Coronado Swim Team Elite Becomes San Diego Swim Club Behind David Marsh, Sam Hoekstra
Coronado Swim Team Elite has begun a new era, the program rebranded as the San Diego Swim Club. The club, originally founded in 1963, has adopted a regional identity to reflect the needs of the community with more than 150 swimmers in the area.
It will still be based in Coronado, at the Coronado Community Center Aquatics Center, but has also shifted to UC San Diego’s Canyonview Aquatic Center – a more central location in the county. Both venues have 50-meter pools. The merger continues the club’s transformation over the decades. Coronado joined the Team Elite Stingrays to form Coronado Swim Team Elite, which David Marsh started in 2007.
Marsh will continue serving as Owner and Strategic Director, providing leadership for Team Elite athletes, international programs and the club’s high-performance pathway, including athletes currently training toward LA28. Sam Hoekstra, a former Louisville swimmer from Grandville, Michigan, will continue as owner and head coach, leading the club’s senior, age-group, novice, open water and athlete development programs.
“It is strictly a rebrand. The whole first year I tried to soak up as much as I could about the area and the culture – the ins and outs of San Diego swimming,” Hoekstra said. “Early on, I saw the writing on the wall. The structure of the Coronado Elite was a merger and the structure changed so much. It was an access thing.”
Kids from around the area traveled back and forth to Coronado.
“They are really not that close to each other. Coronado Island takes longer to get to,” he said.
So UC San Diego joined the fold with its coach.
“It is the best facility in the county and if we want to grow, it is centralized and so much easier to get to,” Hoekstra said. “We are not shutting down Coronado, but finding what is best for everyone. We went from 30 higher-level swimmers to more than 80 in a matter of months.”
It was a matter of getting the word out. With the Coronado name, most people still assumed that is where the club was based. That was the biggest reason for the name change.
“So many people didn’t realize we’re in La Jolla,” Hoesktra said. “They just assumed with Coronado as the name that it was where we were. We needed to rebrand. We were not a Coronado team anymore, we were a San Diego team. It has been going really well.”
Marko Djordjevic has joined the staff leadership team as managing director. Djordjevic, who also serves as head coach of the UC San Diego men’s and women’s swimming programs, will help lead team operations, organizational development and high-performance initiatives.
“The transition was very smooth,” Marsh said. “I was surprised the San Diego label was available — our hub is quickly becoming UCSD’s amazing facility (and great location) especially with Marko stepping in as managing director of the club and his staff is working in various capacities to make sure the relationship is a win-win relationship.”
“I must admit, I’m a little sad to shift the lead name away from Coronado but for many it was confusing as people thought that’s where we primarily train. But the incredible history (is being honored) by listing ‘founded in Coronado 1963’ on our logo. (Olympic champions) Mike Troy and backstroke sensation Mike Stamm did some amazing things with the community and high performance.”
Rather than centering the organization around a single coach, San Diego Swim Club is intentionally building a collaborative coaching model that brings together some of San Diego’s most experienced and accomplished swimming professionals, the release stated.
The coaching team includes USA National Team swimmer Rachel Klinker, along with experienced collegiate and club coaches and specialists in age-group development, high-performance training, dryland and advanced technical skills.
“Team Elite will evolve as we approach the LA Olympics. I’ll be out coaching in San Diego more and more as the Games approach. Marko has some pros so UCSD will be a hub for high performance,” Marsh said.” My goal is to have a collaborative atmosphere where … all boats rise in Southern California.”
Learn more about the club at http://SanDiego-SwimClub.com.