About Us
Co-founders James Parrack and Matthew O’Connor grew up in local swimming clubs and both went on to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games. Both experienced training camps as youngsters with their clubs in Europe and as seniors with the British team around the world.
Their goal is to create the ideal training environment to make your camp as successful as it can be and help your athletes as they pursue their sporting dreams.
If you would like to talk to us, please call or email our key staff:
James Parrack
James's international swimming career spans over ten years including appearances in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and the 1990 and 1994 Commonwealth Games. James gew up in Cheltenham then moved to Leeds where he made his first national team aged 21. Eleven years in Leeds were puntuated by a year in at the famous Santa Clara Swim Club in California, the home of Don Shollander, Donna De Verona, Mark Spitz and James Parrack.
James won a silver medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, finishing the year world ranked number 3. He is ten times national champion. James is the swimming commentator for Eurosport, and presented Eurosport News from 2002 to 2006. He is formerly the swimming correspondent for The Independent and columnist and feature writer for the Swimming Times magazine.
Matthew O'Connor
Matthew competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games and the 1990 and 1994 Commonwealth Games. He has over eight years in international swimming experience and obtained a degree in International Business Studies from the University of Georgia.
Matthew grew up swimming at the City of Manchester and represented Great Britain at junior and senior level. In his spare time he writes a weekly sports column for the Majorca Daily Bulletin and goes mountain biking.
Patrick Blake
Patrick swam internationally for six years representing England at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and Great Britain in the finals at the European Open Championships. Pat swam for Torquay and Wigan Wasps before coaching in Swansea. A graduate of International Developoment, Pat moved to Valencia in 2001 and joins the BEST Centre as the pool manager, coach, translater, groundsman, builder and fixer.
Vanessa Phillips
Vanessa has taken over the role of office manager and comes to us from 7 years in financial admin with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, one of the world's largest hotel companies. Vanessa has known Matthew and James long before the BEST Centre started and helped with their work on the island with Blue Water Training Camps. Vanessa is an accomplished horse rider and was the Mallorcan Dressage Champion in 1999 and in 2001 was third in the Balearic Championships in the team competition.
