, he is excited to be able to give back to the group as secretary and looks forward to continuing to learn butterfly.
Taylor taught swimming and lifeguarded throughout much of his teens and early twenties, and has swam recreationally his entire life. However, it wasn’t until joining the team here in Vancouver that he competed in his first swim meet - and loved it. When not swimming with EBSC he is an avid hiker, plays water polo with the English Bay Whiskey Jacks, as well as running with the Vancouver Frontrunners. |
ALEXA KEARNS & IANNA FOLKES
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Alexa and lanna are our communications duo, both in their second season with the EBSC. Alexa began swimming in elementary school and swam through to the end of high school before switching to running in university. lanna swam competitively during her elementary and high school years on Vancouver Island, before taking a break for university in Montreal (where it was way too cold to handle the wet hair post-practice!)
Both girls joined the team a few years after moving to Vancouver. They are grateful for the friends they've made on the team and the supportive nature of the club. Outside of the pool, both Alexa and lanna enjoy road cycling, running, reading, and the occasional triathlon." |
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SARA VELEZ
(MEMBER-AT-LARGE) |