The legacy of swimming in British Columbia begins with you; whether you competed on the world stage or dove in with your local club, you are an essential part of our province’s story.
Swimming Alumni Network is a space created to honour the athletes, coaches, and leaders who have built our community over the decades. If you ever swam or coached for a club in British Columbia, whether you represented your local community, your university, or your country, you are a BC Swimming alumnus, and your contributions have played a vital role in our shared success.
Betty Brussel
Betty Brussel’s love of sport began long before she entered competitive swimming. Growing up in Amsterdam as the second of twelve children in the late 1920s and 1930s, she living through five years of wartime occupation as a teenager, and did not have access to organized sports. Regardless, her childhood was filled with sport; summers were spent swimming in Amsterdam’s canals, and when winter arrived, bathing suits were swapped for skates and Betty excelled at speed skating. These early years helped build a lifelong love of movement and laid the foundation for what would become a highly decorated competitive swimming career.
Michelle Landry
From her years with the Chena Swim Club, UBC Dolphins, and UBC Thunderbirds to becoming a national champion and leader beyond the pool, Michelle’s journey through BC Swimming reflects resilience, teamwork, and a true never-give-up mentality. Today, she remains connected to the sport as a swim parent, watching her children learn and compete in the same North Vancouver pool where her own journey began. Michelle reflects on how swimming shaped not only her athletic career, but also the person and leader she is today, teaching her the value of discipline, perspective, and the lifelong connections built through sport.
Nathan Stein
Nathan Stein, from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, built a 20 year swimming career shaped by resilience, adaptability, and the support of those around him. Following his transition to Para swimming after an injury and medical setback, Stein went on to represent British Columbia at the West Coast Championships in Richmond, marking his first experience on a provincial team, and later competed at major international events, including the Paralympic Games and the Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships.
In reflecting on his career, he highlights the importance of embracing the process and the lessons learned through both progress and setbacks, while offering perspective and guidance to the next generation of swimmers.
Willem Hergesheimer
Willem Hergesheimer’s swimming journey in British Columbia reflects both a deep commitment to the sport and a lasting appreciation for the community around it.
From competing on national and international stages, including the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, Western Canada Summer Games, Age Group Championships, and the Paul Bergen International, to returning to the BC Swimming community as a coach, Willem reflects on how the sport has shaped his mindset beyond competition and supported a lifelong approach to being fit for life.
We believe that the stories of those who built this community should not only be preserved but also celebrated, as they continue to inspire the next generation of swimmers.
The Swim BC office is located on the unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking people known today as the Songhees, the SXIMELEL (Esquimalt) and the WSÁNEĆ First Nations.
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