Merry Christmas from The Race Club Staff!
Christmas came a little early to The Race Club this year.
For the past five months we have been diligently searching for the right Associate Head Coach to help teach our swimmers the proper fundamentals to swim fast. We set a very high standard at The Race Club, so it hasn’t been so easy to find the right person.
Yesterday, Coach Sam Hoekstra accepted our offer for the position at TRC and we are truly excited. Sam brings a level of passion and enthusiasm to his teaching that is uncommonly found in our sport. Sam and his wife, Laurie, and their three children are coming to San Diego from a town near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Both Sam and Laurie were excellent swimmers and are both now swimming coaches. Laurie’s father, Don Kimble, was also a great Michigan swimming coach. Sam will be starting with us around Feb 8, 2025.
For many swimmers and coaches, Christmas is associated with hard training and getting prepared for the upcoming season. Christmas is much more than an opportunity to get in shape.
At Christmas, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Whatever your Faith may be, however, Christmas is also a time to be grateful. All of us should be grateful for our coaches, our parents and family, our teammates and all that we have been given.
Each morning, I start my day with a little prayer: Dear God, please make today become one of the best days of my life. That prayer changes everything for me, enabling me to face anything that comes my way. That prayer helps me to be more grateful for all that I have been given.
This Christmas, be grateful for what you have. Count your blessings. Make this Christmas your best one ever!
Merry Christmas!
Gary Sr.