The Stingray Swim Club has welcomed John Bodden, a familiar face and now a promising young leader, as its new head coach.
At 25, Bodden, a former Stingray swimmer, took the helm in August 2025.
A different start than most
Bodden’s introduction to the sport is one that he describes as “a little different than most” as he says he “started with all the other sports besides swimming” during his earlier days.
“In all honesty, I started swimming because I just enjoyed splashing around in the water and thought that this could be fun,” he admitted.
Adding to the story, he said, “Around 12, I was put into the government programme with Coach Chester for about eight months and my first head coach at Stingray, Andy Copley, who was about to take over had asked my family to register me for the club starting that September.”
He said he would have never thought that he would develop into a competitive swimmer, adding, “It just so happened that someone took a chance on me and I have been involved ever since.”
This “chance” marked the start of a competitive career that saw him compete in major events, like CARIFTA from 2015-2018, the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2017, and the Pan American and Island Games in 2019.
The shift from swimmer to head coach
Reflecting on his shift from competitive swimmer for roughly 10 years with Stingray Swim Club to head coach, Bodden referenced a decision that he made a few years ago that made him know that he wanted to pursue coaching.
The moment came in 2021 while at McKendree University following a conversation with his college coaches, after Bodden stepped away from competing at the Youth PanAmerican Games.
“In the fall of 2021, I was asked to represent the country at the Youth PanAmerican Games, but throughout COVID, I had not trained enough [I felt] to represent the country well at the games, so I backed out and ended my season at my mid-season meet that November,” he said.
The head coach at the university recognised Bodden’s ability to explain diving off the blocks to a couple of his teammates a few weeks prior, asking him if he wanted to give “coaching a shot”.
“I knew I still wanted to be involved with the college team and help in any way I could, so I took the chance, and was on deck from December 2021 until April 2022,” Bodden said.
He says that during that time, he was taken to division two National Collegiate Athletic Association national championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, as the third swim coach, where he assisted in numerous ways.
It was after this experience of seeing his teammates and swimmers break NCAA records, win events and compete against the best in that division that made him know that this was something that he wanted to do.
“I have to give credit to a lot of coaches for giving me the opportunity to learn from them during my time as a swimmer, but it was [this] conversation that I had with my assistant coach at McKendree University, alongside the head coach, that really moved things forward in terms of my career path,” Bodden said.
His time as a graduate assistant for the 2022-2023 season and head coach for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 season at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., provided invaluable lessons he now brings back to the Cayman Islands.
A core lesson he says he learned is that every swimmer is at a different point in their journey, both in and out of the water, making it essential to meet individuals where they are, guide them toward programme expectations and acknowledge their unique experiences.
Bodden’s vision as coach
Beyond competitive results, Bodden strongly believes swimming develops constructive skills applicable outside the pool.
The top three skills he hopes every Stingray swimmer takes away, regardless of their competitive success, are commitment, time-management and interpersonal skills, believing these will make them highly competitive in the working world.
Bodden hopes to provide his swimmers with the opportunity to use swimming as a “method to [chasing] their dreams”.
“Whether that be achieving competitive excellence in the sport or using swimming as a tool to get into university programmes that could make them more competitive in the application process.
“I hope to accomplish and build a team that is centred around unity, and to continue to grow that community swim programme that Stingray has been known for,” he added.
He sees his role as being an extension of the Stingray community “and providing back the opportunities” that he was afforded as a swimmer.
