Puddle Ducks technical director heads up worldwide organisation

Ali Beckman has been appointed as the president of Swimming Teachers Association

Puddle Ducks’ technical director and head teacher, Ali Beckman, has been appointed as the president of the worldwide body, the Swimming Teachers Association (STA) – the largest swimming and lifesaving teacher training company in the world.

Ali has been working at Puddle Ducks since the company was in its early days and was the first employee of the company. She is a UK leading expert in swimming teaching and is highly regarded in the industry. Within her role with Puddle Ducks, she heads a team of tutors, programme assessors and regional technical managers who train and support the network of Puddle Ducks teachers across the UK.

Her love of the water has been a long one, swimming competitively in her youth before an injury at 15 stopped her. Still wanting to be involved in the sport, she took her first child to Puddle Ducks lessons in Northwich and has never looked back!

Ali said: “To know that you introduced someone to the world of swimming and have helped them love the water is a magical feeling. It is even more special when that tiny baby turns into an independent happy swimmer a couple of years later. That’s when you can say, ‘I helped them do that’.”

Ali became involved with the STA when she volunteered to sit on an aquatic working group ten years ago. From there she was asked to join additional working groups, one of which developed the world’s first Level 3 Diploma in Aquatic Teaching - Baby and Pre-School. Ali became a trustee in December 2018 and was appointed to the role of chair of the governing body. She also volunteered and continues to act as the STA’s designated safeguarding officer.

The CEO of the STA, Dave Candler said: “Ali has been a fantastic STA trustee for three years now, and over the years she has supported us in so many different ways – and what she doesn’t know about baby swimming is not worth writing about! She is fully deserving of this new position and I’m really looking forward to working with Ali as our new president.”

Ali explained why she was proud to be appointed as president: “Swimming, lifesaving and first aid are a great passion of mine and more recently, even pool plant operations! To know that I’ll be able to play a more active part in helping the STA with its charitable objectives, and in turn, help the wider swimming community fills me with great pride. The STA is a great organisation which led us through the pandemic – and I’m truly honoured to become their new president, I have big boots to fill.”