Ryan Jones

Head Coach

ryan@laserswimming.ca

Ryan began his coaching career in Toronto at the Variety Village Flames Swim Team. He progressed from volunteer to grassroots coach to Head Coach where he worked with athletes at all levels.  During his time, he also developed a para program which developed athletes from early entry into water to the national team.  Ryan was also the lead coach at the Ontario Para Swim Academy and completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.

Ryan has coached three athletes who made it on the podium at the World Para Swimming Championships and four athletes who have made paralympic teams.  

In July of 2020, he began working with the Saskatoon Lasers Swim Club as the assistant coach, where he continued to further develop the Lasers’ para program as well as putting his passion and creativity toward helping the swimmers in the Olympic stream to set goals, improve their technique and enjoy the process of what they are doing. Some of his swimmers have broken multiple Canadian records, put in all-time best swims and have won medals on the national stage.

He coached for Team Canada’s 2023 World Para Swimming Championship team in Manchester. This summer, Ryan coached Shelby Newkirk, Hannah Ouellette, Nikita Ens and his former swimmer Aly Van Wyck-Smart at the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.  Shelby Newkirk earned a spot on the podium, winning a bronze medal. 

One of Ryan's passions as a coach is problem-solving: he loves analyzing a stroke and coming up with creative ways to improve it.  Ryan's adaptability and open-mindedness are two of his greatest strengths as a coach.  

Chris Henderson

Assistant Head Coach

chris@laserswimming.ca

Chris has been involved in swimming his entire life: from local swimming lessons as a baby, to swimming in lakes and rivers as a young child, to age group swimming at the age of 11, to swimming for his high school team, to involvement with varsity swimming at the University of Waterloo. He made finals and won medals at the regional, provincial (Ontario) and national level. His strongest events were sprint/middle distance backcrawl and front crawl. He continues to swim and run as he is passionate about fitness, nutrition and bringing out the best in oneself.

His coaching career started in 2008 as an assistant Head Coach with the Halton Hills Blue Fins in Georgetown, Ontario. In 2013, he took over as Head Coach and stayed with the club through the 2023-2024 swim season. He has coached athletes at all levels, from swim school to Trial’s medalists, as well as Para athletes competing internationally and achieving a Canadian record. He has put over 20 athletes onto university teams over the last 9 years and he hopes to continue that trend going forward alongside Coach Ryan and the amazing coaching staff here in Saskatoon.

He loves athletics, chasing goals and helping young athletes work toward their goals. He loves to help athletes along their path of development and success. His coaching philosophy can be reduced to: “HAPPY, HEALTHY SWIMMERS SWIM FAST!”  His goal is to help each athlete find a passion for training and racing and set them up with the opportunity to join a varsity team by the time they graduate high school. 

Jael Basaraba

Assistant Coach

jael@laserswimming.ca

Jael has been coaching with the Lasers since 2022 and has worked primarily with the Laser’s JAG 1 and TAG 3/4 groups during this time. Jael also coached athletes on the Saskatoon District team at the Saskatchewan Summer Games in 2024. Jael enjoys coaching both the fundamentals of swimming as well as helping swimmers focus on the technical specifics of competitive swimming strokes as they move through their swimming careers. Jael was a competitive swimmer herself when she was younger and is excited to help the next generation of swimmers find the same love for the sport that she has. 

Emma Schaan

Assistant Coach

emma@laserswimming.ca

Jill Olorenshaw

Assistant Coach

jill@laserswimming.ca