MEET THE COACHES

All of our coaches, as members of USMS or USA Swimming, have access to the most comprehensive training and certification programs for youth coaches of any sport in the United States. They provide assurances that the time spent in the pool will be quality time with a focus on improving their techniques.

January 2023: We are currently looking for new or experienced coaches to assist with morning and/or evening workouts. This is a paid position. Please contact Coach Brad with inquiries.

BRAD PENCE

Founder, Head Coach

Coach Brad is passionate about swimming. He has been an active swimmer for most of his life, competes and holds records on a national level and loves to coach and help his members achieve swimming-related goals. He is a certified USMS Level 3 Coach and started Terra Nova Aquatics from scratch in 2013. Coach Brad was recognized for his devotion to the development of the sport in Pacifica and was inducted into the Pacifica Sports Hall of Fame in February 2020! Congrats to our inspirational coach!

WILLY AMUNDSEN

CSTS / PPSC Coach

Coach Willy competed in youth swimming for 10 years, including 4 years of varsity swimming with the Terra Nova Tigers, and as a founding member of PPSC when it first became an official team. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2020 with a Bachelor's degree in Ecology & Evolution, and now works in a fish biology lab at San Francisco State University. He is an avid SCUBA diver, and enjoys spending time in the water any way he can.

BROOKE GARRETT

PPSC Coach

Brooke Garrett has been swimming since she was 3 years old and has always felt drawn to the water. Like many kids she found her passion for the water on family vacations to Lake Berryessa, Tahoe, and of course her local beach, Linda Mar. She always had to be dragged out of the water after hours of playing with her siblings and more often than not with a bad sunburn. She graduated from the kiddie pool to club teams and in high school found her new passion, water polo. Four years of high school water polo and swim team just went by too fast and now she coaches water polo at her old high school, Terra Nova. She is excited to work with the PPSC swimmers and hopes to spread her love of swimming to her students.

SERGEY MOZHAROV

CSTS Coach

Sergey has been swimming competitively since early childhood. Growing up in Russia, he trained rigorously and accumulated significant mileage with an average of 40 miles per week over 12 practices. He won medals at national and international competitions and remains competitive today.

He immigrated to the UK in 2007 and a few years later to the US. He was fortunate to be part of many swim teams and learned the ways people practice and coach swimming in different parts of the world.

Sergey moved to San Francisco and joined CSTS in 2020. He feels grateful to have met his teammates, who introduced him to open water swimming, which became another dimension of his swimming routine.

Sergey is passionate about perfecting his stroke and has never stopped experimenting with his technique. Being a scientist by training, he enjoys thinking about the physics of swimming and constantly searches for subtle changes in technique that result in speed improvements. This mindset naturally led him to the desire to share his passion and experience with others. Coaching is a new frontier for Sergey, and he is excited to help everybody improve their technique and enjoy swimming more.

LISA SCHERTLER

PPSC Coach

Coach Lisa grew up in Palo Alto and began swimming at age 11. On her first team, the Palo Alto YMCA Swim Team she swam with the 8 and Under’s and then finally worked her way into the Sr. distance lane. Later in High School, she joined the Los Altos Aquatics Club (now LAMVAC), where she swam the later part of High School and through college.

In addition to swimming year round, she swam for Gunn High School, qualifying for CCS all four years, and enjoyed participating with the Green Meadow Summer Swim team. After swimming at Junior National’s the summer of her Senior year in High School, Lisa was offered a swimming scholarship to UNLV, where she swam everything “distance” for three years and studied Physical Education.

Currently, Lisa is a Certified Coach with US swimming and has been coaching Age Group and Master’s Swimming for various teams in and around the Sacramento and Bay Area since 1987. Although coaching swimming is one of her favorite things to do, Lisa is a Credentialed teacher and has taught K-8 Physical Education and First Grade for over 20 years. The past 6 years, Coach Lisa worked with SUNN, coaching dryland for the Senior group, and everything from novice swimmers to the Jr. Bronze Group (Middle school age, her favorite age group and level; because that’s w age when she started swimming).

Lisa is always very excited to be given the opportunity to teach swimmers of all ages and levels new swim skills and watching them become better swimmers… And people!

PETE SONG

PPSC Coach

Pete coaches the older swimmers and has great rapport with the team. He emphasizes the key stroke skills, and encourages them to push a little harder as they grow and develop as competitive swimmers. Pete has been coaching for many years and has enjoyed watching the team grow.

KRISTINE BUCKLEY

CSTS Coach

In 2001 Kristine swam the English Channel in Force 5 conditions (17-20 knot winds) and was named the English Channel inspirational swimmer of the year for her accomplishment. She is the only female to have completed 1,000 swims from Alcatraz, which she did in 2017. She has also swam Catalina and the length of Lake Tahoe, and she does all this without a wetsuit (burr!)

Kristine took up swimming to rehab a broken hip and once she started she was hooked for life. She is a founding member of the Alcatraz Swimming Society and a member of the South End Rowing Club. On any given Wednesday, you will find her swimming Alcatraz before she is off to work.

We are so fortunate to have her coaching on deck Tuesday nights!