Orca Coaches

Coaches

Head Coach Tim Baker tpbaker83@yahoo.com	Parents and Terra Linda Orcas I am ecstatic to be back on deck coaching the TL Orcas this season! I joined the Orcas when I was nine, and I swam with them until I was eighteen. Then I swam at the collegiate level and coached the Orcas for 4 seasons. Believe me, this season is shaping up to be one of the best seasons ever, due to the strong coaching staff and the dedication and enthusiasm of the TL Orca swimmers and parents. So all of you Orcas get pumped up for another exciting and fun-filled year of swimming!
Coach Alon Golan alonoak@yahoo.com	Alon is thrilled to be back on deck in Terra Linda for 2009. This will be his 10th season coaching with the Orcas and his 12th overall in the Marin Swim League. He grew up in San Rafael and graduated from Terra Linda HS and UC Irvine. Alon lives in Montana in the off season where he coaches for a USA Swimming team. Away from the pool, he coaches youth soccer and cross-country skiing.
Coach Christina Claiborne c.claiborne5@yahoo.com	Christina is excited to be coaching the team that has given so much to her. She's been an ORCA since the age of 7, but left us for a few years to swim with the Marin Pirates. As an ORCA, Christina is a team and pool record holder in the breaststroke and IM. She is a 2008 graduate of Terra Linda High School. This fall, she'll trade in her TL blue and gold for U.C. Berkeley's slightly different shades of blue and gold. During high school, Christina was ALL MCAL in swimming and water polo, as well as garnering MVP and Team Captain status. As a high school senior, she received the Scholar Athlete of the Year Award from the Marin Athletic Foundation, and the Outstanding Senior Athlete Award from Terra Linda. Christina enjoys being around children and teaching them to swim. She says, "It's very exciting when they master a new skill, like getting their streamline down or doing a flip turn." When she's not hanging around the pool deck, Christina can be found reading a good book or spending time with her friends.
Coach Andy Benoit capt.marvel3@gmail.com	I am thrilled to have the opportunity to come back for a second year as an assistant coach with the Terra Linda Orcas. I truly enjoy helping kids achieve their potential in the pool. As an alumnus who swam with Coach Tim as an Orca, it truly is an honor and a privilege to be an Orca coach. I swam for the Orcas for eight years and for four years was a member of both the Terra Linda High School water polo and swim teams. I graduated UCSC with a bachelor’s degree in Politics and am now pursuing a combined credential and masters in early childhood education at SFSU. When not at the pool I am usually tinkering with my aging ninja 250 motorcycle or making sure my cat IO is getting plenty of attention.