ISCA, Pinnacle Racing Start GAP Year Program Led by Sergio Lopez Miro, Doug Fonder

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Photo Courtesy: Singapore Swimming Federation

The International Swim Coaches Association and Pinnacle Racing Thursday announced the GAP Year Program, offering new training opportunities to swimmers chasing the 2021 Olympics.

In addition to a post-graduate group, Pinnacle will add “a collegiate program for athletes who are either taking a gape year, or need a place to train due to COVID-19.”

The training group will be led by Sergio Lopez Miro and Doug Fonder. Assistant coaches include Venezuelan Olympian Albert Subirats and Payton Brooks, both assistants of Lopez Miro’s at Virginia Tech. The group, which has approximately 20 spots for college swimmers, offers long-course and short-course training plus dry land and weight training. The group aims to select swimmers by Sept. 15. It’s designed for swimmers facing challenges like irregular training schedules as college programs are postponed or cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before taking over at Virginia Tech, Lopez Miro’s many coaching stops included being the associate head coach at Auburn and the high performance director of Singapore. Since his days at the Bolles School, he’s led elite training groups that have nurtured numerous Olympians and NCAA champions, including Ryan Murphy and Joseph Schooling. He led robust post-grad groups of international elite swimmers at both Auburn and Virginia Tech.

Fonder, a long-time fixture in Virginia swimming, has been the head coach and CEO of Virginia Gators since 1988. He founded the ISCA in 2011 and has coached for more than 50 years.

Those interested in the GAP Year Program can reach out to ISCA or to Fonder at dougfonder@gmail.com.

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