Canadian swim team adjusting to life without longtime head coach Ben Titley
Ryan Mallette took over following unexpected end to Titley's decade-long tenure
Ryan Mallette is undoubtedly the busiest person at the pool in Victoria this week as the national trials continue.
He's trying to get up to speed with all the tasks that come with now being the interim head coach of Canada's swimming team.
In what can only be described as an abrupt and unexpected end to Ben Titley's tenure as head coach for a decade after his contract wasn't renewed at the beginning of March, Mallette is getting acquainted with the top role.
"I feel like I've adjusted well. It was unexpected so it's been a lot of work for sure," Mallette told CBC Sports.
Mallette has been with Swimming Canada since 2013 when he moved to Victoria to become the NextGen coach. He then took over the high performance program centre program under difficult circumstances following the death of Randy Bennett in 2015.
In 2019, Mallette moved east to Toronto.
Titley's departure still being processed
Titley and Mallette were not only coaches together in Toronto for the last number of years, they had become good friends. The sudden departure is something that's still being processed by Mallette and the many swimmers Titley coached throughout his time in Canada.
"Once we get through this meet I'll process it a little further. Right now it's about making sure everyone else is OK and that they're managing well," Mallette said.
The two had great chemistry and together along with the team around them have created a powerful swimming program with talent and depth.
"The way we worked together was in tandem but without saying this is your specific duty. Ben was really big on chatting, picking my brain. We were always having a conversation," Mallette said.
The timing of all of this is certainly less than ideal – one month before trials and three months before this summer's world championship.
"Losing Ben has been really hard but I'm just really proud of what we've been able to do this week to get the job done," said Sydney Pickrem.
"It's huge. He means so much to all of us. It was a shame how it happened. There wasn't a lot of information. We knew that we had a job to get done and he wanted us to get it done."
Titley worked extremely closely with Pickrem, Penny Oleksiak, Kylie Masse, Kayla Sanchez, Rebecca Smith, Taylor Ruck, Maggie Mac Neil, Yuri Kisil, Finlay Knox, Josh Liendo and Summer McIntosh at the high performance centre in Ontario.
He was named the Canadian Swimming Coach of the year by Swimming Canada for 2021. Titley will now take over as head coach for the Spanish program in Barcelona.
'I will miss the athletes'
In an interview with SwimNerd just days after not having his contract renewed, Titley talked about how much his relationships with the athletes meant to him throughout his time coaching in Canada.
"I am disappointed to leave these athletes. I've known Penny for 10 years, since she was 12 years old," he said during the interview.
"I will miss the athletes and the group that are there. I definitely think I left them in a better place than when I joined them."
Oleksiak, who became Canada's most decorated Olympian Olympian under Titley, says there will definitely be an adjustment period.
"It's been a change. I've been working with Ben for ten years. It's different," she told CBC Sports.
"I have a lot of faith and trust in Ryan. He's been coaching us for the last two or three years. I really like training with Ryan and he respects me as a professional athlete and knows when to back off a little bit."
WATCH | Summer McIntosh leads Canadian quartet in 200m:
Maintaining momentum
That's the task now for Mallette. Keeping the momentum that Titley helped create going into this summer with worlds and the Commonwealth Games looming.
His confidence in doing so is unmistakable.
"I feel like nothing is beyond my experience level. I've had athletes medal at world championships and the Olympics. There's nothing we're trying to do that we haven't done," Mallette said.
Details around Titley's departure remain vague. Swimming Canada's high performance director John Atkinson wouldn't go into the details around the contract.
"Like everything, we have things go where people didn't expect it to go. That's the way I would phrase it," he told CBC Sports.
"I think he was outstanding in what he did with the female athletes and how he brought them through."
WATCH l Liendo sets Canadian record in men's 100m fly on Day 2 of trials:
Many of the swimmers who were coached by Titley have been in contact with him in the lead-up to and during trials this week in Victoria. In some ways they're trying to show their appreciation for him by putting forward performances they say he would be proud of.
"Ben has been great and I will really miss him," Maggie Mac Neil said.
"He's been reaching out and it's good to keep in touch with him."
With two international meets in the next number of months Mallette is staying focused on moving forward and getting results for a program that continues to build towards Paris 2024, all while supporting the athletes anyway he can.
"It's not like I need to get to know them. I've been with them every day for the last few years," Mallette said.
"On top of that, this is something I've done before. I've been the head coach of a centre. I've been interim head coach before. I've done all these things. It's something I'm completely comfortable with."
Masse posts 4th victory at trials
On Saturday night, Kylie Masse posted her fourth national trials victory, pulling away from the rest of the swimmers in the women's 200m backstroke.
Her time of 2:07.66 was two seconds clear of second place swimmer Taylor Ruck, well under the FINA qualifying time for worlds this summer.
Ruck's strong swim however, in a time of 2:09.63, was also under the qualifying time to earn a spot in the world championship.
Summer McIntosh also continued her winning ways at Saanich Commonwealth Place. The 15-year-old added to her national trials title collection with a victory in the women's 400m IM.
She stopped the clock in 4:34.86.
Last month McIntosh posted the fastest time in the world in this event this year, setting the Canadian record in a time of 4:29.12.
Tessa Cieplucha finished in a time of 4:39.49, which was also under the FINA qualifying time for worlds.
There is just one more day of competition at the trials in Victoria.
More than 550 swimmers from across Canada have been competing all week in para events, junior events and senior events all looking to earn their spots on the Canadian teams heading to world championships this summer.
Eighteen-year-old Para swimmer Nicholas Bennett, from Parksville, B.C., continued his success in Victoria on Saturday night by setting his fourth Canadian record during trials, winning the men's S14 200m individual medley with a time of 2:10.22.
WATCH l Para swimmer Bennett sets 4th national record at trials:
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