A Stroke of Luck

THOUSAND OAKS — To the untrained eye, the 20 kids splashing in a Thousand Oaks pool may not look like Olympic material.

But to coach Valeri Simonov, his instincts honed during years of training Olympic swimmers for the former Soviet Union, this is a pool full of potential.

He can already spot in several students the talent and competitive drive that could take them to the top of their sport.

“In this group of kids, we have five or six who, I promise, in three years you will see on the national team,” Simonov said.

The former head of an Olympic training facility in Kiev, Ukraine, has taken up residence at Sunset Hills Country Club, helping to coach a team of 35 kids, ages 7 through 14. He has great plans for the program, hoping to turn it into a swimming academy capable of churning out top-level competitors.

And he says he doesn’t mind the shift from his former high-profile Kiev gig to poolside in Thousand Oaks, where he helps kids who may not stay interested in the sport.

“All Olympic medalists begin from the level of these kids,” he said.

For their part, parents of swimmers say they are thrilled to find an international pro teaching a program that many saw as just a way to keep kids busy and damp during the slow, searing Conejo Valley summer.

“They’re getting a taste of real swimming,” said parent Merle Duckett, who coaches high school swimmers in Pacific Palisades.

Watching the kids prepare for a swim meet, Duckett admired Simonov’s coaching skill. “He’s a real technician.

He’s into finesse and stamina. He’s big on starts and competitiveness.”

Simonov, 39, started swimming at the same age as his youngest students. He studied physical culture at a military institute, then landed a teaching job at the Russian Naval Academy in Kaliningrad.

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In 1982, Simonov headed south to the Olympic Swimming Center in Kiev. For the next 10 years, he would train some of the Soviet Union’s best swimmers. His pupils brought home six silver and bronze medals from the Seoul Olympics and two from Barcelona.

After the Soviet Union’s collapse, Simonov saw that the country’s new leaders, preoccupied with rebuilding their society, didn’t have the same obsession with sport as their Cold War predecessors. Hoping for a better life, he left for America.

Dolphin Swim School, which runs the swimming program at Sunset Hills, found Simonov in April through a want ad. When he called the number listed, an employee asked for his qualifications to coach.

“I said, ‘Six medals in Seoul Olympics--that would be enough?’ ” She said “yes.”

Dolphin owner Greg Friedman couldn’t believe his luck.

“I thought it was too good to be true,” Friedman said. “The program isn’t near what he’s used to in Russia, but he’s just so dedicated.”

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Simonov had been working as a consultant for Western Commercial Institute in Los Angeles, trying to forge new relationships between Russian and American business and political leaders. But he considered coaching his greatest talent.

He immediately impressed coach Marnie Mercado, a junior at Cal State Northridge who was working for Dolphin. Mercado said Simonov--known as Larry around the pool--has a solid understanding of the psychology of teaching, sometimes giving specific instructions, sometimes letting kids figure out for themselves the most natural way to breathe during a stroke.

“I’ve picked up a couple of pointers, definitely,” she said.

Mercado, Simonov and coach Jennifer Bush drill the team each morning, Simonov working mostly with kids ages 9 through 14. He paces the poolside in top-siders and shorts, calling out instructions in heavily accented English.

Starting in September, Simonov will become head coach for all three Dolphin swimming teams--the others are in Tarzana and Woodland Hills. He will design the workouts and drills for each team, Friedman said.

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Using Dolphin’s existing programs as a base, Simonov and Friedman also hope to create a local swimming academy that could shape kids into medalists. They envision a curriculum that will teach technique, nutrition--even ethics, if Simonov has his way.

“I have experience, I have a name; he is the owner of the school, and together we can create something special,” Simonov said.