Jasmine M Herbstritt
Head Coach
Head Coach Jasmine Herbstritt joins Loudoun Valley Viperfish for Summer Swim 2022. I am currently on track to graduate this May, Summa Cum Laude at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia for my Master’s in School Counseling. Before that, I graduated Cum Laude from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and double majored in Criminology and Sociology. I am currently working as a school counselor in the Warren County Public Schools. Before this I worked as a Youth Recovery Specialist where I supervised teenagers with physical and mental disabilities. I monitored teenager’s performance, behavior, social development, and physical health and assisted with conflict resolution and crisis intervention.
I have a strong work ethic and believe in creating a safe and equal place for all students, and in the summer, our swimmers, to excel and to thrive in. Along with this, I want to be able to push my swimmers to grow into strong individuals both competitively and socially. My overall coaching philosophy is to have an environment that encourages swimmers to learn and develop in and out of the pool.
Swimming has been a passion for me for about 15 years and continues to be. After joining a summer league while living in San Diego, I began competing year-round at age seven and joined the JCC Barracudas Swim Team for 4 years. My family relocated to Virginia and as I grew older, I switched sports to volleyball. In high school, I took another turn and was in the Briar Woods Marching Band all four years and became a Drum Major. However, my love for swimming had never gone away. I continued to practice whenever I could find a pool. I became a Lifeguard for about 3 years and have been a swim instructor since 2017, within the Brambleton communities. I was also an assistant coach with our very own LV Viperfish swim team. This is where I met my husband, Josh Herbstritt, who was a Viperfish Head Coach and later became the Devil Rays Head Coach for several years.
For the last 5 years, as a swim instructor, I taught children and adults at various ages on how to swim and use proper techniques with a 95% effective rate. I planned and delivered swim lessons using auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles, including set goals and expectations for swimmers to reach their full potential. There were several occasions I taught the whole family and all siblings within a family how to swim. It gives me a LOT of joy to teach swimmers the joy of swimming at any age.
I am excited to have fun with you all this summer!
SENIOR COACHES:
- Senior Coach, Zoe Celi, will be returning for the 2022 summer swim season. She is a rising junior at St. Paul VI High School, and is a record holder on her high school swim team. She currently swims for NCAP swim club. She has been swimming competitively for 11 years and coached the Viperfish during the 2021 summer swim season. She is excited to be returning to help the Viperfish grow as a team.
- Senior Coach, Arika Sopheareak, a senior at Lightridge High School. She plans to attend Georgia Tech through the Arts & Science Pathway Program during the year of 2023. She used to be a year around swimmer, but now she coaches kids and swims for the Viperfish summer team. She has lots of experience from being a coach-in-training at Lifetime Fitness to coaching Viperfish’s first year after covid. Some of her hobbies consist of playing piano and guitar. She is excited to be coaching again this year!
- Senior Coach, Jackie Turner, a rising junior at Independence High School. She has been swimming competitively for 6 years and is on the Independence Varsity Swim Team. Jackie is excited to coach for the Viperfish this season. This will be Jackie's second season with the Viperfish. Her favorite stroke is breaststroke. Outside of swimming, Jackie loves to hang out with her friends and try new things. She is very passionate about swimming and excited to share her skills and love of the sport to help kids improve while having fun.
JUNIOR COACHES:
- Junior Coach, Jeet Metu, currently swims year round for SNOW. Jeet attends Rock Ridge High School and swim on the Varsity swim team. When he's not swimming, he enjoys watching football, learning about neuroscience, and spending time with friends. Jeet is excited for another season with the Viperfish.
- Junior Coach, Juhi Vaidya, has been swimming for about 10 years and she has been with the Viperfish swim team since 2013. She attends Rock Ridge High School and is part of the Rock Ridge swim team. She is looking forward to coaching and working with all the swimmers this year. She is excited to get back in the pool!
- Junior Coach, Aanya Diaz, is looking forward to coaching the Viperfish again. She is a rising junior at Herndon High School and used to be a year-round swimmer for Machine. She has been swimming competitively for 10 years. She was a coach in training for the Lifetime Barracudas before Covid hit. Aanya loves to bake and read in her free time. She is very excited to return to Viperfish to work with the kids and help them become better swimmers!
- Junior Coach, Aryan Sopheareak, is excited to coach this year for the Viperfish swim team. He currently swims year round for SNOW. Outside of swimming, he enjoys playing and hanging out with friends. He attends Lightridge High School and swims for the Varsity swim team at Lightridge. Aryan is excited to start the swim season and teach the younger swimmers to become better swimmers! Go Viperfish!
