On Deck
Our Coaches
Meet the coaches who help Channel Cats swimmers build strong skills, confidence and a lifelong connection to the sport.
Head Coach
Melanie Van Pypen
GOLD & SILVER Groups
Melanie was raised in Simcoe County and swam for many years with the Barrie Trojans and, while living away from home, the Thunder Bay Thunderbolts. She worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor in Thunder Bay and Whitehorse, Yukon.
Melanie began coaching as an assistant with the Barrie Trojans and later joined the Thunder Bay Thunderbolts coaching team as a junior and masters coach while studying Kinesiology at Lakehead University. She is thrilled to be part of the Channel Cats and to have revived her coaching career.
Swimming has always been Melanie's passion. She swims year-round in local lakes and is an avid ice swimmer. She became the 12th Canadian to complete an Ice Mile and competes internationally in ice swimming. Melanie is also an open-water swimmer training for marathon swims and swims with the Orillia Masters group.
Melanie lives in the Horseshoe Valley area with her family, who enjoy canoe tripping, rock climbing, camping, skiing and adventuring together. She has worked with children as a coach, teacher and kinesiologist, and for many years operated the nearby Oro-Medonte Forest School.
As a coach, Melanie focuses on helping swimmers become comfortable and efficient in the water while keeping swimming fun. She enjoys watching athletes develop their own passion for the sport while sharing her own love of the water.
OPERATIONS MANAGER/Senior Assistant Coach
Justin Fairgrieve
Senior Novice Coach
Justin's journey with swimming reflects a lifelong passion for the sport and the community around it. After moving to Orillia in 1990, he joined the Orillia Channel Cats that same fall and swam with the club for six seasons. He went on to represent the Mayfield Mavericks throughout high school, competing at multiple OFSAA Championships and even extending his final year to finish one more swim season.
When Justin returned to Orillia to start his family, his connection to the pool came full circle. He began as a Level 1 official when his daughter joined the Kittens in 2019 and continued when his son joined the team in 2022. From there, coaching became a natural next step, driven by his love of helping swimmers grow from learning the basics to excelling in competition.
Outside the pool, Justin manages Orillia Auto Spa for the Plaza Auto Group, bringing the same dedication and work ethic he shows on deck. He has completed the Swimming Fundamentals Coaching Course and is currently working toward his 201 Age Group Coach certification.
For Justin, coaching is about more than swimming. It's about building confidence, celebrating progress and being part of each swimmer's journey.
SENIOR ASSISTANT Coach
Ariel McGee
Bronze Coach
Ariel has called Orillia home since the age of three, and swimming has been a major part of her life ever since. She trained and competed with the Orillia Channel Cats from Grade 4 through Grade 10 before joining the Orillia Secondary School swim team in Grades 11 and 12.
In her graduating year, Ariel capped off her competitive swimming career with a fourth-place finish in the 100m butterfly at OFSAA. Those years gave her a strong foundation in the sport and a genuine appreciation for the commitment required to succeed as a swimmer.
Ariel has also built a career in aquatics. She has worked as a lifeguard, aquatic supervisor, swim instructor and aquatic trainer at the Orillia Recreation Centre. She serves her community as a volunteer firefighter with the Township of Severn and graduated from Algonquin College with a certificate in Pre-Service Firefighting.
Ariel is excited to share her passion with Channel Kittens and Junior Novice swimmers. Her coaching philosophy focuses on developing skills and confidence while keeping the sport fun, positive and rewarding.
Away from the pool, Ariel enjoys staying active, spending time outdoors, camping, hiking and being with her family.
ASSISTANT Coach
Emma Miller
Junior Novice & Channel Kittens
Emma is excited to join the Channel Cats as the coach of the Channel Kittens and to assist with the Junior and Senior Novice groups. She’s a certified National Lifeguard and Swim Instructor with a strong background in high-level competitive swimming, having spent much of her own childhood in the sport. Now, as she begins a new chapter on the other side of the pool, she looks forward to sharing her love of swimming with young swimmers beginning their own experiences with the sport.
Her goal is to help young swimmers develop strong fundamentals while encouraging their enjoyment of the sport and the friendships and experiences that make swimming special.
She wants swimmers and their families to know she values the opportunity to play a positive role in their experience with the sport. She hopes to help swimmers feel safe, seen, and supported, so they’re comfortable asking questions, trying new things, and approaching challenges with confidence and curiosity.
Outside the pool, Emma has two rescue Golden Retrievers, Winnie and Sam, who share her love of the water. Sam especially loves swimming and diving and hopes the Channel Cats have room for one dog on the team, though being mascot seems out of the question.
ASSISTANT Coach
Lori Johnston
Junior Coaches
Jr Coach
Sophia Brown
Sophia has been part of the Orillia Channel Cats since 2016 and is now a Gold-level swimmer with the team. For her, swimming has grown into more than just a sport. It's a passion that fuels her energy, sharpens her focus and supports both her physical and mental well-being.
She thrives on the competitive side of swimming and is always motivated to chase new goals and personal bests. Just as importantly, Sophia values the friendships and team environment she has found through the sport and enjoys cheering on her teammates.
Sophia also enjoys volunteering on deck and helping younger swimmers develop their skills while sharing the enthusiasm that has kept her committed to the Channel Cats for so many years.
Currently in Grade 11 at Eastview Secondary School in Barrie, Sophia balances her training with work as a certified lifeguard and swim instructor at the Orillia Recreation Centre. Whether she's racing, coaching or teaching, swimming remains at the heart of her life and is a passion she's proud to share with the next generation.
Jr Coach
Nadine Ackert
Jr Coach
Bella Brown
Jr Coach
Kylie Sarabura
Part of Our Story
Coaching Alumni & Club Pioneers
Recognizing coaches whose leadership, commitment and love of the sport have helped shape generations of Channel Cats.
Retired Head Coach · 2025
Meredith Thompson-Edwards
Meredith Thompson-Edwards has lived in Orillia her entire life and has deep roots with the Channel Cats as both an athlete and coach. She competed in the sport for more than ten years, qualifying for high-level meets including Ontario Cup, Eastern Cup and Nationals, and began coaching with the club in 1995.
Her years as an assistant allowed her to work with swimmers across the club's age groups. Meredith believed that knowing swimmers throughout the entire team helped create a more personal atmosphere, encouraged group cohesiveness and contributed to a positive and enjoyable environment.
Meredith worked alongside her mother, Elaine Thompson, throughout her coaching career. Together they encouraged swimmers to be hardworking, dedicated and supportive of their teammates.
Meredith saw competitive swimming as an opportunity for children to develop much more than swimming ability. The sport builds social and organizational skills, confidence, cardiovascular fitness and habits that athletes can carry with them throughout their lives.
Meredith attended Georgian College in Orillia, earning diplomas in Developmental Services Worker and post-graduate Therapeutic Recreation programs. She is a certified Age Group Swim Coach and completed numerous National Coaching Certification Program modules while working toward Senior Coach status. As a Masters swimmer, she held the Canadian record in the women's 35–39 200m breaststroke and competed at the 2014 Masters Long Course World Championships.
Coach · 1982–2020
Elaine Thompson
We will miss your smile, love of life, encouraging ways and seeing your face every day on the pool deck.
Elaine Thompson was born and raised in Orillia and became affiliated with the Orillia YMCA at eight years old. It was at the Y that she developed her love of swimming. After progressing through the swim program, she began teaching swimming at age 12 and later completed lifesaving courses and worked as a lifeguard.
Elaine returned to the YMCA in 1974 when her children became involved in its programs. She became deeply involved with synchronized swimming and programs for younger children, coaching synchronized swimming for 18 years.
In 1982, when her youngest daughter Meredith became a Channel Cat, Elaine was asked to help coach some of the team's younger swimmers. What began as another volunteer commitment became an extraordinary coaching career spanning more than three decades.
Elaine believed that swim clubs help children develop physical fitness, coordination, goal-setting, time-management skills, self-esteem and self-worth. She saw competitive swimming as a disciplined sport whose lessons carried into athletes' academic and social lives.
Elaine was a certified Age Group Swim Coach and remained an important part of the Channel Cats family until her passing on February 29, 2020.