About Us
Our Coaching Philosophy
Caring - taking care of the athlete, physically, mentally, emotionally
Appreciation - for the athlete, parents and mutually for the coach
Respect - mutual respect between athlete and coach
Empathy - understanding context to provide effective support
Our Purpose
Team Phoenix is an independent professional coaching and training resource for Artistic Swimming. We are based in Johannesburg. Our goal is to improve the standard of Artistic Swimming in South Africa and to introduce Artistic Swimming to the full spectrum of interested swimmers in the country. Artistic Swimming is open to everyone and anyone is welcome to participate.
We do this by offering and facilitating the following:
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Social and recreational Artistic Swimming coaching for schools and clubs
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Competitive Artistic Swimming coaching and training for clubs
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High Performance Artistic Swimming coaching and training for elite athletes
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Training Artistic Swimming coaches for schools and clubs
For Competitive and High Performance coaching, Team Phoenix works with club swimmers and coaches to improve coaching techniques and training methods. Our aim through this innovative model is to help create a performance environment which sustainably leads to improved standards through a positive culture.
At Team Phoenix our culture is one of positive upliftment. We believe that having a positive, encouraging approach helps develop the athletes' self confidence and mental fortitude. We do not scream or shout at, ignore or punish athletes. We do not believe in breaking athletes down, but rather, we prefer to build them up.
We do not deal in egos, personal agendas and petty politics, we leave that to those with nothing better to do.
Vicky Drinkwater
South African Olympic Coach
Vicky's unique approach of coaching creates a positive environment for building a holistic individual.
With nearly 2 decades of coaching experience, exceptional technical expertise and a speciality in refining routines, Vicky instills a happy and enthusiastic view to hard work with proven results.
Katelin Drinkwater
Assistant Coach
& Media Manager
Katelin is an integral part of the team as the voice behind our social media posts and community building.
Her dance and gymnastics background is a great asset to the artistic and acrobatic aspect of artistic swimming. She is passionate about creating awareness for the sport and making it more accessible.
Dave Drinkwater
Manager
Dave just gets things done!
Handling all the admin, dealing with federations, technical committees, logistics, venue arrangements, equipment and tech support.
His sole focus is on the well being of the athletes and providing the best conditions to enable them to perform at their full potential. Dave also fiddles around with the website and Instagram much to Katelin's frustration!
Clarissa Johnston
Consultant Olympic Athlete
Clarissa is an exceptional swimmer and performed with distinction at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 with Laura. With a keen eye for detail and empathy with swimmers, she provides a unique insight to our High Performance Clinics. Clarissa has a passion for women's sport and empowerment which resonates with the Team Phoenix purpose.
Laura Strugnell
Swimmer & Consultant Olympic Athlete
Laura is South Africa's Top artistic swimmer. She performed with distinction at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 with Clarissa. Laura is a gifted choreographer and enjoys working with swimmers of all abilities. She is actively involved in the sport and still regularly competes. Her dedication and passion for the sport is unmatched.
Team Phoenix Health and Fitness Specialists
We have assembled a team of professionals each with specialist skills to look after our athletes and assist them in maximising their potential, safely without injury. Thank you for joining our team and looking after our athletes.
Kirsten Lawlor
Specialist Sports Biokineticist
Kirsten Lawlor is a double honours graduate in Sports Science and Biokinetics from the University of Pretoria and the owner of ‘Kirsten Lawlor Biokineticist’, a practice based in Rosebank.
Kirsten is our Prehab and movement specialist and will work closely with our athletes on injury prevention, movement exercise and recovery. Kirsten is a firm believer in “exercise is medicine” and “exercise for all”, tailoring movement to suite anyone’s needs. She demonstrates her passion for her profession through constant education and diversifying her service offerings so that she can engage with and cater for the differing needs of all of her patients. Kirsten shows her dedication to sport, and leads by example, through the pursuit of her own sporting goals and achievements in running (multiple marathons, ultra-marathons and running endurance events) and on the hockey field. Kirsten has been selected for the South Africa Masters Women 35-40 Hockey World Cup team. Kirsten worked closely with Laura and Clarissa during Olympic training, focusing on Prehab injury prevention and specific muscle and movement exercises for maximum athletic output. Team Phoenix is delighted to be able to count on Kirsten's expertise in ensuring our athletes are in peak physical condition.
Suné-Lee Esch
Dance and Flexibility Specialist
Suné-Lee Esch is a professional dancer, dance teacher & fitness instructor. She has performed internationally as a dancer/contortionist and further studied dance and movement anatomy. She is a university lecturer for Dance, Anatomy & Flexibility Training. Suné worked extensively with our Olympic athletes Laura & Clarissa, fondly referring to them as her "water ballerinas" focusing on improving fast twitch muscle movements through ballet as well as increasing their lines with flexibility training. Suné says "Laura & Clarissa are the epitome of what I teach, that through consistent efforts much progression can be made".
Team Phoenix is very excited to have Suné on board as part of our team to work with our athletes and assist them in enhancing their performance.
Tanielle Mandy
Core and Strength Specialist
Tanielle Mandy is a multi-talented athlete, professional athlete trainer and owner of Matchfit Pro.
Taniele has a BSc degree in Sports Science and is a certified Pilates Instructor with certificates in Functional Anatomy & Biomechanics, Muscle Activation, Sports Massage Therapy, BASI Pilates for Injuries and Pathologies and Kinetic Precision.
Tanielle has represented South Africa in Half Iron Man events and at the World Triathlon Championships and has competed in the 2Oceans and Comrades Ultra Marathons.
She is an active and top competitor in MTB, Triathlon and Biathlon with a long list of podium finishes in some of the toughest events in the country.
Tanielle knows what it takes to be an elite athlete and we are delighted that she will be working with Team Phoenix. Tanielle worked extensively with Laura and Clarissa in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics and will work with Team Phoenix athletes focusing on Strength, Core and Functional training.
Katie Spada
Specialist Nutritionist
Katie is a registered dietitian, with a Masters degree in Nutrition with a concentration in Sports and Fitness, based in the USA. Katie is a former athlete and is the owner and founder of Spada Strong Nutrition LLC, a nutrition coaching business focused on helping athletes and former athletes fuel for training and life after sport.
Katie competed as an elite level synchronized swimmer on the national team and collegiate levels for 11 years. As a former synchro athlete, Katie has first-hand knowledge of the demands that daily 7 hour training sessions place on the body and provided critical insight to help us ensure that Laura and Clarissa received the correct nutrients to keep them healthy and fit.
Katie founded Spada Strong Nutrition with the goal of helping athletes understand how to fuel their body’s properly, work through body image struggles, and develop a healthy relationship with food that supports their training as well as life after sport. Katie believes every athlete and former athlete deserves to feel good in their skin, fuel their body’s well, and enjoy the foods they eat, guilt-free.
We are honoured to have Katie as part of our team, helping our athletes to fuel themselves correctly for training, competition and recovery.
DR Rob Collins
Specialist Sports Physician
Dr Rob Collins qualified as a medical practitioner at the University of Witwatersrand in 1993 and after 10 years as a GP, studied Sports Medicine at the University of Pretoria. He completed his MSc.(Sports Medicine) in 2006 and has been a lecturer and external examiner in Sports Medicine at Wits, Cape Town and Free State Universities.
Rob has been the Lions Super Rugby and Currie Cup senior team physician since 2010, and is currently the head of performance excellence at the Lions Rugby Company. He was an Exco member of the South African Sports Medicine Association (SASMA) from 2010 to 2014, and has been a disciplinary tribunal member of the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS) since 2011. Rob treats many professional and amateur athletes of all levels, participating in a large variety of sports - from MMA and martial arts to dancing and gymnastics. Five of the athletes who represented team SA at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, were under direct care of Rob to assist them in their preparation, including one of the Team Phoenix athletes for whom he was instrumental in successfully treating an ankle injury for us during Olympic training.
Rob has special interests in injury prevention strategies; load management in injury prevention; hyperbaric therapy and biological methods of decreasing injury time; tendon injuries; concussion and head injuries.
Team Phoenix is delighted that Rob has agreed to be part of our team. We are very fortunate to have access to his considerable experience and expertise.
Barry Getz
Sport and Orthopaedic Physiotherapist
Barry Getz is a registered physiotherapist and is a partner in the practice Leicher, Speechly, Davidson & Partners Physiotherapy and has been practicing Sports & Orthopaedic Physiotherapy at The Centre for Sports Medicine & Orthopaedics in Rosebank since 2001. During this time Barry has been affiliated with the treatment and rehabilitation of numerous International and local sporting athletes & teams.
Barry has worked with
- Angolan Football Association (National Physiotherapist, 2013)
- International Rugby teams: South Africa, France, Australia, and Wales
- Numerous PSL Football teams and Super 15 & Super 18 rugby teams
- Physiotherapist to 2020 SA Olympic Artistic Swimming Team for Team Phoenix.
Barry’s main focus is the lumbo-pelvis-hip complex & lower limb injuries, with a special interest in the hip, groin, knee and Achilles tendon.
We are thrilled to have Barry on our team to look after our athletes. Barry worked extensively with Laura and Clarissa, resolving numerous training niggles to keep them in peak condition for the Olympics.
