bscta : Jon Rudd

British National Champions coached: Mark Hennessey 100m Breaststroke Age Group1999 & 2000 James Edmonds 100m & 200m Backstroke Age Group Champion 2000

Other National Champions coached: None

Major Championship Medallists coached: None

Other International swimmers coached: Mark Robinson English Schools International & England (West) representative Simon Hext England (West) representative Tim Ricketts England (West) representative

Other Coaching Achievements: Two swimmers currently on the World Class Potential Programme

Representative Coaching Honours: Head Coach of England (West) team to BP Scottish Open Winter Championships (Inverness 2000) Coach of England (West) team to Vittel Cup Meet (Caen, France 2000)

Coaching Influences: Initially, my own coach when I was swimming, the late Ken Douglas (City of Hull SC). Secondly, Charlie Wilson helped me to build my confidence during my ASA Coach certificate in 1993.

Favourite Coaching Resources: 21st Century Swimming Volume 7 - Advanced Drills Video; Popov's What's the Limit video; The Science of Swimming - Counsilman; www.plymouth-leander.co.uk - it's a great website!

Favourite Coaching Venues: Ballards pool in Plymouth - evidence that you can produce National champions in a 25 yard pit. Coventry - simply because my first National champions achieved it at this venue. Millfield School - because it enables us to race our Districts long course in the West (thank goodness).

Most important coaching qualities: Patience - don't ever write anyone off. The moment you do, they come back and surprise you. Dedication - early mornings, late nights, lost weekends. Where else do you see such dedication other than around the poolside?

Best British swimmer of all time: Austin Shortman - talent personified. It's a travesty that we were never to find out how good he really was.

Best Swimmer of all time: Ian Thorpe - to be able to smash World records at 1500m Freestyle and still make the Australian 400m Freestyle relay come to life at the 2000 Olympics shows the breadth to his abilities.

Ambitions as a coach: To make people sit up and recognise that the South West can and will produce some of the best swimmers in Britain. If they come from Plymouth, all the better!