Warren Lager
Head Coach
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Head Senior Team Coach and Owner Marin Pirates Swim Team
The Senior Team is coached by Warren Lager, who begins his 31st season at the helm of the Marin Pirates Swim Team. Warren has coached numerous swimmers to the Olympic Trials, Nationals and All American rankings plus over one hundred swimmers to collegiate teams. In addition to his duties as a coach of the Pirates, Warren is a physical education instructor at the College of Marin where he has coached the Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Team for the past 26 years. He is a member of the Pacific Swimming Board of Directors and former Chairman of Pacific Swimming Zone 3. He is the past President of the California Community College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association and has served as the Coaches’ Representative to the Bay Valley Conference for the past 20 years. Warren’ s swimming career included qualifying for the National Championships while on the Marin Aquatic Club and two years of Varsity Swimming at UCLA.
Warren and his wife Amy have lived in Novato for 20 years. They have two children, Jordan age 19 and Rachel, age 16. Jordan is on the U.C. Davis Swim Team. Both children are members of the Marin Pirates Swim Team.
Phone: 415 898-0249
Fax: 415 898-9619
Tom Evers
Age Group Head Coach
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Tom has been coaching for over 18
years and is an ASCA level 3 Coach. Tom began his coaching
career with the Walnut Creek Aqua Bears and Concord
Terrapins as an assistant coach in the early
90’s. He was the San Marin High School
Coach for four seasons and spent 11 years as a Marin Swim League
Head Coach and was voted "Coach of the Year" in 2002
before leaving the Marin Swim League at the end of that
season.
Tom began his affiliation with the
Marin Pirates in 1998 and has been the primary coach for the
14-under swimmers ever since and has produced numerous Far Western
amd Western Zone finalist, champinons and over
15 NRT (National Reportable Time) swimmers.
Tom and his wife Liz have lived
in
Novato
since 1995 with their two
children, Justus, age 15 and
Georgia
, age 13. Toms personal swimming career
highlights included winning 5 individual state High School
championships, an induction into the Iowa Sports Hall of
Fame. Competing at Nationals on four occasions and a
collegiate swimming career at the University of Iowa. Liz and
Tom started the SwimAmerica Swim School in 2003 to bring the only
nationally recognized swim lesson program to College of Marin’s Indian Valley
Campus and now has expanded the program with two addtional pools in
Petaluma. Tom has been the Aquatics
Program Director for the IVC pool since 2001.
"Swimming is and
always has been an integral part of my life. The life lessons I have learned
from those who have coached me to those I have coached and now
coach have helped form the values and discipline by which I try to
live life today."
Phone:
415-892-2269
Jim M Larson
Assistant Coach IVC Age-Group
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Raised in Novato, Jim
started coaching in the Marin Swim League twelve years ago with the
TidalWaves. A year later, in 1998 Jim took an assistant
coaching job with the Rolling Hills Stingrays and has not looked
back. In the winter of 1997 he also started coaching USA
Swimming with the Marin Pirates Age Group program under Tom Evers.
From 1997 until 2003 Jim coached the Pirates in fall and
winter, but in 2004 Jim left the MSL and began coach with the
Pirates year round. A former San Marin High School student,
swimmer, and water polo player, Jim was the head coach of San Marin
High School’s water polo teams from 2001 - 2004. Jim
has also recently finished his ninth season as the head coach of
San Marin’s Swim Team.
Jim attended College of
Marin, swimming and playing water polo for the Mariners (under
Coach Warren Lager) before he moved on to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
In 2001 he graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in
Philosophy. Jim then attended Dominican University in 2004/05
and earned a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. He is
currently in his second semester at SF State, earning an
Administrative Teaching Credential and Master’s Degree in
Educational Administration. Jim has been working at San Jose
Middle School, in Novato, for the last four years teaching
English and History.
Jim has been married
for five years to his wonderful wife Jennifer. Jennifer
shares coaching duties with him at San Marin and she has recently
started a new job in yearbook design and sales. They have a
two-year-old son, William and baby Andrew.
"Coaching dedicated
swimmers with all the outstanding coaches of the Pirates has truly
been a blessing in my life. I feel fortunate to be included
in one of the most well regarded swim programs in Northern
California and the country."
Liz Evers
Assistant Coach IVC Age Group
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Liz feels very fortunate to be able to
do one of the things she loves most, coaching swimming! As most of you know, this is her
sixth year with the Marin Pirates Age Group Swimmers. She was taught to swim at the age
of 4 and encourages every child to learn to swim and to pursue
swimming. Since being
married to Coach Tom, swimming has become their livelihood. Her two children, Justus
and Georgia, have been swimming since they were babies and have
been on swim teams since they could walk. Liz truly believes that swimming
is the most rewarding individual and team sport available. Not only are children
constantly learning and improving their own abilities, they are
developing self-discipline and motivation. Reaching goals when they are
older will be more attainable for these children.
Liz’s favorite moments as a Marin
Pirate coach comes from seeing the look on the
swimmer’s faces when they know they have mastered something
new or have done something well, like a best time. A big smile under the swim cap
and goggles is so gratifying.
Jill Ruppenstein
Assistant Coach Seniors and Age Group
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Jill comes to the Pirates with over 16
years of competitive experience. As a USS swimmer, she was a
Junior National qualifier in the 100 yard back. While
attending the
College
of
Marin
, she was a
California
State
Junior College
swimming champion in the 100
yard backstroke. At the
University
of
California
,
Santa
Cruz
, she qualified for the NCAA
DIII Swimming Championships ten times. At the end of her
college career, she was a four time All-American.
In 2005, Jill graduated with a BA in psychology from UCSC.
She recently earned her MA in Sport Management from
the
University
of
San
Francisco
. Prior to coming to
the Pirates, she was the assistant master’s coach and the
head age-group coach at The Olympic Club in
San
Francisco
.
Jill will
be coaching the Kentfield age-group program
beginning Sept 2010.
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Cokie S Lepinski
Head Coach Masters Team
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Cokie is a
member of the United States Masters Swim program and has been
consistently ranked top ten in the US and world in her age group
for breaststroke and IM events since beginning her masters career
in 1991. She participates in masters competitions in all four
strokes in the US and throughout the world as well as open water
swims. Cokie lives in Novato with her husband,
Tim.
Also a member
of the American Swimming Coaches Association, Cokie is certified as
a masters coach and she is also certified as a coach with USA
Swimming. She has organized and coached several swim clinics
specializing in development of stroke technique. With a background
in teaching and training, she brings to her coaching an approach
that reaches a wide variety of learning styles. Cokie is energetic,
positive, encouraging and passionate about swimming. Swimmers leave
practices excited, enthused, improved and hungry for more. You can
contact Cokie by email at:
swimnut@mac.comor by phone
at 415-827-5672.
Sarah Paoli
Assistant Age-Group Coach
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Sarah comes to the
Pirates with 19 years experience in the aquatics field,
with increasing responsibilities and challenges as a swim coach and
instructor. Sarah began her coaching career 11 years ago with
the Marin Swim League as an assistant coach with the Rolling
Hills Stingrays and then with Novato Riptide. She
has spent 17 years supervising aquatic programs and
teaching swim lessons to children of all ages. Sarah spends her day
working in a kindergarten classroom, but her passion is coaching
swimming. Sarah has a daughter Kellie, who has grown up around the
pool. Kellie has been swimming competitively since she was 4
and truly enjoys being in the pool!
"Swimming is a
magnificent sport for athletes of all abilities and
interests"
Maura Buck
Assistant Age-Group Coach
Email
I’m so excited to
be a part of your team and to be able to grow and learn from you as
your new coach!
Growing up in Petaluma, I started swimming competitively for the
Petaluma Riptides at seven years old and I’ve been hooked
ever since! Swimming competitively through high school on varsity
and competing at NCS all four years, was probably the highlight of
my swimming Career. The memories and friendships made in the pool
were well worth the hours of grueling practices! After coaching for
a short time for the Petaluma Aquaducks, I began working with Tom
and Liz Evers as a site supervisor for Swim America and pool
manager at the Petaluma swim center. Currently I teach Aqua therapy
four days a week, swim for a masters team at my local gym, as well as attendschool full
time at the SRJC.
I believe swimming is the greatest sport in the world; it
challenges you every day, and teaches you how to set goals, work
hard, and accomplish your goals! Don’t be fooled by the
smile, practices are going to be tough, and the rewards are going
to be even greater! See you in the pool!
