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Kona
Dolphin Swim Club Coaching Staff
From Left to Right:
Assistant Coach Mike, Assistant Coach George, Head Coach Harry,
Assistant Coach Kristi, Assistant Coach Joyce, and Founder, Owner,
and Assistant Coach Kathy
We are here to support your needs. If your questions are
related to workouts, meets, events,
goal setting,
and other swimming related needs, please contact one of the
coaches. For all questions related to administrative, such as dues,
safety, or policy issues, please contact one of the board members.
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 Harry N. CanalesHead CoachEmail
Harry Canales is the Head Coach for
the Kona Dolphins since 2000. Harry brings over 30 years of
experience both as a swimmer as well as a coach. Over the year he
has had opportunities to train, study, adn work with Olympic and
National Coaches from various countries including Canada, Japan,
Italy, and USA.
Born in
Puerto
Rico
, Coach Harry began competitive
swimming at the age of 5. Having two older brothers who were
already involved with the sport made it an easy choice for Harry to
take to the water. The island lifestyle also encouraged a
natural love for the ocean and its environment. His age group
swimming days were under the guidance of Puerto Rican National
Coaches Tom Forte and Carlos Sala, as well as under the direct
influence of his brothers. Brothers Paco and Fernando
competed in the 76 Olympics for the Puerto Rican National Team and
Brother Fernando continued by making the Olympic team for 1980 and
1984.
Following his brothers footsteps, Harry continued swimming both in
High School and College. His love for the sport led him to
begin teaching swimming and coaching as a young adolescent.
He graduated from the
University
of
Michigan
in 1986, where he also trained and
worked as Assistant Coach with former
University
of
Michigan
Men
’s Swimming Head Coach and now
USA Swimming Master Cosultant, Jon Urbanchek as well as Head Diving
Coach legend Dick Kimball. Mr. Urbanchek was Head Coach for
the UM Wolverines for 22 years. Both Mr. Urbanchek and Mr. Kimball
have been Olympic and National Coaches for the
USA
on several occasions. Serving as
Assistant Coach, mentoring with Mr. Urbanchek and Mr. Kimball, was
an incredible learning experience, as well as a great opportunity
to work with National and World class caliber swimmers and
coaches.
Coach Harry has been fortunate enough to travel to many countries
and share with swimmers abroad. His ability to speak 6
languages (Spanish, English, Italian, French, Portuguese and
Japanese) has contributed tremendously in his ability to learn
from, as well as teach others. Harry has lived abroad
in
Italy
and
Japan
, and traveled extensively
worldwide. He taught conversational Spanish and English at
Berlitz Language Schools in
Tokyo
,
Japan
from 1987 to 1990. He also served
as Head Swimming Instructor at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in
San
Juan
,
Puerto
Rico
from 1984-88.
Harry has lived on the
Big
Island
since 1991 and has been working both
for the tourist industry, as well as continuing to teach
swimming. He holds certifications in Life guarding, CPR,
First Aid, as well as being a certified USA Swimming Coach.
The Kona Dolphin Swim Club is very fortunate to have Coach Harry as
their Head Coach. He brings to the Kona Dolphins a great love
of swimming, personal determination and dedication to commitments
and goals. He strives for excellence in himself and his
swimmers, while having fun and enjoying the sport of
swimming. , Puerto Rico and the
 Kathy J. ClarkeAssitant Head CoachEmail
Coach Kathy Clarke is the owner and founder of the Kona Dolphin
Swim cClub, since 1999. She has coached age group and high school
swimming in Hawaii
since 1998. She brings
her love of swimming and enjoyment with working with the young
swimmers to the Kona Dolphin program.
Kathy was born and raised in
Venice
,
California
and began her
competitive swimming career at the age of 5. She swam for the
Santa Monica Swim Club and participated in the Junior Olympics from
1968-70. She attended
West
L.A.
College
in
Los
Angeles
, but soon made
Kailua-Kona her home. Her husband Tom and her two wonderful
daughters, Joyce and Bridget, enjoy sharing her love of the water
and are all active members with USA Swimming.
Coach Kathy enjoys expanding her swimming horizons by participating
in windsurfing and long distance ocean swimming, such as the Maui
Channel Swim. Coach Kathy and her 14 year old daughter Joyce also
teamed up to compete in the 2000 Ali’i Challenge, a 6 mile
open water swim and kayak race along the Kailua-Kona coast. Her
personal goal is to swim the Catalina Channel in
California
, a 20.14 mile cold
water swim.
Kathy is an active member of the American Swimming Coaches
Association, USA Swimming and Hawaii Swimming. She holds many
certifications, including Lifeguard Training, First Aid,
Professional Rescuer CPR, Water Safety Instruction, Infant and
Preschool Aquatic Program, Safety Training for Coaches and
Community Water Safety Instruction. She continues to educate
herself by being an active member of the Aquatic Exercise
Association, American Swim Coaches Association (A.S.C.A.), HydroFit
Aquatic Fitness, and by attending seminars and clinics. In
2000 she attended the A.S.C.A. World Clinic held in
Lake
Placid
,
New
York
. It was an
incredible learning opportunity as well as a chance to exchange
with coaches from all over the world.
Kathy’s efforts have not been limited to the swimming pool.
In 1993 she received the Aloha Recognition Award from St.
Michael’s Church for her volunteer work educating children in
the parishes of Kailua-Kona and
Holualoa
,
Hawaii
. Her volunteer
efforts continued in 2000 when she led the St. Michael’s
youth group to the World Youth Day in
Rome
,
Italy
. This experience
inspired her to pursue an international competition geared toward
youth participation and cultural exchange. Her efforts culminated
in July of 2001 when 18 of her Dolphin team members competed in the
Stockholm Summer Games in
Stockholm
,
Sweden
. This
international event featured 12 countries, 14 different sports and
close to 5000 kids form all over the world.
Coach Kathy’s current endeavors include Water Aerobics
Fitness Instructor, Swim Instructor and Assistant Coach for the
Kona Dolphins. She also teaches private swimming and water fitness
classes. The Kona Dolphin Swim Club is blessed to have Kathy as
their assistant coach. Her cheerful, welcoming attitude and genuine
love for the children and the sport of swimming allows the Kona
Dolphin team to shine.
 George MesmanAsst. Coach Email
Coach George has a colorful
background. He was born in Indonesia when it was still a Dutch
colony, and spent his early years on the island of Celebes (now
called Sulawesi). After Indonesia became independent, he went to
Holland by himself as a 9-year old boy to continue his education.
The trip to the Netherlands took 5 days, including a 3-day stay in
Dhahran in Saudi Arabian desert, because of the plane’s
engine failure!
He speaks Dutch, English, French and German and understands
Indonesian. He has a teacher’s degree from the Pedagogic
Academy in The Hague and an M.A. degree in Art History and
Archeology from the University of Amsterdam. He received a PH.D
degree in Art History from the City University of New York. Coach
George has a dual U.S. and Dutch Citizenship.
Coach George has traveled extensively throughout Europe and the
world. Three memorable journeys stand out. As a teenager, he
traveled across Russia on the Trans-Siberian-Express for 3 days to
Nakhodka and then went by ship to Yokohama in Japan. As a college
student, he went back to Japan and on to Hong Kona, Singapore, and
Indonesia, including Bali and his old home in Celebes. A few years
later he visited Tahiti, Fiji and Australia, including the Barrier
Reef.
Coach George doesn’t have a swimming background. He played
"korfball" in Holland, a popular European team sport with aspects
of basketball. He played in the highest division from age 22 until
he moved to New York City at age 35. He was a member of the
national all-star team that traveled to the United States twice in
the 1970s. The Team also traveled to many other European countries.
He coached a korfbal team of under-priveled inner city pre-teens
from last place to a championship in one season.
Coach George became incvolved in swimming, when his daughter,
Emilie, became a member of ASC at age 7. She has been swimming for
the Kona Dolphin Swim Club since December 2003. He became a USA
Swimming Coach in 2003 after completing the safety certifications
in CPR, First Aid, and Safety Training for Swim Coaches. He feels
very fortunate to be able to assist Coach Harry and Coach
Kathy.
 Mike OsborneAssistant CoachEmail  Joyce U. ClarkeAssistant CoachEmail
Assistant Coach Joyce has been swimming for the Kona Dolphins
since it was founded and has been teaching and coaching swimming
since she was fourteen. She thanks her mother, Coach Kathy Clarke,
for starting such a wonderful club and has been happy to see it
grow through the years. "Kona Dolphins is more than a team,
it’s a family. I always swam with the boys when the club
first started and no matter how much we fought over who should go
first on a set or who was faster, we always had each other’s
backs. If anything ever happened or someone needed help the whole
team was there to pick them up. The swimmers, coaches, parents, and
support of all the family and friends on the team helped make me
who I am today."
Coach Joyce graduated as Validictorian from Hualalai Academy
Highschool in 2008 and has been attending Manhattanville College in
New York to study Peace and Performance, her own self designed
major. She recently worked with the Big Apple Playback Theater at
Manhattanville College and the Living Theater in "Sir, No Sir!".
She is back in Hawai’i until August of 2009 when she will
transfer to the University of San Fransisco to finish her degree.
Joyce has been to swim clinics with and coached by Skip Kenny of
Stanford University and Mark Schubert of the University of Southern
California. She has also been to a water polo clinic at the
University of California Los Angeles where she was coached by Adam
Krikorian , Matt Flesher, and Nicolle Payne. As well as
recently attending the USA Swimming Hawai’i Coaches Clinic.
She also works as a caregiver for Full Life Hawai’i and
teaches private swimming lessons. Look for her on deck on
Wednesdays and a few Racer practices a week.
 Kristin CottonAssistant CoachEmail
Assistand Coach Kristi grew up in San Diego, where she attended
San Diego State University and played water polo. She became a
California State Lifeguard and was a swim and junior lifeguard
instructor before she moved to Hawai’i in 1994. She is the
mother of Kira and Kaden, who swim for the Kona Dolphin Swim Swim
Club.
She currently coaches County Youth Water Polo and competes in Big
Island Off Road Triathlons and ocean swimming events. She is
certified in life guard training, CPR, and first aid. the Kona
Dolphin Swim Club is hvery happy to have Kristi as an assistant
coach.
Kathy J. ClarkeOwnerEmail Sandy PresseyBillingEmail
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