Ontario Artistic Swimming is excited to announce the coaching staff for the 2026 11-12 and Youth Provincial Team program. These coaches, representing 6 different Ontario clubs, will lead our Provincial Teams to the National meet in Montréal, Québec this August. Learn more about our coaching staff below, and get ready to cheer on Team O!
Youth Performance Team
Head Coach: Julia Thornton
Julia is excited to be leading the Youth Performance team this season. Julia has been a part of Team Ontario for the past five years, assistant coaching the youth performance team to the 2025 Youth Worlds Championships in Greece and working with Junior Team Ontario in 2024, where she contributed to the team’s third-place finish at the 2024 Pan American Championships in Peru. She also led the 12U Performance team to gold placements at the SYNC competition in both 2022 and 2023, and secured a bronze medal at the 2023 Pan American Championships in Florida.
Julia’s coaching philosophy is rooted in trust, teamwork, and positive goal achievement. She believes coaching is not just about teaching skills and techniques—it’s about fostering meaningful relationships built on trust and mutual respect. By nurturing these relationships, Julia encourages her athletes to believe in themselves, challenge their limits, and reach new heights of performance. A positive training environment is key!
Assistant Coach: Maryia Kazartsava
Maryia brings over 15 years of experience as an Artistic Swimming Coach to her first assignment with Team Ontario. She specializes in technical precision, land training, and choreography. As the former Team Coach of a premier Belarusian Club, she was responsible for developing athletes for international competitions. After moving to Canada in 2015, Maryia is currently working with Go Capital Artistic Swimming Club, coaching high-performance Juniors and Youth athletes in the National stream. She strives to create a positive training environment, focusing on athlete development to achieve high results. In addition to coaching high-performance, she also acts as a mentor coach to support early-career Regional League coaches. Maryia is looking forward to bringing her skills and experience to Team Ontario as a new experience in her coaching career.
Youth Development Team
Lead Coach: Evelyn Young
Evelyn is very excited to be part of the Ontario Provincial Team program this summer, leading the Youth Development team. She has been involved with artistic swimming for over 15 years as an athlete and coach, and is a Competition Development Certified Coach and CAS National Technical Controller. This will be Evelyn’s fifth year on the OAS Provincial Team staff. In the past 4 years, she has been an assistant coach to the Junior team, 11-12 Performance Team, Youth Performance team, and, most recently, lead coach to the 11-12 Performance Team. In these roles, Evelyn guided Team Ontario athletes to multiple podium finishes at SYNC and Pan Am Championships.
Over her coaching career, Evelyn has worked with athletes across a variety of programs, age groups, and levels, from intro to masters. She currently coaches for Granite Artistic Swimming Club, where her focus has been on the Junior high-performance program. Evelyn’s goal as a coach is to create an athlete-centred environment which encourages her swimmers to develop both as athletes and individuals. She is looking forward to this summer and working with Team Ontario athletes and coaches again!
Assistant Coach: Alyssia Robertson-Leithwood
Alyssia works as the current head coach of Mississauga Artistic Swimming and is a returning coach to Team Ontario. Alyssia is an NCCP Competition Development Certified coach who has worked with a variety of different artistic swimming programs across Ontario, as well as with Canada Artistic Swimming. Alyssia’s coaching philosophy is that athletes thrive and develop their best when they are in a positive and empowering environment. She believes that each practice is a new opportunity to be at least 1% better than yesterday. Alyssia is excited to work with Ontario’s youth athletes this summer and can’t wait to share her passion and love for artistic swimming with them all!
12U Performance Team
Head Coach: Gillian King
Gillian is so excited to be coaching with Team O again this summer! She has been coaching for almost 15 years and is currently the head coach at Nepean Artistic Swim Club. She has a B.A. in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Mental Performance from the University of Ottawa. Her coaching philosophy is that success is created by a process of hard work, including a combination of athletes giving their best every day and coaches giving the support and trust that the athletes need to grow. This will be Gillian’s fourth summer with Team Ontario, previously being the assistant coach of the Youth development team and the lead coach of the 12U development team. She has also worked with Ontario’s Train to Train programs and facilitates coach courses at various levels. Gillian loves the fast-paced environment of the provincial team program and getting to know athletes and coaches from all over the province. She hopes that the experience of representing Ontario will be challenging and rewarding for all of the athletes involved!
Assistant Coach: Hayley Waller
Hayley is excited to be returning to the OAS Provincial Team program again this summer as the assistant coach for the 12U Performance Team. This will be Hayley’s second time working with Team Ontario, as she assistant-coached the 12U Development Team last summer. Hayley has been involved in artistic swimming since she was just 6 years old. She began coaching 11 years ago for Ignite Artistic Swimming Club, working with competitive and high-performance athletes of all ages and abilities. She has also been Ignite’s Provincial Excellence Program Lead for the past 5 years, further sharing her passion and dedication to the sport with those around her.
Hayley’s coaching philosophy revolves around creating a space for equitable athlete-centred training and ensuring all athletes are given what they need to succeed. She strives to promote a growth mindset and take every challenge as an opportunity for growth. Hayley looks forward to coaching with Team Ontario again this summer and being able to provide enhanced training and performance opportunities, as well as lifelong memories. She is also excited to see coaches and athletes from all across the province come together and work towards a shared goal!
12U Development Team
Lead Coach: Jackee King
Jackee has over 20 years of coaching experience, including leading athletes and teams of all ages and levels to podium finishes and championship titles. She is a Competition Development NCCP Certified Coach and currently works at Granite Artistic Swimming Club as a Lead Coach for the 11-12 Provincial Team, Junior Provincial Free Duet, and Junior National Tech Team. In 2023, Jackee was the OAS 12U Development Lead Coach who won Bronze at the SYNC Invitational in Markham and that same year, she was an Apprentice Coach for Team Canada Junior National Team in Montreal. Jackee was also an Assistant Coach for 12U Provincial Teams that captured Gold (HP) and Silver (DT) at the 2019 SYNC Invitational in Gatineau, Quebec. Jackee has been named “Coach of the Year” in 2018, 2023, and 2025, and she wrote the “Flexibility & Extension Exercises” program for the Trillium Awards Manual in 2012. As an athlete, Jackee trained and competed at the National and International level, and was Senior Solo Champion in 2012 and 2013, as well as being part of the Toronto Synchro Masters Team that won Gold in the Tech and Free Team events at the 2018 Pan American Masters Championships in Orlando, Florida.
In addition to her coaching education, Jackee has a Specialized Honours B.A. in Psychology from York University and a diploma in Social Service Work from Seneca College. Jackee has facilitated many youth programs that focus on developing healthy relationships, teamwork, self-esteem, and setting goals that she integrates into her training. Out of the pool, Jackee is an Actress and Broadcaster that has worked on major networks across North America and Europe. Jackee inspires confidence and motivates athletes to work hard and perform at their best. Her coaching style is goal-oriented with a philosophy to improve one percent in every attempt and to be better than yesterday.
Assistant Coach: Frederique Desjardins
Freddy has been coaching athletes of all ages and various skill levels at Go Capital Artistic Swimming Club for the past seven years. She has also been an artistic swimmer for 15 years and currently competes with CUASL. She has spent the past two summers assisting Ontario’s 11–12 performance team and is excited for her third summer with Team O. Outside of the pool, Freddy is graduating from Carleton University and working toward a career as a social worker. Coaching has become one of her greatest passions, and she strives to create a positive and uplifting experience for all athletes. When it comes to her coaching philosophy, she believes that achieving your goals comes from giving it your all, starting with the right mindset and positive environment. Freddy is excited to help in creating an unforgettable summer where athletes can surpass the goals they set for themselves while building lasting memories.
Lead Technical Coach
Lead Coach: Sherry Riley
Sherry has been a dedicated member of Ignite Artistic Swimming Club since 2015, serving as the High Performance Lead Coach and working with both Provincial and National-level athletes. Since 2024, she has also contributed her expertise to Mississauga Artistic Swimming Club, continuing to coach athletes at the Provincial and National levels.
Sherry’s coaching philosophy centers on developing athletes not only in artistic swimming but also as well-rounded individuals. She emphasizes a balanced approach that integrates rigorous physical training with mindful mental preparation. She believes that when athletes take ownership of their training, they are better equipped to take pride in their accomplishments and grow from the challenges and setbacks that are essential to achieving long-term success.
Sherry is excited to return to Team O and looks forward to collaborating with the exceptional coaches, staff, and athletes in pursuit of a successful season.