Intermediate/Advanced Tiers
Coach Tina is the Co-Founder of the team along with Coach Raquel, which they established in 2015. Coach Tina has been involved with coaching Artistic Swimming since 2009 and is a USA Artistic Swim and USA Paralympic Certified Swim Coach. Coach Tina is an Aquatics Therapy Assistant for injured veterans and is enrolled in the SJSU M.S. Graduate program for Kinesiology with a focus on sports & facilities management for people with impairments. Coach Tina is a strong advocate for long term athlete development and knows that the skills learned and earned by athletes with disabilities are lifelong in any career they chose. Coach Tina has been instrumental along with Coach Raquel in the national and global push to include artistic swimming as a future Paralympic sport. Coach Tina was successful in guiding the USA Artistic Swim Federation to include a category for athletes w/disabilities (AWD) to compete in locally, regionally, state and nationally. Coach Tina has been a guest speaker all over the world for the inclusion of artistic swimming as an adapted & Paralympic sport, in addition to engaging athletes with disabilities with the sport. Coach Tina has made a global impact not only as a Head Coach but as the President of her advocacy organization, Artistic Swim AWD. Her ultimate goals are long term athlete development for athletes with impairments, Paralympic inclusion and establishing a local aquatics facility for people with impairments. Her compassion, understanding and qualifications will result in the success of these goals.
Advanced Tiers
Coach Raquel is the Co-Founder of the Team and a USA Pioneer in evolving artistic swimming as a main stream sport with parasport categories (Tiers). Coach Raquel began the formal global movement to include athletes with disabilities in Artistic Swimming. Coach Raquel began her artistic swimming career in 2009 with two local teams and ultimately started the Bay Area Artistic Swim Team in 2015 to allow for athletes w/disabilities (AWD) to have full opportunities for high performance competitions. Coach Raquel continues to compete as an athlete in National and Int'l competitions. Coach Raquel believes in inclusivity in sports and has traveled all over the World to speak about the importance of inclusion and keeping our athletes with disabilities engaged and independent. Coach Raquel graduated from San Jose State University in 2022 with a degree in Political Science. She took a break to coach and to pursue the AWD global movement for inclusion in future Paralympic Games. She aspires to attend Law School in 2025 so that she can continue to advocate for the rights of our underserved populations. Coach Raquel as an AWD, is committed with strength and passion to lead AWD and non-AWD swimmers to success in the pool and in their lives.
Pre-Comp/Tier1
Coach Tulisha has been a USA Artistic Swim Federation certified coach since 2018. Coach Tulisha was instrumental in the early beginning of this team to find success locally and with inclusivity at local pools. She has coached at local, regional, and Int'l competitions. She brings a wealth of experience with customer service and satisfaction while working as a senior customer service rep in internet and retail services. Coach Tulisha's experience and ability to coach up and coming athletes to enjoy what artistic swimming has to offer has led to numerous successes for athletes who would have very little opportunity to excel in other sports. Coach Tulisha gives every swimmer the opportunity to develop their skills while having fun. Coach Tulisha believes in long term athlete development and has the ability to encourage young swimmers to stay engaged and to fulfill their dreams of showcasing their acquired skills to the world. Coach Tulisha graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in public relations. Coach Tulisha is also a caregiver for her mom, who is visually impaired and knows the frustrations athletes w/disabilities face when it comes to equity and inclusion. Coach Tulisha believes coaching is a lifelong journey for her as it is with many of the athletes she coaches.
Novice/Intermediate Tiers
Coach Katie has been a USA Artistic Swim Federation certified coach since 2019 and was a competitive artistic swimmer for a local team for 6yrs. Coach Katie has coached at local, regional, state, national and Int'l competitions for athletes with disabilities. By dedicating herself to coaching, she found a way to be involved in the sport she loves while pursuing her education. Coach Katie is passionate about providing individualized support and skill training to young athletes with developmental and physical disabilities. Coach Katie is an English major and a Human Rights minor at UC Berkeley. She loves to choreograph routines, finding joy in working with new artistic swimmers on the creativity and musicality of the sport. Coach Katie continues to provide a calm and safe space where athletes with disabilities are accommodated, and their abilities are valued. Coach Katie is committed to compassion and the understanding of the challenges which athletes with disabilities face and has the experience as a coach with an impairment herself, to pass on to athletes so they can excel in their endeavors for this sport and in their daily lives.
