About Coach Lorin

Coach Lorin has been swimming since he was 14 years old. A swifter rise to speed than typical, he held AAAA times in Freestyle by the age of 17 and won the 50-m Freestyle at Junior Olympics. A graduate of the Honors Program at UH, he holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and worked in the chemical manufacturing industry for many years, all the while coaching swimming part-time or on a volunteer basis. After about 14 years in the profession, he left engineering to coach and be the primary caretaker for his two sons. He has been involved with many swimming organizations over the years, including the formation in 1999 of Team YES in Houston. Coach Lorin still swims primarily for fitness and competes in Masters meets occasionally.

He specializes in minimizing/eliminating shoulder pain, enjoys working with the mental aspect of high performance, and wonders why video analysis is not a standard in the swimming community!

Lorin coaches many Triathlete, Masters, fitness, and club swimmers to reach their goals, be it IRONMAN World Championships, achieving TAGS qualifying times, or simply overcoming the fear of the water. Ready to get started? Schedule here.

Vita

Coaching Positions

2001-present Private Coaching. Instituted video analysis as a standard offering in 2007. Specialty is working to alleviate/eliminate shoulder pain. Coach primarily individual swimmers; most are Triathletes, Masters or fast teens. Have coached the range, from elementary age school-children, to state record holder.

2019-present   SwimLabs/Sugarland. Coach for the Elite program and work with Triathletes, TAGS level youth swimmers, and LTS adults. SwimLabs is an IRONMAN Official Training Center.

2016-2022 Dad’s Club Swim Team – Adult lessons coach: triathletes, Masters, and home-schooled swimmers.

2015    Frank Black Middle School – Created a coaching manual with detailed drill progressions for the school and volunteer coaches to use. Hosted clinics to benefit the newly formed public school swim team.

2010-2015 Houston Cougar Aquatic Sports (USA-S) – Head Junior Coach, substitute Masters coach. Coached primarily the faster 10-14 year old swimmers, several of whom achieved TAGS qualifying times.

2004-2010 SouthWest YMCA Masters and YWCA Masters – Coaching adult swimmers triathletes, fitness swimmers, or competitive swimmers. Women’s team placed 2nd at SC Zones in 2010.

2003-2005 St. Thomas–Duchesne High Schools – Consulting once weekly to merge a technique focused workout with endurance training, and worked one-on-one with those about to break through “the bubble.”

2002-2008 Westside YMCA (aka Clay Road YMCA) – Volunteer position coaching at risk 1st and 2nd graders from Buffalo Creek elementary school two to four weeks during February.

1999-2001 Team YES! Aquatics of Houston. Head Coach and co-founder of a competitive USA-Swimming team. Included academics as a part of the team motivational program. Key role in growing the team to 172 members in 18 months.

1998-2000 H2Ouston Swims. Back-up coach for Total Immersion trained Emmett Hines in nationally renowned Masters program. Coach morning and Saturday workouts when owner/coach traveled.

1998-1999 Cypress-Fairbanks FLEET and CyClones Masters. 13-under age group coach for one of three satellite programs, head Masters coach. Coached two Masters swimmers (ages 44 and 58) to personal best times as Masters. Initiated punchcard program to draw new swimmers and visiting swimmers.

1996 Dow Chemical Wellness Program, La Porte, TX. Volunteer position teaching swimming to Dow employees. Most swimmers were triathletes attempting to better their weakest sport. Normal group size of 1 to 4.

1987 Assistant Swim Coach, Lake Jackson Aquatic Club (USS), Lake Jackson, TX. Responsible for teaching freestyle basics to the youngest age group. Concurrently pursued a degree in engineering and a full-time coop position at Dow Chemical.

1982 & 1983 Head Swim Coach, Park Foothills swimming pool, El Paso, TX. Coached approximately 50 swimmers ages 5-18 for a summer swim league team. Also responsible for individualized coaching of novices, organization of swim meets, purchase of team suits, and transportation coordination.

Teaching and Mentoring Positions

2016-present The Rising Star Collaborative Coalition. Advisory board member, occasional tutor for this Houston 3rd Ward based after-school tutoring program.

2017-2019 Reagan HS Basketball Booster Club President, Houston, TX. Formed the men’s basketball team’s first booster club with a budget of ~$9000/year, including providing game day food designed for athletes. The most frustrating enterprise I have ever taken on.

1990-1999 Honors College at The University of Houston. An active Honors alumnus, participate in recruiting functions, freshman retreat and social events

1993-1994 La Porte Adopt-a-School Program, La Porte, TX. One-on-one mentoring and tutoring of at risk students. Taught mathematics and related how the subject is commonly used in life outside school.

1989-1993 Junior Achievement, Deer Park, TX. Teaching economics to high school seniors, while stressing importance of education in accomplishing goals.

1987 YMCA After School Program. Spent time with 3rd graders reviewing homework and performing team building exercises. Stayed with children until parents could pick them up after work.

Swimming & Training History

2013 June Breaststroke Mastery Clinic attendee. Lead coaches Olympian Caspar Corbeau, and Masters swimmer David Guthrie.

2014-2023 Strength Training. Trained 12x monthly consecutively for over 3 years; frequently top the motivational charts promoted by the club.

2003-present  Self-Directed Swimming. Workout ~three times weekly for fitness. Most notably reduced my own stroke count in Breaststroke by over 50%. Increased my kicking speed by 26% in recent years.

2001-2003  Westside YMCA Masters Swim Team. Workout four times weekly primarily for fitness. Infrequent competitor.

1984-2001 H2Ouston Swims Masters Swim Team. Coached by nationally recognized and published coach Emmett Hines (ASCA certified to Level 5, coach for Total Immersion). Began swimming Masters in college. Significant reduction in stroke count in recent years while maintaining times close to those achieved in high school.

1982-1983 Fort Bliss Sand Sharks, AAU swim team.

1978-1982 Water Ranch, El Paso, Texas. AAU swim team coached by CJ Johnson. AAAA times in freestyle, winner of 1978 Junior Olympics 50M free.

1981-1982 Andress High School Swim Team. Qualified for the state meet in multiple sprint events.

Education

Honors College at the University of Houston. BS Mechanical Engineering, 1987.
University of Texas at El Paso, 1982-1983. Pursued BSEE degree for 1 year.

Interests

Hanging out with my wife, swimming, working with children, reading, quantifying workout performance.

Podcast

Interview with Dana Abbott and Bob Button on the A2B Podcast about my rise from a struggling swimmer barely able to make a 3-min interval per 100, to winning Junior Olympics. Discussion of my leap from an engineering career to coaching swimming. Click here.

Safety and Background Checks

Adult and Pediatric CPR/AED: 2023.Feb (Red Cross). Valid through 2025.Feb. To verify, visit redcross.org/digitalcertificate and enter ID 014D2GG

Background Checks: 2022Apr (USA Swimming). 2023Mar (SwimLabs).

Concussion training 2023.Mar (CDC): HEADS UP Concussion Training for Youth Sports Coaches. Certificate available upon request.

Athlete protection 2023.Mar (Abuse Prevention Systems). Sexual Abuse Awareness Training program. Certificate available upon request.