Dexter Bligh has been settling into his new role since becoming head coach for the Camana Bay Aquatic Club in August – taking over from Grant Ferguson, who has turned his attention to water polo.
Bligh, who previously worked as the swimming assistant coach at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, now has his sights set on developing top athletes to represent the Cayman Islands.
“Although I’m confident that my past experiences have provided me with certain training frameworks, our goal here [is] to develop a system that works for this community in particular,” Bligh told the Compass via WhatsApp, noting that he has tailored his swim programme to fit the needs of Cayman athletes.
Bligh will have the help of assistant coach Jennika Efford to train swimmers within CBAC, which is the biggest aquatic club on the island with over 400 members.
He said his style is to cater to everyone, noting that he and Efford will meet swimmers at their level and raise them up.
“If an individual steps foot on our pool deck, we have a spot for them in our program that will help them achieve their hopes and dreams,” he said. “If an athlete comes to us wanting to learn how to float safely in the water, we have a trajectory within our team to help them achieve just that.
“If an athlete comes to us wanting to win an Olympic gold medal, we have a trajectory within our team to help them achieve just that. There are no guarantees in this sport, but if an athlete and/or their family comes to us with a goal in mind, I’m confident that we can support them every step of the way.”
Adding that the athlete will drive the process, with coaches providing the blueprint along with support and motivation, he said the ultimate goal is to empower the athlete.
“These achievements will come because of the work they did themselves,” Bligh said.
And their efforts are already bearing fruit as several of his athletes have qualified for the upcoming CARIFTA Championships.
“Our team has done a great job so far of raising themselves to the task of making this year’s standards for CARIFTA selection,” he said. “We currently have 9 swimmers with B Cuts, 4 of whom also have A Cuts. With the system we’ve implemented and the world class staff we have here at CBAC, I expect that number to increase over the next couple of meets.
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