Laurier Grads Soar is a multi-part series that returns for it's fourth installment during the 2019-20 season. The segment features former Wilfrid Laurier University athletes and student-leaders in the Athletics and Recreation Department, and the success they have enjoyed since leaving Laurier. Written by award-winning journalist David Grossman, different features will be released throughout the year that will emphasize the role Athletics and Recreation played in helping them achieve success.

Dean Boles: Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technical Officer, Swim Ontario

Always on the offensive, Dean Boles is a builder.

Not to be confused with those whose careers are in construction, Boles has this gift of greatness for the intensity in building successful athletic programs. For him, his specialty is the sport of swimming.

A former competitive swimmer, Boles has coached Canadian swimmers to appearances in four consecutive Olympic Games. His knowledge of the sport is so deep that Boles was chosen by the Danish Swim Federation to be its National Coach. 

Now, he has the intention and ambition of developing, and accelerating, the accomplishments of those in that same aquatic sport in Ontario. His success will motivate  others to learn, compete and maybe become the next swimmer to hit the national and international spotlight.

With dual titles of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technical Officer of Swim Ontario, Boles is the architect of a master plan that will enhance a growing organization of some 30,000 swimmers, coaches and officials across the province.

Not an easy task, but Boles has gone that route before – and he has come away with impressive results. The odds are quite good that you'll be hearing about the huge performances and achievements of young and talented Ontario swimmers for many years to come.

For Boles, as a youngster, swimming wasn't in the picture. He was a big fan of hockey and baseball. In an informal conversation, he admitted that, as a kid, swimming just wasn't for him. He recalled, at the age of six, not being able to float on his back. As for swim lessons, well, they didn't go over well either. 

But things changed quickly. 

Boles joined the Guelph Marlins Swim Club in his first year of high school at Centennial Collegiate, and the sport became a salvation.

“I lived on a farm, had a dirt bike and fractured my hip in an accidental spill,” recalled Boles. “Several surgeries later, and walking with crutches because of a body cast, I knew it was time to sell my bike - and I used the money to pay for registration to a (Marlins) swim program.”

Boles went on study business at Wilfrid Laurier University, then Conestoga College and chose to end his competitive swim career at age 22. But he wasn't leaving the pool so fast. That's when he turned to coaching with the Region of Waterloo Swim Club, who used the Laurier pool and facilities.

In 1987, the former Laurier student started what would become a remarkable and profound 22-year career as Laurier's swim coach.

“I remember Laurier as being a little school – but with a big heart and being very supportive of swimming,” he said. “There was sort of a swim team, but we changed the environment and went on to have some really good years in the pool and success in Ontario and Canada.”

Laurier became a National Training Centre for swimming from 1999 to 2005 and Boles, a former Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Swim Coach of the Year, also had a huge part in the development of 10 swimmers, who trained at Laurier, making it to the Olympics.

“I've always been surrounded by great people and it certainly began with my time at Laurier,” said Boles, who was an Ontario Mentor coach for almost six years. “(Laurier) was a great place to be at, learned so much and it was like a bridge to the next stage of my career.”

Boles is no rookie when it comes to building momentum. 

A purveyor of the sport, committed and enthusiastic, Boles has made significant contributions to the sport and shows no favorites. For him, swimming is open to everyone: the young, individuals with disabilities and seniors.

“It's all about getting involved, strength and resilience, doing what you enjoy, having fun and building towards the next step,” said Boles. “Some simply call it, significant contributions.”

He's been an invaluable contributor to the Canadian swim community for almost four decades, and is widely known as one of the country's leading technical swim experts. 

“You have to develop the right balance of athletes – those who have started, continue to develop and others in the high performance category,” he said. “It kind of reminds me of what we set out to do, and in many ways achieve, at Laurier.”

-END-

David Grossman is a multi award-winning communicator and storyteller with a distinguished career in Broadcasting, Journalism and Public Relations in Sport and Government Relations. In 2018, he was the recipient of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Media Member of Distinction. 

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