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Head Coach
If you want to meet someone who absolutely loves the sport of swimming, and more importantly COACHING swimming, then look no further than Coach Joe. Joe began swimming at age 12 for the Marshall Community Swim Club in Marshall, MI. This then led to Marshall High School, where he was a four year varsity member earning the Rookie of the Year award as a freshman, the Coaches award as a sophomore, and All-Conference Team member both his Junior and Senior years. Coach Joe also earned Academic All-American honors his senior year. While not the fastest swimmer on the planet, Coach Joe's love of swimming led him to John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR where he was a varsity team member for 4 years and majored in Mechanical Engineering. As a freshman, Joe was All-Conference Honorable Mention in the 200 Breaststroke and earned the Most Improved Swimmer award. In Coach Joe's junior season he was All-Conference in the 1650 and All-Conference Honorable Mention in the 100 Breaststroke. Coach Joe transferred to Western Michigan University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics with a minor in Physics. He began his coaching career in 1997 for his home club, Marshall Community Swim Club. In 1998, with only 4 swimmers, and only 3 scoring (one of those being Coach Jared), MCSC placed 13th at the 12 and under Michigan state meet. In 1999, he started his own club in neighboring Battle Creek in addition to working full time as an Engineer. In November 2000 Coach Joe began his first full time coaching position with Wolverine Aquatics in Ann Arbor, MI. While with Wolverine, the team placed in the top ten at the Michigan Long Course State Meet. Two swimmers went on to full ride scholarships at NCAA Dvision 1 Universities while several others went on to partial scholarships. Coach Joe spent 2004 - 2006 as the Head Coach of the Sylvania Tsunami Swim Club in Sylvania, OH. Sylvania experienced unprecedented growth, and achievement during this time with a 15-16 boy placing in the NAG T16, and an 11-12 girl placing in the top 25 in the country. From 2003-2006 Coach Joe also was the volunteer coach for the University of Michigan Women's swimming team. In his first year, he worked mainly with the distance and IM swimmers. During his last two years with U of M, Coach Joe worked with the sprinters. During that time, the 200 free relay set the all-time Big Ten record as well as placing in the top 8 at NCAA's. Coach Joe then pursued his dream of coaching at the collegiate level which led him to Stockton. Coach Joe was the assistant coach for the University of the Pacific's men's and women's swimming teams, coaching with Head Coach Greg Meehan 2006-2008. During his time with Pacific, Joe coached a team record holder, and 3 time conference champion along with a swimmer with the 2nd and 3rd fastest times in school history. Coach Joe coached the senior group for Tiger Aquatics from May 2007-August 2008. While with Tiger Aquatics, numerous swimmers qualified for Far Westerns, one swimmer was a Western Zone Champion, and Katelyne Herrington went from sectional qualifying times to qualifying for the Olympic Trials! Beyond the performances of Coach Joe's swimmers, he values above all else the relationships he builds with his swimmers. He knows that years down the road, most current swimmers will do something not related to swimming, and what will be most important is the lessons they learned while swimming, and the relationships they developed. Coach Joe still talks with people he coached back in 1997, and considers many of them among his best friends. Life truly is about the relationships we develop. Coach Joe and his wife of seven years, Jenni, love living in Stockton, and are excited about making this their home. Joe plans on making The Swim Club of NorCal his last stop! Let's get ready for a great ride!!!!
Assistant Coach
Coach Erin started swimming when she was four years old for Lincoln 1 and 5. The local community pool is where she grew up in the summers. She swam for the Lincoln Lightnings every summer until age 16, when she then decided that it was time to take on the challenge of coaching. Coach Erin has coached two very successful seasons with the Lightnings. Once she started high school she tried out for the swim team and continued swimming all four years at Lincoln. Not only does she love swimming but she loves to play water polo, which she began playing in seventh grade for the winter club team at UOP. Coach Erin played winter polo there for three winters when she decided to switch to Modesto's Junior College club team the winter of her sophomore year, and she went back to the club team at UOP for her junior year winter season. Coach Erin also participated in Lincoln High Schools water polo all four years. She swam Varsity for three out of the four years, and she was captain of the team her senior year. Coach Erin was also captain of the water polo team three out of the four years she played. She is currently playing water polo at Delta Community College in addition to her duties with The Swim Club of NorCal.
Assistant Coach
Coach Jenni and Coach Joe were married May 26, 2001. Jenni began her swimming career at age 7 for the Kendalville YMCA in Kendalville, IN. Jenni qualified for YMCA Nationals in the 50, 100, and 200 meter Butterflies. She was also All-State at the Michigan High School State meet in the 200 IM and the 200 Medley Relay. As a senior, Coach Jenni earned Academic All-American Honors. Jenni went on to swim collegiately at Alma College in Alma, MI. While at Alma, Jenni received numerous athletic and academic awards and placed second at the MIAA conference meet (the oldest collegiate conference in the nation) all four years. She was second in the 400 IM her freshman and senior years, and second in the 200 Butterfly her sophomore and junior years. Coach Jenni's 400 IM her freshman year was a freshman record and second all time for Alma College. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Spanish, Jenni went on to work at the University of Michigan in the pediatric neurology department for two years. Coach Jenni was then admitted into the PhD program in Neuroscience at the University of Michigan. She then utilized her experience in running track all four years of high school along with her swimming expertise to begin competing in triathlon. Jenni has competed in Triathlon, Aquathlon (run/swim/run), and running races regularly since 2004. In Triathlon her lowest finish was in her first competition where she finished 9th in her age group. Jenni has placed first for all women in the Howell, MI July 4th Aquathlon, she has placed first in Triathlon races and based on her finish at the Sylvania Triathlon in 2007, she earned her spot at the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships to be held in Portland, OR in Sept. 2008. Jenni also completed a half IronMan distance race in the summer of 2006 (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). Jenni earned her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan in May 2008. She now is working at Shriners Hospital in Sacramento through UC Davis as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy. Coach Jenni's knowledge of swimming and physical fitness overall, will be a huge advantage to our swimmers as they develop not only as swimmers but as athletes. Coach Jenni and Coach Joe live in Stockton with their dogs Mayz (Shih Tzu), Buddy (Chihuahua-Corgi), Noel (Maine Coon cat), and numerous tropical fish.
Assistant Coach
Jared, like his older sister Jenni (Plane), began his swim
career at the Kendalville, IN YMCA. At age 5 Jared started swimming
competitively for the Sturgis Stingrays. Jared swam for the Stingrays until 1997
(age 11) when he began swimming for MCSC and Coach Joe. Although Jared only swam
for Coach Joe for two seasons’ major improvements were made; at age 11 Jared
qualified for the State Championship in just the 500 free and did not place. The
following two seasons under Coach Joe’s development Jared had to choose which
events to swim at State Meet as each swimmer was limited to seven events. In the
second season Jared was 2nd place Jared began coaching at age 14 helping coach the
developmental group with the Portage Aquatic Club. After coaching for a few
years with Coach Russell Jared started to write the practices for the
developmental group; coaching until 2003 when Jared left to go to None of Jared’s coaches have ever had the exact same philosophy about volume versus stroke technique. Most of his coaches have been primarily volume based however; all of them would make sure that stroke techniques were correct. As most coaches will state, poor technique is what leads to injury. In my 18 years of swimming and thousands of miles of swimming I am blessed to never have had an injury. Jared would like to thank Joe Plane, Jeff Russell, Jim Schafer, Sean Peters and Mark Gole for not only developing his stroke but also shaping me into who I have become. |
