Coaches
Dragon Boat Barrie is pleased to provide coaching services to all teams in the Barrie area, whether they are a part of our club or not. If you are looking for a coach for your team, please feel free to contact any one of our coaches directly or send us a message and we will find the right coach for you!
Level II Certified
Amber Sperling |
Amber began her dragon boat career twelve years ago on Kempenfelt Bay and over the past seven years paddled competitively in various regattas across Ontario, including National competitions in 2011 and 2013. She is very passionate about the sport and is one of the founding Directors for Dragon Boat Barrie. Amber has attended dragon boat training programs in Toronto, Ohio and Florida gaining knowledge from some of the best coaches in North America. She has completed the Dragon Boat Canada Level l Coaching Course (2011) and attended the Level ll Competitive Coaching certification (2014). Amber has enjoyed coaching various levels of teams over the past five years, including co-coaching the Barrie Ribbons of Hope, Club coach for That’s What She Said and Platinum division team finishes at the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival. She looks forward to taking your team to the next level!
Derek Gordon |
Derek has been paddling in Barrie since 2004. He is Level II certified and has been coaching charity teams for the last 5 years, as well as coaching competitive teams for the past two years. An avid dragon boat paddler, he has paddled on many teams helping out whenever and wherever he can.
Jeff Aldridge |
Jeff began his dragon boat journey as a steersman in 2012 and instantly fell in love with the community. He began paddling, then coaching and embracing everything dragon boating had to offer – exercise, camaraderie, competition, and nature. He has participated in various regattas in North America. Jeff is certified with Dragon Boat Canada’s Level 1 (Community) and Level 2 (Competitive) coaching courses. He graduated from Georgian College with a Fitness and Health Promotion Diploma and has experience working as a fitness instructor at the YMCA. He also works with adults with developmental disabilities by helping them stay active in their communities and live a healthy lifestyle. He loves the guitar, traveling, achieving goals, facing fears and inspiring others to become their optimal selves. He looks forward to seeing you on the water this summer, paddles up – you may just learn something about yourself…while getting wet!
Nicole Emmonds | 705-970-2072 |
Nicole’s first experience paddling was with a community team, Cope Service Dogs, back in 2012 at the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival. Since then, Nicole has paddled with a number of teams over the years, including: the Water Warriors, That’s What She Said, PowerStrokes, the Bush Buccaneers – Paddles of Fury and the Barrie Northmen. She also began steering in 2018.
Level I Certified
Alex Wilson | 705-792-1998 |
Alex has paddled competitively since our Festival started, and he traveled to Florida to participate in the GWN Training Camp in both 2006 and 2007. Alex has taken the Dragon Boat Canada Level I Coaching Course and looks forward to sharing his skills as a coach.
Kenji Masuda | 705-220-8430 |
Kenji has taken the Dragon Boat Level 1 Coaching Course. He’s been involved with the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival since the first festival. He’s been the Dock Marshall of the Barrie Dragon Boat Festival for several years. He’s paddled off and on for the past couple of years now with various teams within Barrie and teams from Toronto.
Stephanie Smith |
Stephanie has been paddling on various teams for over 10 years and has been a member of Dragon Boat Barrie for 10+ years, paddling on both PaddleStrong and PowerStrokes in addition to participating every year on the women’s team. In 2016 she attended Dragon Boat Training Camp in Orlando and completed her Level 1 – Community Coaching Coarse. Over the past number of years Stephanie has expanded her paddling experiences to include coaching community teams and has been asked to substitute coach on many occasions. Stephanie is an avid paddler and is willing to help out where she can.
