Canyons Aquatic Club Hires David Kuck as New Head Coach

The Canyons Aquatic Club has hired David Kuck as their new head coach. He replaces Coely Stickels, who left the program to take a position as the associate head coach at Indiana.

Kuck previously worked as a the North Senior 2 Lead Coach and a Masters Coach at SwimMAC Carolina in Charlotte. The club has produced a number of Olympians and until recently had 2016 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team head coach David Marsh as its head coach and CEO.

Kuck has previous stops with the City of Dublin swim club and the Westerville Aquatic Club.

As an athlete, Kuck was a four-year Big Ten Championship finalists at Ohio State.

“My coaching philosophy and teaching style is rooted in technique, accountability, and the long-term development of the individual,” Kuck said of his methodology. He also said that he considers himself an IM coach, and prefers diverse swimmers who “have competence in all strokes.”

In a press release, Canyons says that Kuck’s “mission at Canyons will be to focus on homegrown athletes from our vast geographic area of northern Los Angeles County and to make sure all can progress as high up the ranks of Canyons program as their potential allows.”

Canyons previously has produced national-level athletes, including most notably 2016 U.S. Olympian Abbey Weitzeil, a home-grown product who delayed her enrollment in college to remain at Canyons and train with Stickels. Other home-grown names in the program’s history include National Age Group Record breaker Nikol Popov, three-time Olympic gold medalist Anthony Ervin, and Jennifer Parmenter, who won the 200 and 400 IM at the 1994 U.S. National Champions at just 14 years old.

Stickels’ reputation also drew senior-level swimmers from around the world, including Mexican Olympian Lili Ibanez, who trained there in the run-up to Rio, and Canadian Olympians Santo Condorelli and Coleman Allen.

Kuck will also be charged with growing the clubs Learn to Swim program, which he has experience with.

The full press release from Canyons is below:

Canyons Aquatic Club is pleased to announce the hiring of our new Head Coach, David Kuck (pronounced “Cook”). David comes to us from SwimMAC in North Carolina, one of the largest and most prestigious swim clubs in the United States and replaces Coach Coley Stickels who took the Associate Head Coach position at the University of Indiana. At SwimMAC, David worked under David Marsh, the 2016 Women’s Olympic Team Head Coach. Coach Kuck’s responsibilities included the coordination of the Senior Division staff and directly coaching all levels of their senior program.

Prior to SwimMAC David was the Head Coach for the City of Dublin, Ohio and before that, the Westerville Aquatic Club. In college David swam at Ohio State where he was a Big 10 Championship finalist for four years.

David is best described as an IM coach, as he feels it vital that all swimmers have competence in all strokes. You can expect both sprinters and distance swimmers will find David at the end of their lanes monitoring their technique and progress. David states, “My coaching philosophy and teaching style is rooted in technique, accountability, and the long-term development of the individual.”

On the subject of Canyons Aquatic Club, David states, “I’m thrilled to join the Canyons family. Canyons is a wonderful program in an amazing location with families that support the team which is a recipe for opportunity and excellence. My family and I are excited for the opportunity to arrive and get

plugged into the community. The Canyons program has an outstanding presence and history within Santa Clarita and the surrounding communities. After meeting and talking with the and several members of the coaching staff and current team members, It was easy to see the where the passion for swimming was coming from and that there is significant pride and commitment already surrounding the Canyons Team. There is no doubt that we will continue to develop into the model swimming program that offers opportunity for excellence at every level by focusing on the best possible process, commitment, teamwork, and service”.

David’s experience goes beyond just coaching and includes the business experience of running a team. His past experiences with Learn to Swim programs will be an asset for our growing swim school as well has his experiences with Masters programs and working with municipal swim facilities. At SwimMAC, he designed and implemented College Preparatory sessions for all of the 9th grade and above club members, where local college athletes speak to them regardingcollege life, both academically and athletically, something we look forward to here at Canyons.

David’s mission at Canyons will be to focus on the homegrown athletes from our vast geographic area of northern Los Angeles County and to make sure all can progress as high up the ranks of Canyons program as their potential allows. David will also be charged with growing Canyons Learn to Swim program. From swim school to novice to elite, David’s input and vision will be felt across the club.

Canyons Board of Directors President, Garry Helgeson states, “We are excited about David’s coaching sensibilities and his business acumen. We look forward to his leadership in the water, on the deck and as a member of the Board. Canyon continues to grow and under David’s leadership, we look forward to a new generation of swim success.”

David comes to Canyons with his own team including his wife Heather and their four children and is anticipated to be on deck by August 21st.