Many athletes begin their journey in early childhood, starting off on recreational teams and training throughout their youth in hopes of eventually making their school varsity team, and for some, their college team. This was not the case for Coach Victor Penaloza. After playing soccer in Bolivia for many years, he made the transition to swimming at the age of 15. Now, he is a collegiate-level swim coach. 

Read on to learn about Coach Victor’s swimming journey, his J Sports Academy program, and the Patriot Swim Team he coaches at the Shames JCC. 

Tell me about your background in swimming and coaching.

Believe it or not, I did not learn to swim until I was 15 years old. I am from Bolivia, and when I first came to the U.S., I had only played soccer. However, at 15, I decided I wanted to quit soccer and try something new. So I joined my school’s diving team, where I would doggy-paddle my way to the edge of the pool after diving in because I was not a proficient swimmer. With the help of my peers, coaches, and lots of self-teaching, I learned how to swim and eventually found a passion for it.

Now, I’ve been a swim coach for 24 years, and I’ve coached everything from learn-to-swim programs to collegiate-level programs and swimmers on track to Olympic trials. When it comes to J Sports Academy, my background in learn-to-swim is particularly beneficial because some campers are learning the swim basics.

From your experience, what is the most important ability a swimmer needs to excel in swimming?

The most important thing is being coachable. There are many children that have had scary experiences in the pool, so it is important for them to listen to their coaches and follow instructions in order to gain confidence. Whether or not they gain this confidence can make or break whether or not they want to continue swimming. 

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from a coach that you hope to pass onto the swimmers that you coach? 

Do not quit on something you’re not good at. When I first began to swim, I had zero technique and was just able to keep myself afloat. Most people I was swimming with were much more advanced than I was. While it was discouraging at times, I had a passion for swimming and knew that I could not give up. Athletes are afraid of failure, but failure is really just something we need to overcome in order to become better. 

What is your favorite part about coaching at J Sports? 

Having coached elite swimmers, it’s really nice to see children coming into the pool who do not have the goal to win, but to learn.

A moment that stands out to me was when we were practicing diving one week. On Monday, there were a few campers that didn’t even want to jump into the pool, and by Friday, they had solid dives. This was really rewarding for me to witness as their coach. 

Tell me about the Patriots Swim Team at the Shames JCC. 

The Patriots Swim Team is a USA Swimming club, which means it’s connected to the same system that leads to the Olympic Trials. But, the team is also perfect for those swimmers who are just looking to have fun and compete locally. We had three swimmers go to their first national meet within our first year of the program here at the JCC. These swimmers have grown a lot in our program, and have even been asking me about collegiate-level swimming—and they’re not even in high school yet! We also had swimmers qualify for the Metro Junior Mets.

I am really passionate about running the Patriots Swim Team because I like to see swimmers gain skills and grow just how I did; with hard work and enthusiasm for the sport. 

Why do you encourage J Sports Academy swimmers to join the Patriots Swim Team? 

The multisport campers are getting a small taste of what swimming is like as a sport, and we hope that they fall in love with swimming and want to become part of something bigger. While the goal of J Sports Academy is for athletes to be proud of what they’ve learned, I hope that some of them want to take their new swim skills to the next level and join the Patriots Swim Team. 

If you are interested in trying out for the Patriots Swim Team, see details here.