Coaches
FEATURED COACHES OF THE PACIFIC MASTERS SWIMMING 2011 EXCEL WEEKEND
- Cokie Lepinski, Marin Pirates Masters - EXCEL Weekend Clinic Director & Mentor Coach
- Stu Kahn, Davis Masters, Mentor Coach
- Kerry O’Brien, Walnut Creek Masters, Presenter and Mentor Coach
- Jody Smith, Mountain View Masters, Mentor Coach
- Brian Stack, Manatee Masters, Presenter and Mentor Coach
- Hermine Terhorst, Santa Rosa Masters, Presenter
- Scott Williams, Lucas Valley Masters, Presenter and Mentor Coach
- Joel Wilson, Santa Cruz Masters, Presenter and Mentor Coach
- Peter Finney, Manatee Masters, Presenter
- Rolandas Gimbutis, El Cerrito Masters and AquaVolo, Presenter
Coach Cokie Lepinski
EXCEL Clinic Director
Cokie is head coach of the Marin Pirates Masters swim team (Novato, California), a team she founded in July 2009. The team is now approaching 90 members and actively involved in masters competitions. A recipient of the 2010 USMS Kerry O’Brien award, Cokie has authored workouts and technique articles for SWIMMER magazine and serves as Chair of the Coaches Committee for Pacific Masters Swimming. She was one of four coaches selected as National Coaches representing USMS swimmers at the 2010 Fina Worlds in Sweden. At the 2011 Pac Masters SCY Champs in Pleasanton, she was presented with the Coach of the Year award. She is also a passionate and diehard swimmer, and has been consistently ranked top ten in the US and world in breaststroke and IM events since beginning her masters swimming in 1991. She just recently released a $5 ebook on swimming drills, There’s A Drill For That! Cokie will be a mentor coach at the clinic.
Coach Stu Kahn
Stu Kahn is the head coach of the Davis Aquatic Masters (DAM), a Davis, California swim club that is one of the largest U.S. Masters Swim affiliates in the nation. DAM boasts a membership of +/- 500 people from all ages and walks of life. DAM members range in experience from beginning swimmers to world champions. Member ages range from the minimum of 18 to those in their 90s. Stu will also serve as mentor coach at the clinic.
Coach Kerry O'Brien
Kerry O’Brien
Kerry O’Brien has been walking the deck for the Walnut Creek Masters since 1980, day to day trying to live out loud the WCM mission and vision of creating an atmosphere that promotes physical fitness, teamwork, personal challenge, and social camaraderie in a way that has every member exits the pool with a heightened sense of accomplishment and self-worth. A byproduct of this approach has been the building of a 400+ member program that is considered one of the most competitive in the country.
WORKSHOP: Kerry will be leading the “Creative Workout Design: Squeezing the Most Out of Your Athletes” workshop. He will share some creative ways to use space effectively, train different needs within the same workout, and keep the lanes engaged through set design. Kerry will also serve as mentor coach Saturday at the clinic.
Coach Jody Smith
Jody Smith is the head coach of Mountain View Masters. Jody swam competitively while growing up in Oregon and went on to swim swam at Stanford University. She was part of the NCAA champion team in 1989 and the 800 freestyle relay in 1990. She is an All-American Olympic Trials qualifier. Jody enjoys both pool and open water swimming. Jody will be a mentor coach at the clinic.
- Began swimming with U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) in March 2000.
- Favorite strokes are backstroke and freestyle.
- USMS world record holder.
- Board Member of the Pacific Masters Swimming organization – Officer at Large
- USMS Championship Committee Member.
Coach Brian Stack
Brian Stack
Brian is the Head Coach Manatee Aquatic Masters in Oakland, California, and is ASCA Certified Level 3 Masters.
- Joined US Masters Swimming in October of 1982 with the Temescal Masters in Oakland
- Began coaching part time with the Mills Aquatic Masters in 1986
- Hired as Head Coach Manatee Masters in 1990
- Pacific Masters Committee Member 1990 to 2008
- Served Pacific Masters Swimming as Fitness Chair 1995 to 2000, and as Coaches Chair 2000 to 2008.
- Past President of Masters Aquatic Coaches Association
- 1997 Pacific Masters Swimming Coach of the Year
- Camp Director and Senior Coach with Total Immersion Swimming 1995 to 2004
WORKSHOP: Postural Swimming. Anatomical and Structural Ideas to Make Swimming More Efficient. Learn how to reach your swimmers (and potential swimmers!) by focusing on these key elements that will help you and your swimmers get results. Brian will also serve as mentor coach throughout the clinic.
Coach Hermine Terhorst
Hermine Terhorst
Hermine’s philosophy is to swim beautiful to swim fast and to have fun doing it. She has been coaching U.S. Masters swimming for 15 years and was named the Pacific Masters Coach of the Year 2007. Her team, the Santa Rosa Masters, is over 100 strong and our regular competitors on the masters circuit.
WORKSHOP: Free. Easy. Organic. Blood Doping…Did I mention legal? A Pilates workshop that addresses the question of, “What do they really mean by core?” and how best to apply it in the pool.
Coach Scott Williams
Coach Scott Williams is currently coaching the Lucas Valley Aquatic Masters (San Rafael, CA). As a collegiate swimmer, he was a two-time All American with University of Georgia. Not only is he a coach, he is also a competitive masters swimmer that enjoys triathlons and has been competing in them since 1979. He served as the USMS World Team Coach in 2000, 2002 and 2004. In 2003 and 2004 he was an Olympic Training Center coach, and in 2003 and 2004 the USMS Coach of the Year.
WORKSHOP: Open Water Session. Coach Scott Williams will be working with Coach Joel Wilson to deliver our Open Water session of the clinic Sunday morning, and Scott will also serve as mentor coach throughout the weekend.
Coach Joel Wilson
Coach Joel Wilson was just recently profiled in the 2011 March-April SWIMMER magazine, the official magazine of US Masters Swimming. Joel coaches the Santa Cruz Masters team (he was a founding member and their coach since 1988) and both UC Santa Cruz swim teams. He loves sharing his open water passion with anyone who is interested, and can help prepare those for the challenges and joys that open water holds. Coach Joel was a 2010 recipient of the USMS Dorothy Donnelly Service Award and the Pacific Masters Coach of the Year for 2002.
WORKSHOP: Open Water Session. Coach Joel Wilson will be working with Coach Scott Williams to deliver our Open Water session of the clinic Sunday morning, and Joel will also serve as mentor coach throughout the weekend.
Peter Finney
Peter has been a Manatee Aquatic Master’s swimmer since 1999 and a coach since 2000. Since earning his Bachelors in Physical Education from Willamette University in 1991, he has been working in health and fitness field. Peter’s fitness philosophy is to empower his clients with the knowledge and the skill sets to continue with exercise for their entire life. In 2008, Peter added TRX training to 20 years of functional training.
Workshop: Functional Dry land Training – Keep your chronologically mature athletes healthy through strength training.
Rolandas coaches the El Cerrito Masters swim team in El Cerrito, CA as well as the Oakland Undercurrent, an age group swim team based in Oakland, CA. As a competitive swimmer, Rolandas participated at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic games, representing his native country, Lithuania. In 2005, he won an NCAA title swimming for UC Berkeley. After 25 years of swimming, Rolandas joined AquaVolo, a company that develops innovative swim training products.
WORKSHOP: DragSox. Coach Gimbutis will be leading an in-water session on a swim training tool called DragSox, made by AquaVolo. You can see a review of this product by Coach Cokie Lepinski on her team’s website.
