Canadian Swimming Coaches Association Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2026
The Canadian Swimming Coaches Association (CSCA) is proud to announce the 2026 CSCA Hall of Fame Class, recognizing five individuals whose exceptional contributions have shaped the landscape of Canadian swimming through decades of coaching excellence and leadership.
Inducted into the Coach Category are Kevin Thorburn, Nigel Kemp, Dean Boles, and Andrew Craven, while Christy Yaremczuk will be honoured in the Builder Category.
Nigel Kemp was inducted during the 2026 Canadian Swimming Trials in Montreal where he was also named to the Swimming Canada Circle of Excellence.
Four inductees will be formally recognized during the CSCA Hall of Fame Induction Reception, held on Friday, October 2, 2026, as part of the 2026 Team Aquatic Supplies CSCA National Swim Coaches Conference, at Blue Mountain Resort, Ontario.
"The CSCA Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose commitment, leadership, and impact have left a lasting legacy on Canadian swimming," said Carl Simonson, President of the Canadian Swimming Coaches Association. "This year's inductees have each made extraordinary contributions to our sport through coaching, mentorship, and service. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and welcome them into the CSCA Hall of Fame."
2026 CSCA Hall of Fame Inductees
Coach Category:
Kevin Thorburn
The late Kevin Thorburn was one of Canada’s most respected developers of age-group and international swimmers during a coaching career that spanned more than four decades. Working in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia, Thorburn’s athletes established hundreds of provincial and national age-group records and included numerous Canadian champions and Olympians. As Head Coach and Director of Swimming at the Etobicoke Swim Club, he coached athletes including Brittany MacLean, Amanda Reason, Jenna Gresdal and Alexa Komarnycky. Before arriving in Etobicoke Thorburn led the Manta Swim Club in Winnipeg where he coached Riley Mants to the 1996 Olympic Games and Kelly Stefanyshyn to three medals at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, including gold in the 100 backstroke. Thorburn served on Canadian coaching staffs at the 1996, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, as well as World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Pan Pacific Championships and Junior World Championships. His knowledge, mentorship and commitment to developing both athletes and coaches left a lasting influence across Canadian swimming.
Dean Boles
Dean Boles has made a significant contribution to Canadian swimming as an athlete, coach and sport leader. A former national-level swimmer, Boles spent more than two decades leading the Region of Waterloo Swim Club and Wilfrid Laurier University, developing athletes who represented Canada at four consecutive Olympic Games, including Laura Nicholls, Jennifer Button, Jennifer Fratesi and Keith Beavers. He served on the Coaching staff at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney as well as the World Championships, the World and Pan Pacific Championships and the Commonwealth and Pan American Games. Boles was the Provincial Mentor Coach in Ontario from 2009 to 2015 and has served as Swim Ontario’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technical Officer since 2019. These roles have helped him shape athlete development, competition and high-performance pathways throughout Canada’s largest swimming province while remaining a strong advocate for coaches and long-term athlete development.
Andrew Craven
Andrew Craven has been a fixture in Canadian swimming for decades, with a coaching career highlighted by exceptional contributions to both Olympic and Paralympic athlete development. A longtime leader with the London Aquatic Club, Craven served as Head Coach of Canada’s Paralympic swimming team at the 2000 Sydney Games and the 2002 IPC World Championships, and returned to the Canadian Paralympic staff in 2008. His athletes included Adam Purdy, a three-time Paralympian, two-time Paralympic champion and two-time World Champion; Darda Sales, a three-time Paralympic swimmer, Paralympic gold and silver medallist and world-record holder; and Brad Sales, a two-time Paralympian who established short-course world records in the 1500-metre freestyle and 200-metre backstroke. Craven also helped develop Olympic and World Champion Maggie Mac Neil, reflecting a remarkable coaching career that has produced international success across both Olympic and Paralympic swimming.
Nigel Kemp
Nigel Kemp was inducted during the 2026 Canadian Swimming Trials in Montreal. He has made an extraordinary contribution to Canadian swimming over more than five decades as a coach, educator, mentor and sport leader. Best known as the longtime coach of Nancy Garapick, Kemp guided her to a world record in the 200-metre backstroke in 1975 and two bronze medals at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. As Head Coach of Dalhousie University from 1971 to 1998, he built one of Atlantic Canada’s most successful university programs, winning 27 conference championships and developing generations of national-level swimmers. Kemp also served on Canadian coaching staffs at the Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and World University Games, while contributing extensively to coach education and Masters swimming. In 2026, he and Garapick were inducted together into Swimming Canada’s Circle of Excellence.
Builder Category:
Christina Yaremczuk
Christy Yaremczuk has made a lasting contribution to Canadian swimming as a coach, leader and builder of the coaching profession. During a successful coaching career that included leadership roles with Oakville Aquatic Club and COBRA Swim Club, she developed athletes to provincial, national and international-team success. Her impact extended far beyond her own programs. From 2000 to 2008, Yaremczuk served as President of the CSCA, becoming the first female President in the organization’s history. During eight years in that role, she provided leadership through an important period of growth and helped lay the foundation for the advocacy, professional development, member services and national voice the CSCA provides coaches today. She has continued that commitment through decades of coach education and sport leadership and now works with Swim Ontario, supporting athlete funding, facility partnerships, Olympic and Paralympic programming, competitions and initiatives that strengthen swimming across the province.
The CSCA Hall of Fame honours individuals whose achievements have had a profound and lasting impact on swimming in Canada. Through excellence in coaching, leadership, innovation, and service, Hall of Fame inductees have helped shape the sport and inspired generations of athletes and coaches.
Register for the Team Aquatic Supplies CSCA National Swim Coaches Conference and join us in Blue Mountain to help welcome the newest members to the CSCA Hall of Fame.