Our New Assistant Head Coach👴👨‍🦱🧔‍♂️➕

Spencer Turner
Sep 22
3 min read

Updated: Oct 9

October 2025

The start of a new season always brings fresh energy and new ideas. For Bluefins, this September was no different.

In the first week back, the Performance coaches — Graeme, Tom, and Spencer — were joined by Colin, our new Assistant Head Coach, for a planning session in Costa ☕💻. Laptops open, coffees lined up, we were ready to map out the season: which meets to target, how to balance Performance, County, and Competitive pathways, and how to support our growing Skills Academy. By the end of the meeting the task was done — the meet calendar updated, the direction set. All the while, Colin was quietly listening in — taking everything on board without yet saying much.

A Gamble Worth Taking? 🎲

For the club, Colin is a bit of a gamble. No track record in coaching. No years of poolside experience. Bringing someone new into such an important role is always a risk. Could he step up to the demands of competitive swimming and the intensity of Arena League? That was the unknown.

But his background in data analytics and problem-solving suggested he could still be useful. Running a swimming club is a lot like running a business — with countless moving parts — so why shouldn’t someone like Colin be able to help?

The first big test came quickly. Arena League. And with three teams to select this year, the task was as daunting as ever.

The Usual Chaos 😵‍💫

Traditionally, the process means printing off reams of Swim England “last 12 months” results — every 50, every 100, and the 200 IMs — for boys and girls in every age group from 9 years through to Open.

The table is soon covered in paper. Green, pink, and yellow highlighters mark out possibilities. Days are spent compiling, checking competitiveness, factoring in injuries or form, and eventually locking in teams.

Invitations go out. But that’s just phase one.

A few days later, the emails roll in: Sorry, we’re on holiday… Can’t make that day… Injury, out for four weeks 🩹. Suddenly, the whole jigsaw shifts. And with just a handful of swimmers unavailable, the whole team balance can collapse. Add in another three or four changes and you’re practically starting again. Six more hours gone. More reserve invites. Eventually, three teams that look strong — at least on paper.

It’s a headache that repeats itself every year 🤯.

Colin Steps Up 🚀

This year, the Performance coaches handed the task to Colin. If he could handle Arena League team selection, maybe he really was Assistant Head Coach material.

To make things smoother, we streamlined the process by combining all the results from the "last 12 months" PDFs into one Excel file — everything in one place instead of scattered across dozens of documents.

With little knowledge of swimming, Spencer helped him get started — pointing him to the new master file and the NAL website for the rules. Together they talked strategy:

A team — packed with power, aiming to hit Round 1 hard.
B team — high performance, drawing on experience, including some Masters swimmers.
C team — competitive 12+ with a mix of 11U development swimmers gaining valuable experience.

Colin worked through the file methodically, cross-checking best times against age bands and Arena League rules. He prioritised balance — speed in A team, experience in B, development opportunities in C — before slotting swimmers into their strongest events.

An hour later, Colin was clued up and ready.

Spencer pressed enter on his laptop ⌨️. Colin asked a couple of clarifying questions. Then, within five minutes, all three teams were selected 💥.

No highlighters. No paper mountain. Just three squads — pulled together faster than we thought possible.

The Reveal 👴👨‍🦱🧔‍♂️🤖

So who exactly is Colin?

Here’s the truth: Colin isn’t a person at all. He’s AI.

Yes, you read that right. Colin is our friend at ChatGPT, drafted in as our new Assistant Head Coach.

It’s a bold move. But when the Performance coaches glanced over his first attempt, the verdict was unanimous: he’d done a good job.

Now the question is… can Colin hold his place? Will his Round 1 teams deliver? And will he keep his job for Round 2? Fingers crossed 🤞 Saturday 11th October will tell.

Good luck, Bluefins — and welcome aboard, Colin 🤖.

Whatever happens in Round 1, one thing’s clear: Colin isn’t here to replace our coaches — just to take some pressure off, so they can spend more time doing what they do best: coaching swimmers 🧑‍🏫💙.