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Philosophy

Our club is a USS year round competitive swim team offering high quality professional coaching and technique instruction for all ages and abilities. The goal of the Pleasanton Seahawks is to provide every member an opportunity to improve swimming skills and achieve success at his or her level of ability, from novice to international competitor.

The coaching staff defines success as improvement in four areas; attitude, effort, skill mastery and time improvement. We believe that there are no good or bad swimmers, but rather many children who are at different levels of development. We hope to provide a successful developmental experience for all who enter our program.

The workout groups are structured to be low key and developmental in the younger groups and more competitive in the older groups. We want our swimmers at the peak of their careers in high school and college, where national trips and scholarships can be earned. The program is designed to allow more free time for other activities early in their careers. Swimmers and their families in the older groups are asked for more dedication to the sport, as this is necessary to compete at a national level.

Each new swimmer will be placed in the workout group (Pre-Novice, Novice, Intermediate, Pre-Junior, Junior or Senior) best suited for him or her, so that each swimmer can enjoy some degree of success in a relatively short time. Since swimming is an individual sport, each child will perform differently, but you can be sure that your child will get out of it as much as he or she puts into it.


All of our coaches, as members of the American Swim Coaches Association, have access to the most comprehensive training and certification program for youth coaches of any sport in the United States. They provide assurances that the time children spend in swimming will be quality time.

The coaching staff stresses a positive, drug and alcohol free atmosphere. We teach the swimmers to have the self reliance and self respect to say NO to their peers when asked to participate in something unhealthy. We help them develop a positive self image through a program of controlled progress within a framework of discipline, fairness and good sportsmanship. We are proud to make our young people better citizens as well as better swimmers.

Although at first glance, swimming may seem to be an expensive activity, it is really quite reasonable compared to the amount of time available to each swimmer for instruction, exercise and competition. The Pleasanton Seahawks provides a high quality, positive, developmental and instructional program for less than the cost of baby-sitting!

The Pleasanton Seahawks Swim Club, a non profit club, is run by its elected Board of Directors which meets each month. All members are welcome at each meeting and encouraged to be involved in team activities and fundraisers.

We are constantly growing and training young swimmers to maintain a well rounded competitive swim team. Thank you for joining us. We are looking forward to meeting you. Please feel free to ask another member or a coach any question you may have.

 
The Pleasanton Program and You

People are sometimes reluctant to join USS programs because of a belief that such programs are only for the elite athletes and require many hours of grueling workouts. For young children, nothing could be further from the truth. We consider child development, positive experiences and personal growth to be our primary mission with young people. At the entry level, that may involve as little as one or two hours of weekly instruction and exercise.

We encourage our younger swimmers to participate in such other sports and activities as they find rewarding, and as they mature, to find for themselves the level of involvement that best meets their needs. As our more advanced swimmers increase their commitment to swimming, we insist that they maintain good academic standing.

As each child is different and individual, they each progress at their own rate. We recognize this fact by promoting our swimmers based on their level of development rather than age.


BENEFITS OF SWIMMING

America’s Children Fat or Fit?

Health authorities fear that a diet of too much TV and junk food and too little activity is turning America’s children into a generation of couch potatoes. Sedentary lifestyles during the growth years when children need to be active leave youngsters weak, uncoordinated and poorly conditioned. The 10 leading causes of premature death in this country all have at least a partial link to lifestyle and that link can be seen in today’s child. Forty percent of all 8th graders in the U.S. already display at least one risk factor for heart disease.

But with parents busier than ever, it can be difficult to ensure that a child gets all the exercise he or she needs. One of the best means of helping children get fit today is in an organized youth sports program. Some 30 million children are playing youth sports today. Surveys have shown that 60% of all young athletes retain better health habits into their adult years.

What To Look For In Youth Sports

When choosing a sport for their child, smart parents sift through the wealth of available choices to find those that provide the greatest benefits. How can you evaluate what your child’s needs are as they’re growing? Here are some hints:

1. The most important of all is aerobic fitness for increased work capacity and a slower heart rate.
2. Children also need to safely build strength for the ability to easily meet all of life’s physical challenges.
3. Flexibility for easy movement of all the major joints and limbs. Children are born with natural suppleness but begin to lose it in adolescence.
4. Sports should teach coordination, the basis for skillful, graceful movement.
5. Through sports, children should begin to develop an appreciation for a healthy lifestyle.
6. The most important key to a child’s having good experiences in youth sports is the qualifications and experience of the coach

Why Is Swimming A Winner?

With all the sports and activities that children have to choose from today, why select swimming?

First of all, the USS age group swimming program is America’s largest program of guided fitness activity for children. Age group swimming builds a strong foundation for a lifetime of good health by teaching healthy fitness habits.

Secondly, many pediatricians recommend swimming as the VERY BEST developmental activity for children. Why do doctors like it so much?

• Swimming develops high quality aerobic endurance; the most important key to physical fitness. In other sports, an hour of practice may yield as little as 10 minutes of meaningful exercise. Age group swimming teams use every precious minute of practice time developing fitness and teaching skills.
•  Swimming does a better job in proportional muscular development by using all the body’s major muscle groups. No other sport does this as well.
• Swimming enhances children’s natural flexibility (at a time when they ordinarily begin to lose it) by exercising all their major joints through a full range of motion.
• Swimming helps develop superior coordination because it requires combinations of complex movements of all parts of the body, enhancing harmonious muscle function, grace and fluidity of movement.
• Swimming is the most injury free of all children’s sports.
• Swimming is a sport that will bring children fitness and enjoyment for life. Participants in Master’s Swimming programs are still training and racing well into their 80’s.

       

Learning To Learn Through Swimming

In addition to physical development, children can develop greater intellectual competence by participating in a guided program of physical activity. Learning and using swimming skills engages the thinking process. As they learn new techniques, children must develop and plan movement sequences. They improve by exploring new ideas. They learn that greater progress results from using their creative talents. Self expression can be just as much physical as intellectual. Finally, their accomplishments in learning and using new skills contribute to a stronger self image.

Age group swimmers also learn:

• to link quality of effort with quality of results
• to work cooperatively and unselfishly with others
• the value if Persistence - "If at first you don’t succeed..."
• how to set goals and enjoy their achievement
• how to make intelligent choices and decisions.

       

Coaching Excellence The Difference Between Stress and Success

As stated earlier, nothing has a greater influence on the quality of children’s sports than the excellence of the coach. Unfortunately, well qualified and knowledgeable youth coaches are hard to find. But not in age group swimming. All of our coaches, as members of the American Swim Coaches Association, have access to the most comprehensive training and certification program for youth coaches of any sport in the United States. Certified coaches in U.S. Swimming programs possess training and experience in the physiology and psychology of adolescent development. Pleasanton coaches also hold Red Cross certification in First Aid, CPR and Safety Training for Coaches. They provide assurances that the time children spend in swimming will be quality time.

 History of the Seahawks

2008

Our membership grew once again to an average of about 185 members, plus seven more in our College Away program.  Our College swimmers are attending Universities all over the nation and many of them continue to receive scholarship assistance of some type.  We had two swimmers at the NCAA (College) Championships, with Hailey DeGolia setting two new American Records with the University of Arizona’s 200 and 400 Medley relays.  We qualified 4 new swimmers for the Olympic Trials this year; Tory Houston (Canadian Trials), Catherine Breed, Karen Wang and Brandon Fisher joined previously qualified Hailey DeGolia (Arizona), Jen Narum (Virginia) and Eric Dunipace (Cal).  We had thirteen swimmers earn a total of 19 High School All American rankings this year and 29 swimmers earned 235 Pacific Swimming Rankings including forty 1st place rankings, plus over 500 updates to the Seahawks All Time Top Ten.  The Seahawks were very well represented in the new National Rankings as well.  This year, USA Swimming changed to single age rankings, from 11 through 17 years only.  We had seven swimmers earn 78 rankings including a phenomenal twenty three 1st place national rankings!

The Seahawks repeated as Sectional Team Champions at Mission Viejo in March, plus we placed a number of swimmers on three different Pacific All Star Teams.  We were represented at the Pacific Coast All Star Meet (Canada) in January, the Western Zone Meet (Oregon) in August and the North American Challenge Cup (Canada) in August.  We also had four members break Pacific Swimming Records this year, with Nick Silverthorn and Bryan Hughes starting the attack (11-12 Boys) in December.  Later that month Brandon Fischer (17-18 Boys) joined the fun, and then Catherine Breed jumped on board in two different age groups (13-14 and 15-16) in March and May.  Nick and Catherine both continued to break records through the end of the summer.  Catherine also qualified for the 2008-09 USA Swimming National Junior Team based on her long course performances in the 200/400 free over the summer.

Coach Heather Morsilli completed her first full year as Senior Assistant Coach and we added Coach Kelsey Gilliam in the Pre-Novice Group, replacing Coach Jen Silva who left us to pursue a Nursing Degree in Arizona.  In September 2007, Coach Steve Morsilli addressed a group of Swedish Coaches on the development of the Seahawks and common practices in Pacific Swimming.  Coach Jon Pallesen was on the All Star Coaching staff for both the Pacific Coast meet in January and the North American Challenge Cup in August.  Coach Todd Tucker was nominated for  (and WON the honor of) Pacific Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year, plus Coach Steve Morsilli was once again nominated for the George Haines Pacific Swimming Senior Coach of the Year.

For the seventh straight year, the Seahawks were recognized by the USA Swimming Club Excellence program as a Silver Medal Club.  This once again places us in the top 75 clubs out of over 2800 registered clubs in the United States.  We continue to be the only team in the Tri Valley area to be recognized by this program, plus the only team to be represented at the National Championships and Olympic Trials.

2007

During the 2007 season, our membership grew a bit, as we averaged about 175 swimmers plus nine more in the College Away program.  Our College swimmers are attending Universities all over the United States, and many of them are receiving scholarship assistance of some type.  We again had many swimmers earn High School All American rankings and Scholastic All American rankings, plus we will be very well represented in the National Top 16 and Pacific Swimming Top Ten rankings.  Noteworthy items include Nick Silverthorn’s first place National Ranking in the 10-Under Boys 200 yard free, plus Jen Narum (Senior Women) and Andrew Seitz (11-12 Boys) earned Outstanding Swimmer Awards from Pacific Swimming.  We had three swimmers break into the Top World Rankings this year, including Hailey DeGolia who set a new American Record in the University of Arizona’s 200 Medley Relay at the NCAA Championships in March.  We now have three swimmers qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials, plus we took seven swimmers to Spring Nationals and eight to Summer Nationals.

The Seahawks came out on top at the Spring Sectional meet Long Beach, winning the Team Championship with just eleven swimmers.  The Foothill High girl’s team (led by Coach Sherrie Gilliam) won at the North Coast High School Championship in May, and July brought a win at the California State Senior Championships in Clovis.

We added Coach Sherrie Gilliam to the Novice Group, replacing Coach Devon farmer.  Coach Steve Morsilli was nominated for Pacific Swimming Senior Coach of the Year, at the same time Coach Joe Loftus was nominated for the Pacific Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year.  Coach Todd Tucker was named as the North Coast Section Honor Coach. Coach Jon Pallesen was selected as the Head Coach for the Pacific Swimming All Star Team which swam in Canada, plus he was selected to the Western Zone All Star staff.  Coach Steve Morsilli was on the staff for the USA Swimming World Championship Team which swam incredibly well in Melbourne, Australia.  Coach Sherrie Gilliam was named High School Coach of the Year by the Contra Costa Times, based on the Foothill High Girls win at NCS.

For the sixth straight year, the Seahawks were recognized by the USA Swimming Club Excellence program as a Silver Medal Club.  This places us in the top 75 clubs out of over 2800 registered clubs in the nation.  We continue to be the only team in the Tri-Valley area to be recognized by this program every year since its inception.

2006

Our membership was consistent at about 170 swimmers, plus we had 8 swimmers in our College Away program. These swimmers are attending universities all over the United States and most of them are receiving scholarship assistance of some type. We set 59 Team Records this year and had over 394 updates to our All Time Top Ten list. We had multiple swimmers earn High School All American rankings and Scholastic All American honors and we once again had many swimmers listed in the Top 16 National and Top Ten Pacific Swimming Rankings. Seahawks swimmers maintained a presence in the World Rankings with two swimmers earning rankings and one swimmer finishing 36th in the World Rankings. We also had two swimmers earn qualifying times for the 2008 Olympic Trials, one was a first time cut and one was a cut in a new event. We had Seahawk swimmers at the Spring Championships in Federal Way, Washington and at Summer Nationals in Irvine, California. Two swimmers from Coach Joe Loftus’ group earned Pacific Swimming and National Records in a 10-UN All Star age group relay.

We added Devon Farmer to coach the Novice Group and Katie Swensen took over the Pre-Novice group duties and for more entry level swimmers. Coach Steve Morsilli was appointed to the staff of the 2007 World Championship Team scheduled to compete in Melbourne in March 2007. Coach Jon Pallesen served on the staff for the Zone 2 All Star team.

For the fifth year running, the Seahawks were recognized by the USA Swimming National Club Excellence program as a Silver Medal Club. We were ranked in the top 75 clubs out of over 2500 registered clubs in the nation. We continue to be the only team in the Tri-Valley area to be recognized by this program every year since its inception.

2005

Our membership stabilized at slightly over 180 swimmers, plus we had 10 swimmers in our College Away program. These swimmers are attending universities all over the United States and most of them are receiving scholarship assistance of some type. We set 52 Team Records this year and had over 368 updates to our All Time Top Ten list. We had multiple swimmers earn High School All American rankings and Scholastic All American honors and we once again had many swimmers listed in the Top 16 National and Top Ten Pacific Swimming Rankings. Seahawks swimmers maintained a presence in the World Rankings with two swimmers earning individual rankings, and one swimmer earning a Top 50 World Ranking. We also had two swimmers earn qualifying times for the 2008 Olympic Trials. We had swimmers at the Spring World Championship Trials in Indianapolis and at Summer Nationals in Irvine. One swimmer earned Pacific Swimming Records in the 11-12 age group.

We added Jon Pallesen to coach the Intermediate 2 group and Caitlin Lavagnino took over the Pre-Novice group duties for our entry level swimmers. Coach Steve Morsilli was once again nominated for Pacific Swimming Senior Coach of the Year, while Coach Todd Tucker received the Contra Costa Times High School Coach of the Year award for his work at Foothill High.

For the fourth year running, the Seahawks were recognized by the USA Swimming National Club Excellence program as a Silver Medal Club. We were ranked in the top 60 clubs out of over 2500 registered clubs in the nation.

2004

Our membership grew to slightly over 180 swimmers, plus we had 10 swimmers in our College Away program.  These swimmers are attending universities all over the United States and most of them are receiving scholarship assistance of some type.  We set 42 Team Records this year and had over 422 updates to our All Time Top Ten list.  We had 5 swimmers earn High School All American rankings, two earned Scholastic All American honors and we once again had many swimmers listed in the Top 16 National and Top Ten Pacific Swimming Rankings.  Seahawks swimmers maintained a presence in the World Rankings with three swimmers earning individual rankings.   We had five swimmers at Spring Nationals in Orlando and four at Summer Nationals in Palo Alto.  One swimmer earned "Rookie of the Meet" honors at the Spring Nationals and we placed two swimmers in the top 10 at the Summer Nationals. We also had a swimmer take second place at the 5K Open Water Championships in May.

We added a new Intermediate 2 group to help with the demand for more entry level swimmers.  This group was originally co-coached by Joe Loftus & Christine Ferraris, then Coach Ben Butcher came on board to replace Coach Joe.  Coach Steve Morsilli received an award from the North Coast High School Section for 20+ years of volunteer service, plus he was asked to address the officials at the Summer Nationals on "What Coaches Are Looking For" from officials.  He was also asked to participate in a panel at the United States Aquatic Sports Convention on the "Training and Retention of Age Group Swimmers."

For the third year running, the Seahawks were recognized by the USA Swimming National Club Excellence program as a Silver Medal Club.  We were ranked in the top 50 clubs out of over 2500 registered clubs in the nation. 

2003

We were once again outstanding during the 2003 season.  Our membership grew to slightly over 170 swimmers, plus we had 14 swimmers in our College Away program.  These swimmers are attending universities all over the United States and most of them are receiving scholarship assistance of some type.  We set 51 Team Records this year and had over 332 updates to our All Time Top Ten list.  We had three swimmers earn High School All American rankings, two earned Scholastic All American honors and we once again had many swimmers listed in the Top 16 National and Top Ten Pacific Swimming Rankings.  Seahawks swimmers maintained a presence in the World Rankings with two swimmers earning individual rankings and one relay earning a ranking.  We had five swimmers at Spring Nationals in Indianapolis and ten at Summer Nationals in Maryland.

The Foothill High girls swim team won their first EBAL Championship behind Coach Todd Tucker and close to 15 Seahawks.  Coach Betsy Hansen left to pursue another college degree out of the area and was replaced late in the season by Christine Ferraris.  Coach Steve Morsilli was nominated for the Pacific Swimming Coach of the Year and was named to the staff of the World University Games Team which represented USA Swimming in Daegu, South Korea.  For the second year in a row, the Seahawks were recognized by USA Swimming as a Silver Medal Club.  We were ranked in the top 50 clubs out of over 2500 registered clubs in the nation. 

2002

The 2002 season once again was outstanding. Our membership remained stable at a little over 160 swimmers due to a weak economy. We have 15 more athletes in College, many of whom are receiving scholarships earned in the classroom and the pool. We set 61 Team Records this year and had 357 additions to our All Time Top 10 List. Our Top Ten list is now online at our website thanks to Tomasz Pawlowski. We had four High School swimmers earn All American status, one earned Scholastic All American Honors, and we will once again have many swimmers listed in the Pacific Swimming Top Ten Rankings and the National Top 16 rankings. Jennifer Narum and Katie Swensen both qualified to swim in the Western Zone Championships in Los Angeles. Seahawk swimmers also continued our representation in World Rankings, with three of our Women earning individual World Rankings this year. We also had our first three athletes earn their first qualifying times for the 2004 Olympic Trials this season. We had five Seahawks at the Spring Nationals in Minneapolis and fourteen at the Summer Nationals in Fort Lauderdale.

The Pre-Junior 2 Group (added last year) has become a mainstay of the program. Coach Brittany LaMay left the staff to pursue her degree at the University of the Pacific, and former Seahawk standout Betsy Hansen replaced her. Head Coach Steve Morsilli was honored as Volunteer of the Year by the Pacific Swimming Board of Directors, and the Seahawks earned a ’Silver Medal Club’ designation through the USA Swimming Club Excellence Program. This new program recognizes Club teams for organizational and performance excellence.

2001

This season once again was outstanding, both in terms of growth and improvement. We have over 160 swimmers plus 10 more in College, many of whom are receiving scholarships earned in the classroom and the pool. We set 74 Team Records this year and had 278 additions to our All Time Top 10 List. We had seven High School swimmers earn All American status, two earned Scholastic All American Honors, 20 swimmers earned 108 Pacific Top Ten Rankings (including 8 first place finishes) and we will once again have many swimmers ranked Top 16 in the Nation. Jennifer Narum and Julie Nelson both qualified to swim in the Western Zone Championships in Maui. Seahawk swimmers also continued our representation in World Rankings, with four of our Women earning World Rankings this year, in both individual and relay events. With the elimination of Junior Nationals this year, we had squads of 25+ and 30+ at the Spring and Summer Sectional Championships. Jennifer Narum set and re-set many Pacific Swimming Records during the year, finishing the season as the 11-12 Record Holder in the 1650 and 1500 free. We had two Seahawks at the Spring Nationals in Texas and four at the Summer Nationals in Clovis.

We were fortunate to be able to add a new group early this year. The Pre-Junior 2 Group was established to make the transition to Julie’s Junior Group easier for the swimmers. The Senior Group took 20 members on a training trip to Florida in February. Coach Jay Hendrick left the staff to pursue his Master’s Degree, and we had Coaches Brittany LaMay, Joe Loftus and Melanie Schull join the Staff. Coaches Steve and Julie traveled to Brisbane, Australia in May to attend the World Swimming Coaches Gold Medal Clinic. Coach Julie Boettler was once again nominated as Pacific Swimming’s Age Group Coach of the Year, and Head Coach Steve Morsilli was selected by USA Swimming and the US Olympic Committee to be on the World University Games Staff in Beijing, China. Coach Todd Tucker was selected as a Coach at the Junior Elite Camp held in September 2001.

2000

This was another banner year for the Seahawks. We increased membership another 10% over last year, continuing with a controlled growth plan. We hosted our second, very successful Spring Far Westerns. Our swimmers set numerous Team Records and achieved hundreds of All Time Top Ten swims. We once again finished the competitive year with swimmers earning World Rankings, National Rankings and Pacific Rankings. We established our Seahawks website.

We had three swimmers honored as High School All Americans (Cathy Coler, Jen Lees and Vince Martinez) and two as Scholastic All Americans (Cathy Coler and Heather Morsilli). In January, Head Coach Steve Morsilli was voted the George Haines/Pacific Swimming Senior Coach of the Year for the second time. We took swimmers to the Junior Championships in Anchorage, Alaska and San Antonio, Texas. We also took swimmers to National Championships in Seattle, Washington and Indianapolis, Indiana. Indianapolis was the site of the 2000 Olympic Trials.

We took fifteen swimmers to San Antonio, where our swimmers had great success at the Summer Junior Championships. The Women’s Team earned the Championship by defeating the Irvine Novas on the last day of competition (it actually came down to the last relay). The Women were led by Kim Harada’s wins in the 100 and 200 free. Both were first time Olympic Trials cuts and the 100 free was a new Meet Record. Our Men’s Team scored big for the first time in years, so the final Combined Team Standings had the Seahawks winning the Third place trophy to go along with the Women’s Championship trophy. We finished the season with Cathy Coler, Kim Harada, Jen Lees and Candace Weiman all representing the Seahawks at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. Cathy swam the 200 IM, 400 IM and 200 Breast, Kim the 100 and 200 Free, Jen swam the 400 and 800 Free, and Candace swam the 100 Fly. These young women were honored by the City Council in a special presentation in September.

1999

This season marked only our second full season at the Aquatic Center. Team membership increased 40% over the last two years and we hosted our first (very successful) Spring Far Western Championship. We set 87 new Team Records this year, with at least one record set in every age group. We also had three Seahawk swimmers finish with four individual Top 100 World Rankings as well as all three Women’s Relays earning World Rankings.

Although the final rankings were not available by press time, we once again had many Seahawks represented in both the Pacific Swimming Top Ten and the National Top 16 Age Group Rankings. We had two NCAA (II) All Americans and six High School All Americans for the 1999 season. We placed eight swimmers on the Pacific Swimming Distance Camp Team at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs in January, and Jen Lees was once again selected for the National Distance Team Training Camp in June. Coach Steve Morsilli was nominated for Pacific Swimming Senior Coach of the Year for the third time, and also served as Head Coach for the January Pacific Swimming Distance Camp. He is also currently serving as Senior Chairman on the Pacific Swimming Board of Directors and was asked by U.S.A. Swimming to participate on the Club Membership Sounding Board. We once again had a strong showing in the National Postal Distance Meet, although final results were not available at press time. Coach Steve gave a presentation at the Pacific Swim Coaches Association Clinic in January on the philosophy and training schedule of the Seahawks program.

We had six swimmers represent Pleasanton at Spring Junior Nationals, five at Spring Senior Nationals, three at Summer Juniors and seven at Summer Nationals. The Seahawks also sent a record number of swimmers to the Long Course Far Westerns, finishing ninth in Carson City. Three swimmers, Seamus Alger, Corey Kilpatrick and Chris Margrett, were selected off that meet to be members of the Pacific All-Star Team at the Western Zone Championships in Grand Junction, Wyoming. We had two Seahawks earn Junior National Champion honors, with Candace Weiman winning the 100 fly at Spring Juniors, and Kim Harada following up by winning the 100 free at S ummer Juniors. Beth Boehm, Cathy Coler and Jen Lees all finished with individual World Rankings led by Jens’ 13th place World Ranking in the 1500 free. Her 1500 swim at Summer Nationals also set a new Pacific Swimming Record in that event. The previous Record was set in 1981. Candace Weiman and Kim Harada joined these girls on all three of our World Ranked Women’s Relays. At the end of the season we have four swimmers who have achieved qualifying times for the 2000 Olympic Trials. We are also proud to have sent off four graduating Seniors who earned swimming scholarships; Beth Boehm (UCLA), Katie Cartmell (Cal State Northridge), Kim Harada (University of Washington) and Erin Kilpatrick (San Diego State).

1998

This season was our first full season in the new Pleasanton Aquatic Center. The availability of Long Course training time in the mornings was a huge contribution to the success of the team! We added over 30% to our membership roster and expanded our services by the formal addition of the Pre-Novice Group(s). We hosted our first two meets in the new pool, including our first Trials and Finals format meet in March 1998. We were awarded the 1999 Spring Far Western Championship meet.

The 1997 Pacific Swimming Rankings included 20 swimmers earning 67 rankings. We had three NCAA (II) All Americans and four High School All Americans for the 1997 season. We had two individuals (Jen Lees and Beth Boehm) and one relay (Angell Morse, Cathy Coler, Erin Kilpatrick, Beth Boehm) swim National Rankings for the short course season and one individual (Beth Boehm) plus two relays (Kim Harada, Beth Boehm, Cathy Coler, Christy Gwin and Angell Morse, Betsy Hansen, Amy Sitzmann, Laura Wilson) earn Long Course National Rankings.

We had four girls (Beth Boehm, Cathy Coler , Kim Harada, Jen Lees) finish 15th at the US Open meet in December, and the same four finished 19th at the Spring National Championships in Minneapolis. Jen Lees was selected to represent the USA at the Goodwill Games based on her performance at this meet. We had six swimmers qualify for the Pacific Swimming Distance Camp in Colorado Springs, and two swimmers qualify for the Zone Distance camps in June. We also had Jen Lees and Beth Boehm named to the National Team Distance Camp in June. Coach Steve Morsilli had previously been selected and also participated as a staff member at that camp. The National Postal Distance Meet saw the Seahawks earn 15 top 10 finishes, with Jen Lees, Mark Hudson, and Brad Torbeck earning 1st in their respective age groups. We also had Beth Boehm, Cathy Coler and Kim Harada finish 1-2-3 in the 16 year old age group!

We finished the season with two individuals earning World Rankings. Beth Boehm was ranked in the 1500 free and Jen Lees earned rankings in both the 800 and 1500 free. Our Women’s 800 Free Relay was ranked 39th in the World with four High School girls, Jen Lees, Beth Boehm, Kim Harada and Cathy Coler. Jen Lees swam her first qualifying time for the 2000 Olympic Trials in the 800 free and should be joined by two or three others by the time we swim the meet.

1997

This turned out to be a great year of success and great frustration. The frustration came due to the construction of the new pool, causing pool usage problems at Amador. We had to move the team to the Pleasanton Valley Club from February to May, with the Senior group moving to Dublin High in April and May. Beth Boehm swam in the US Open meet in San Antonio in December. Also in December, we swam exeptionally well at the Pacifica Senior meet with four swimmers earning Junior National cuts and Cathy Coler, Jen Lees, Laura Wilson, Brad Torbeck, and Mark Hudson being selected for the Distance Training Camp at the US Training Center in Colorado Springs.

In January, Coach Steve Morsilli was selected as Pacific Swimming’s Senior Coach of the Year, based on the performance of the club in 1996. Our girls attended the Junior National Championships in College Station, Texas, and came away with 9th place Women’s Team trophy. Beth Boehm, Jenny Lees, Laura Wilson, Cathy Coler, and Angell Morse finished with 4 new Senior National cuts and 3 new Junior National cuts.

Coach Steve attended the World Swim Coaches Clinic in Birmingham, England to hear the coaches of the 1996Olympic Gold Medalists speak. The Seahawks took nine swimmers to the National Championships in Nashville,Tennessee for a very successful meet. Coach Julie Boettler was honored with a well deserved nomination for the Pacific Swimming’s Age Group Coach of the Year. As all this was taking place, the new 50 meter pool was being completed. The team fully moved into it at the beginning of the 1998 season.

1996

We began to show some very welcome growth as a team. the new 50 meter pool project was re-designed slightly to come within funding guidelines. Dave Huston finished 11th in the 200 Breastroke and 14th in the 100 breast at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. Coach Steve Morsilli was selected to be included in the 1996 edition of Who’s who Among America’s Teachers.

1995

This year brought more changes and more success to the club. Coach Steve Morsilli and Jerry Thorne were placed on the City of Pleasanton Task Force for the new 50 meter pool. Recommendations regarding placement and configuration of the new pool were passed by the Park and Recreation in April and passed by the City Council in May. Joe Loftus and Dave Huston continued to represent Pleasanton at Senior Nationals, with Dave again qualifying for the 1996 Olympic Trials via two third place finishes at the Spring Nationals. Coach Steve Morsilli was selected to be on the staff for the 1995 World University Games in Fukuoka, Japan.

1994

We had nine swimmers qualified for Junior and Senior Nationals. Our Senior National swmmers competed in Federal Way, Washington and Indianapolis, Indiana with Dave Huston and Joe Loftus once again swimming World Ranked times. Dave just missed a spot on the Goodwill Games team, while Joe and Maria Elm were selected for the Olympic Festival off their performances in Federal Way. Coach Steve served as Head Coach of the first Pacific Swimming Distance Camp, taking 24 Pacific swimmers (including 4 from Pleasanton) to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Coach Steve was selected for the Olympic Festival Staff, to be an Elite Camp Director at the USOTC and as a Coach of a National Age Group Camp in San Jose. The Pleasanton City Council approved $2.9 million dollars for a new 50 meter pool after four years of intense effort by Jerry Thorne.

1993

This year brought continued success with three swimmers competing at the Senior National level, four at the Junior National level and many more at Far Westerns. Two swimmers earned World Rankings, Dave Huston in the 200 Breast and Joe Loftus in the 800 free. Coach Julie Boettler was selected to the Zone 2 All Star Staff, while Coach Todd Tucker worked on the Blue Ribbon Camp Staff and Coach Kristi Hussain worked on the Pacific Swimming Racing Camp staff.

1992

We took swimmers to the Spring Junior Nationals in Dallas, Texas, plus our largest group ever (10 swimmers) to the Summer Junior Nationals in Pasadena, California. Dave Huston represented the Seahawks at the 1992 Olympic Trials and finished 11th in the fastest 200 Breastroke field in History! We had Joe Loftus Selected for the Gold Elite Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and Coach Morsilli was selected as Camp Director for that camp. Coach Steve was also honored with a nomination for Pacific Swimming Senior Coach of the Year.

1991

We had Pleasanton swimmers attending Junior Nationals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Mission Viejo, California, the Senior Nationals in Tacoma, Washington and Fort Lauderdale, Flordia and the U.S. Open Championship in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Head Coach Steve Morsilli was selected to be on staff of the 1991 US Olympic Festival, and to be the head coach at the Silver Elite Training Camp at USS Headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At the U.S. Open in December, Dave Huston qualified for the 1992 Olympic Trials. We continued a strong showing in the Pacific Swimming Top Ten, National Top Ten and High School All American rankings.

1990

The Pleasanton swimmers once again earning Junior and Senior National honors in Tennessee, Iowa, and So. California, including competing in the World Championship Trials Austin, Texas.

1989

The Pleasanton Swim Team consistantly produced strong Far Western and Pacific Swimming All-Star performances. Swimmers attended Junior Nationals in Long Beach, California, and Austin, Texas; and Senior Nationals in Raleigh, North Carolina and Los Angeles, California. Fifteen swimmers earned Pacific Top Ten rankings, three earned National rankings, and two earned High School All American Honors, including a North Coast High School Championship in the 500 free.

1988

Pleasanton swimmers continued to shine at Far Westerns with many swimmers earning Far Western champion and Meet Record honors. Swimmers participated in Junior and Senior National meets in Florida and Arizona and at the 1988 Olympic Trials in Austin, Texas. Twenty swimmers earned Pacific Swimming Top Ten rankings, three earned National Top Ten rankings and six were named High School All Americans.

1987

This was another year of great progress for Pleasanton swimmers. We scored 138 points and 245 points at the Short Course and Long Course Far Westerns, placing 7th at the Long Course meet. Pleasanton had its first swimmer, Jeff DeRuiter, qualify for 1988 Olympic Trials in August at the Senior Nationals, and we also had our first swimmer ever to earn World Rankings at the U.S. Open Championship in December.

1986

We continued our Far Western progression, scoring 101 points at the Short Course meet and 194 at the Long Course meet. We were 8th place in the team standings at the Long Course meet. Our first group of "home grown" swimmers represented Pleasanton at the Senior Nationals with five athltes traveling to Orlando, Florida in March, and five again in Santa Clara, CA in August. December 1986 brought our first showing at U.S. Open Championships in Orlando, Florida. We placed 15 swimmers in the Pacific Top Ten, two in the National Top Ten, had two named High School all Americans, and two Far Western Champions.

1985

The team progressed to scoring 90 points at Short Course Far Westerns and 164 points at the Long Course Far Westerns, earning 11th place at that meet. We had twelve swimmers ranked in the Pacific Swimming Top Ten, and four swimmers ranked in the Top Ten in the Nation. We also had our first high school All American and our first swimmer to become Far Western Champion. We hired an additional coach and formed a Novice Group to serve the needs of 8 and Under swimmers in the area. We built a team meeting/weight room for our use inside the compound walls at Amador High.

1984

Pleasanton scored 59 points at both the Short Course and Long Course Far Westerns. The team had nine swimmers ranked in the Pacific Swimming (Northern California) Top Ten in 1984.

1983

The team began competing in local competitions, taking 6 swimmers to the 1983 Short Course Far Westerns. Pleasanton swimmers scored a total of 29 points at that meet. The team had three swimmers ranked in the Northern California Top Ten in 1983.