Ron Jacks

1964-72 Olympics

International swimming At the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Kingston, Jamaica, he won a gold medal in the 110 yard butterfly. In the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, he won a bronze medal in the 100 metre butterfly. As part of the National team, he represented Canada at the 1967 and 1971 Pan-Am Games. He won the 1969 British 'Open' ASA National Championship 440 yards freestyle title and the 1650 yards freestyle title.

In his final years of competition, Jacks swam with Nort Thornton at the University of California, Berkeley.

Around 1969, Jacks married his wife, Patricia Ann, before fully retiring as a swimming competitor. Two of his sons would later swim in their youths by 1993.

Jacks was the Paralympic Coach for the 2004 Athens Games and was the Canadian Open Water Head Coach at the 2005 World Aquatic Championships in Montreal and 2006 Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria. He served as Swimming Canada's Open Water Head Coach from 2005-2013. He is one of the very few coaches who has completed a three-way achievement at the International level, with medalists among able-bodied swimmers, swimmers with a disability, and open-water swimmers. From 1984-1994 in Victoria he also coached 1988 butterfly Olympian Jon Kelly, Anne Barnes, and 200 backstroke specialist Nikki Dryden.

Jacks's top swimmers and their achievements Olympians Bronze medals - Shannon Smith, Pam Rai and, Richard Weinberger World Champion Open Water swimmers: Kim Dyke, 1993 Open Water World Cup Series Champion, Greg Streppel - 1994 World Open Water Champion; Paralympic Gold Medalist/World Record Holder: Stephanie Dixon; Olympic Finalists: Christin Petelski (1996, 2000), Nikki Dryden, and Jon Kelly; Commonwealth Games athletes: Danielle Bell, John Stamhuis, Philip Weiss, Suzanne Weckend, Dino Verbrugge and Anne Barnes; FINA Open Water Championship competitor: David Creel, Karley Stutzel, Richard Weinberger.

Honors He is a member of the Canadian Swimming Hall of Fame, the BC Sports Hall of Fame and the Swim BC Halls of Fame. Jacks received a National Domestic Excellence in Coaching Award in 2003 and 2004, a Petro-Canada National Coaching Excellence Award in 2004, and a 2004 International CSCTA Team Award. He was also awarded the 2004 and 2005 BC Coach of the Year (SWAD), and the 2002 BC Coach of the Year (16 and under age group). He is a 2022 Inductee to the Canadian Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was named as the National Open Water Coach of the Year in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2005, he was named the Swimming Canada National Open Water Head Coach.