Karen Baildon

Welcome to another episode of the Aquatic Mentors podcast. I am your host, Katrina van Eyk.

In this episode I interview an industry professional who has spent her whole life in the aquatic industry and has been sounded by swimming greats since birth. My guest is the daughter of an Olympic champion and a lifetime swim coach, she was named after an Australian distance swimmer, and she is married to another swimming legend. So, please extend a big welcome to the podcast for Karen Baildon.

Karen grew up at the Palm Beach Olympic pool walking the deck with her mother who coached the squad kids and her father Sprint Champion and Gold medalist at the Mexico Olympic games for the 100 and 200m freestyle. She helped her mother coach teaching butterfly to the other swimmers when she was 8 years old.

She won state medals as an age group swimmer while also training in ballet. The pool eventually won, drawing her back into the water where she has built an amazing career and legacy.

Karen married Commonwealth champion Andrew Baildon and when Andrew retired from competing on Australian Teams for 10 years in 1996, they opened their first swim school at 24 years old. They now run 5 privately owned indoor facilities in South East Queensland and this year celebrate 25 years of the Superfish swim schools.

The husband-and-wife team are very hands on with their facilities and love to be involved with everything from construction, marketing, building, and training their team to the front desk and even scrubbing the change rooms.

After a big health scare in 2011 Karen has had to rebuild her strength and fitness and prides herself on what she has been able to achieve.

Through today’s episode Karen shares some insights into her work as well as her thoughts on swimming and where she see’s swimming moving to in the future.

Please share the hidden gems you find in Karen’s interview on our Facebook page, Aquatic Mentors and you will find all her contact details listed at the end of the show notes.

If you want to share your aquatic story, please contact me via my email: regionalswimclinics@outlook.com

I have launched a selection of master classes which cover a variety of topics relating to swim teaching and coaching at Regional Swim Clinics Training Academy.

These courses can be found on my website: www.regionalswimclinics.com.au and by clicking on courses.

All the courses are designed to be easy on your wallet and time while giving you a wealth of knowledge to take and implement in your next lesson or squad session.

So, lets dive in and find out about Karen’s journey in swimming.

Karen Baildon’s Contact Information:

Email: karen@baildongroup.com.au

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenbaildon/

Website: www.superfish.com.au

Katrina van Eyk's Contact Information:

Aquatic Mentors - https://www.aquaticmentors.com.au/

Facebook - Aquatic Mentors

Regional Swim Clinics - www.regionalswimclinics.com.au

Email – regionalswimclinics@outlook.com

Facebook - Regional Swim Clinics

Aquatic Mentors Ebook Link: https://www.regionalswimclinics.com.au/top-10-tips-for-aquatic-professionals/