The Salmon Bay Coaching Staff

Doug Rusk, Head Coach , primarily coaches the Senior, Gold and High School Development groups. This is Doug's 18th year as Head Coach. He was a competitive swimmer for 18 years, and was a Senior National Qualifier for 8 seasons. Doug graduated from Allegheny College, Meadville, PA, in 1987, with a B.S. in Economics and Mathematics, and was an All-American swimmer. He spent his first two college years at Southern Illinois, and was an NCAA Division I qualifier and All-American. His coaching experience includes: Allegheny College, Head Sprint Coach; Chinook Aquatic Club, assistant Senior coach; Garfield High School, Head Coach.

Doug became head coach at Shilshole in 1990, and has built a strong program at all levels. Doug wants to see his swimmers achieve their potential as members of SBAY, and aim to compete at the National and International level. Doug also wants to prepare them for continued success as collegiate swimmers.

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James Cleghorn, Assistant Coach , works primarily with the Silver, Bronze and Precomp groups. This is James eighth year coaching with the team. James knows this program well. He swam for Shilshole Aqautic Club (SAC) from 1986-1995, and was in Doug's Senior group for five years. He was Shilshole's first Junior National qualifier in 1992 (along with Kuo Wang). James placed 9th in the 1000 Free at Juniors-West in 1993. James held many SAC Senior team records by the time he graduated from High School. James also swam for Ballard High School, where he was high school state champion, and his name is still on the record board, and then the University of Washington, where he was on scholarship. Since 1996, he has stayed involved in swimming, coaching the Greenlake Gators summer league team for four years, and teaching swim lessons for the past seven years. James is also an accomplished musician.

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Mari Lea Vela, Assistant Coach, swimming career spans 15 years, swimming competitively for Husky Swim Club under Scott Lautman for 10 years.  She also swam for Tyee High School where she was Team Captain her senior year.  She placed 3rd in the 500 free and 4th in the 200 free at the Washington State High School Swimming Championships her senior year.  She went on to swim for the University of Washington under Earl Ellis, graduating in 1989 with a B.A. in Speech Communication.  She finished her competitive career in 1992, swimming in the Master's National's at Federal Way.

Her coaching career began in 1989 as assistant and later from '92-93 as Head Coach for Queen Anne Swim Club.  At QASC she coached National Age Group Top 16 swimmers.  She also coached the Master's program at Evan's pool from 1990-95, the Greenlake Gators summer swim team for 2 years, and was assistant at Roosevelt High School in 1994.  She left all coaching in 1995 to pursue a career with Alaska Airlines where she still works.  Missing the rewards of coaching, she returned, joining Salmon Bay in Feb 2007.  

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Danielle Trevino, Assistant Coach.  Hello my name is Danielle Trevino, and I’ve been having a wonderful time coaching the Blue Ribbon swimmers for SBAY! When I’m not at the pool I’m studying as I am currently a student at the University of Washington where I also play on the UW Women’s Water Polo team.  I moved to Seattle two years ago from California. Growing up there I swam over ten years competitively for Central California Swimming USS teams like the Bakersfield Swim Club, the Sierra Marlins Swim Team, and I also swam a summer with SBAY while here in Seattle. I am fairly new to coaching but not a stranger to the work that goes into practicing and swim meets. This past summer I coached the Summer Swim League team at Green Lake, I’m a lifeguard for the City, and I’ve been teaching swim lessons for over three years now. I remember swim team being a big commitment, but I also made the best of friends and had lots of fun while still working hard to swim fast, so I hope to encourage every swimmer to do their best but to have fun doing it too!

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Ron Portelance, Assistant Coach, is in his 3rd year helping with the coaching at Salmon Bay Aquatics, which he thoroughly enjoys and wishes he could do more! His swimming career started at the age of 11 in Victoria BC with a team in its infancy called the Juan De Fuca Cohos, which today is part of the large swimming association of Island Swimming. After swimming through High School, Ron ventured south of the border to swim at the University of Washington under Earl Ellis from 1974-78. In Toronto, June 1976, he competed at the Canadian Olympic Trials in the 200 Fly. Still an active swimmer, participating in the last National Masters Short Course Championship Meet, placing 6th in the 1000 free and 8th in the 400 IM in the 50-54 age group. During the college years, he would spend his summers in Victoria, life guarding and teaching swimming to all ages. It was then that he thought he may like to coach someday, but didn’t realize it would take 30 years!

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Last Update: November 21^th, 2007
Content: Salmon Bay Web Team

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