VICTORIA, British Columbia, Canada, October 26. AFTER several years of influencing the sport in Canada, Jim and Lynn Fowlie have decided to return to Australia for personal reasons. Jim Fowlie was the head coach of the PacificSport National Training Center in Victoria while his wife served as the senior coach administrative manager. Jim Fowlie was Canada’s coach at the 2004 World Short Course Championships and molded the likes of Rick Say and Morgan Knabe.
“We are very fortunate to have had both Jim and Lynn with us for the past years. They have brought many great things to Canadian Swimming” said Pierre Lafontaine, CEO of Swimming Canada. “We wish them the best in their new role in Australia and look forward to seeing them on the pool deck.”
Jim Fowlie began his coaching career in Canada in 1977 and was the first head coach at the University of Calgary Swim Club, following by coaching positions in Winnipeg at the Manta Aquatic Club and in Toronto at the North York Aquatic Club. He took a position with the Australian Institute of Sport in 1992 and took his position with PacificSport in 2002. He was a Canadian coaching staff member during numerous international competitions.
Lynn Fowlie coached at the University of Calgary, the Manta Aquatic Club, North York Aquatic Club and the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club at various times from 1980-1992. From 1993-2000, she served as the head coach of the Ginninderra Swim Club in Canberra, Australia. The Australian Institute of Sport named her its scholarship coach in 2001.
“It is with a heavy heart that we say farewell and good luck to Lynn and Jim Fowlie upon their return to Australia,” said Roger Skillings, President and CEO, PacificSport. “They have both done so much for Canada’s swimmers and Canadian swimming in the past few years and they have been a magic fit into our PacificSport family. We will truly miss them.”
I swam with them. Jim especially was verbally abusive and demeaning. He wasn’t able to help me reach my best swimming. What an awful experience I had.