Coaches

Lauren Siarkowski: Head Coach 

Lauren is returning for her tenth season with the Calgary Swordfish. As incoming Head Coach, Lauren is excited to uphold the Swordfish culture of commitment to community and dedication to excellence. She has been an extremely valuable part of our success and a critical piece of the coaching team for many years.

Lauren has been coaching in Calgary for thirteen years. She brings with her an expertise and understanding of the fundamentals of competitive swimming and has centered her career around developing fundamentals programs in the teams she has worked with. She concentrates on technical and holistic growth of swimmers as both athletes and individuals. Her focus will be to bring together the competitive success of winning with our philosophy of fun to ensure our swimmers enjoy the experience that Swordfish is notorious for.

In addition to coaching with the Calgary Swordfish, Lauren is currently coaching her fourth season with Calgary Patriots, a winter based swim club in the age group program. Prior to this, she coached developmental swimming with the University of Calgary Swim Club from 2010-2018 where she worked with many swimmers and coaches to lead one arm of the team’s developmental program.

Outside of the pool, Lauren holds a BA in Communications and Media Studies and has experience in administration and organization. She enjoys event planning and has a passion for the arts.

Everett Yee

Coming soon

Cindy Li

Cindy has been passionate about swimming for over a decade and has competed at both regional and provincial levels. The majority of her time as a swimmer was with the Calgary Swordfish, but she has also swam with the Calgary Patriots. This will be her fourth season as a coach for the Calgary Swordfish, and she is excited to meet a new group of swimmers!

Outside of swimming, Cindy is in her third year of university studying neuroscience at McGill. She enjoys reading, watching movies, and running.

Serena Zhang

Swimming with Swordfish since elementary school, I have been apart of this wonderful community for the past ten years. I am a grade 12 student at Sir Winston Churchill High School and will be graduating soon. I am so happy to say that this is my first season coaching for the team! I have always wished to become a coach for Swordfish and inspire others, just like all my coaches did for me.

No words can describe how grateful I am for this opportunity to work with Swordfish. As a new coach, I hope to bring my most authentic self to the table and ensure that everyone feels welcomed and ready for a challenge everyday.

On my off time, I enjoy spending time with my friends, and discovering new things. I have a pet bearded dragon named Spiky and a hermit crab named Hermy!

Can’t wait for the season to start!

Elsie Whitney

 

Shana Fu

 

I have been at the pool for as long as I can remember, having swam competitively and played water polo since I was nine! I started swimming with Swordfish in 2015 and am now a coach since the last 2024 season. Having developed a passion for soaking in a lane pool, outside of coaching, I am continuously involved with teaching swimming year-round as a Swim Instructor for the City of Calgary. 

Swimming—and Swordfish—has been a big part of my life, bringing me lifelong friendships and a sport with many achievements that I could not find elsewhere. I am super excited to continue to share my passion for swimming with Swordfish this summer!

Outside of swimming, I like bouldering, baking, and playing with my two cats, Tiger and Bean. I am also pursuing a degree in neuroscience at the University of Calgary.

I am looking forward to this fun season!

 

Lara Ball

Swimming has been a big part of my life for many years. I swam competitively for around 8 years in Grande Prairie and previously coached with the Grande Prairie Aquarians for four seasons. I’m very excited to be starting my first year coaching with the Swordfish!

I just finished my second year at Mount Royal University where I’m pursuing a degree in Child and Youth Care. I bring a fun and silly energy into the pool deck and love making practices enjoyable while also helping develop swimmers technique and love for this sport.

In my free time I love being outdoors, hanging out with friends and going on adventures. I am very passionate about swimming and coaching and excited to get to know all the swimmers! 

Daniel Liu

Daniel trained competitively from a young age at Guangzhou Sport University (in China), specializing in breaststroke and freestyle. He works with swimmers of all ages and levels, including adults, with a focus on body position, rhythm, and efficient movement in the water.

His coaching is detail-oriented and structured, with a strong focus on how swimmers move through the water rather than just completing drills. He places great importance on fundamentals — including dryland preparation and consistent training habits — and believes that long-term progress comes from attention to detail and consistency.

Drawing from his own training background, Daniel brings a calm and thoughtful approach to the pool, helping swimmers improve their technique while building confidence and a better feel for the water.

— Do right things & do things right —

Isla Kassam

Hi! My name is Isla, and I’m a grade 12 student at Crescent Heights High School. I’ve been part of the Swordfish community for a long time, so it’s really exciting to now be coaching this season.

Swimming has always been something I’ve enjoyed, and I’m looking forward to helping others build confidence and have fun in the water. I hope to create a positive and welcoming environment where everyone feels comfortable pushing themselves and trying new things.

Outside of the pool, I love spending time outdoors, especially hiking and spending time exploring nature.

Russ Peel

Coach Russell Peel is an accomplished martial artist, professional fighter, world champion powerlifter, and elite trainer with a career spanning over two decades. Spending 11 years in Japan, he earned black belts in Judo and Full Contact Karate while training alongside professional fighters and securing multiple heavyweight championships.

Returning to Calgary in 2013, he established himself as a premier coach while setting 25+ national powerlifting records and winning both the 2019 and 2025 Raw World Powerlifting Championships. Today, he specializes in elevating athletic performance, designing customized strength and conditioning programs that maximize results for both individual competitors and sports teams.

His proven methods consistently translate to the world stage, where he has guided two clients to World Championship titles and another to two silver medals. Since opening Muteki Strong Academy in 2021, he has channeled his international experience into building dominant athletes, but he considers his biggest achievement to be seeing his methods impact the lives of his clients and students both inside and outside the gym.