Swim Team Coaches Bios

Coach Nabeta is in his ninth year as the head coach of the USA Swim Team. He has over 30 years of swimming experience at the U.S. Level as a swimmer and a coach. He was a National qualifier for many years in the Bay Area. Brian’s coaching experience includes stints at BYU for the men’s and women’s programs, San Jose State University, and UC Berkeley. At UC Berkeley he worked under the world renown coach Nort Thornton for five years. He coached at the U.S. level for Blackhawk Swim Club for five years and before coming to Arden Hills he was the Head Coach for the Golden Bear Swim Club in Berkeley. As head coach for the Golden Bears, in less than four years, Brian doubled the size of the team and transformed the team as a whole from average age-groupers into National and International competitors earning college scholarships. He also assisted swimmers in measurably improving their academic performances. Brian has coached swimmers of all levels including Far Western Champions, Western Zone Champions, Junior National Champions, U.S. National Finalist, International qualifiers, National Junior Team Members and Olympic Trial Qualifiers. He also has been assigned coaching stints for USA swimming at the Gold Medal Camps, Zone Select Camps and National Select Camps.

Coach Nabeta’s other interests include working out with the trainers at Arden Hills as well as taking up taekwondo. Brian enjoys the discipline of taekwondo and has competed locally and is looking forward to travel throughout the state to compete in tournaments.

Brian has a lovely wife, Cherie and two very active children, Kailee (8) and Kaleo (4).

Working for Arden Hills as a US Swimming Coach is, a dream come true. Lyn Cushman is starting her 9th year here at Arden Hills. She is the Assistant Aquatics director and the Head Age Group Coach for US Swimming (12&Under Year Round Swimming) plus the early morning Master Swim program. She teaches stroke technique and Learn to swim lessons for all ages and levels.

Lyn’s Love for the water started with her mother Nona Henshaw who coached and taught swimming. Lyn at the age of 6 months learned to swim out survival because her mother would put Lyn in a swim tube and taught swim lessons. She started competitive swimming at the age of 9 because a friend asked her if she could swim and if she wanted to come and swim for the Hemet Dolphin swim team. She said and Lyn was hooked from then on. The adventures and friendships she built through the world of swimming have latest her lifetime. Lyn had the opportunity to Swim for Arden Hills from 1976-81, and then attended American River College where she had the opportunity to swim and to Coach under the tutelage of Sandra Trigg.

Lyn, Started at Arden Hills in the fall of 1999 and this was a dream come true for her. Her Husband Jay of 17 years asked her "If you could Coach Swimming anywhere where would that be?" and she said "Arden Hills" because of the legacy and the memories she had as teenager.

Lyn is a member of the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) and has been for the past ten years. She is a Level 3 and has taken additional education courses for coaching the 8&Unders, developing Dry-land programs and training Master swimmers (18&over.)

She has been a member of the Sierra Nevada Swimming (LSC) for 8 years and is currently on the Board of Directors for LSC-SN USA Swimming as the Age Group Chair and has been for the past 3 years.

She was Voted Age Group Coach of the Year 2003 Sierra Nevada Swimming 2003
She was selected to be Head Coach of the SN All Star Team that went to San Diego and Will Coach again this year when the Team goes to Bakersfield.
She has been on the coaching staff for the Sierra Nevada Western Zone All Star Asst. Coach for 6 years and will coach again this next year when the team will go to Oregon

She has had the opportunity of being the Head Age Coach for the past 3 years.
She has had the honor of seeing her swimmers grow and develop through the years and accomplish their goals. Here are a few for the records:

• Top 16 in the Nation
• Western Zone Finalist
• Western Zone Qualifiers
• Far Western Champions
• Far Western Finalist
• Far Western Qualifiers
• Sierra Nevada Record New Record Holders
• JR Olympic Champions
• JR Olympic Qualifiers

She has been able to build upon the Age Group Program here at Arden Hills with a True Love for the sport. She says "the sport of swimming is not always about how fast you can swim (enough though this adds an element of FUN!).

Lyn has also, for past 3 years coached the MASTERS program here at Arden Hills. Yes there are people who love to get up at 5:30 a.m. and swim. They have a lot of fun. The practices are prepared for many levels from the want to burn off the weekend calories, preparing for Open Water swims 1mile, 2 mile, 5k or 10k, Triathlons and compete in US Masters Meets.

Success stories

Arden Hills Masters Relay Team

• 2nd in Division and 6th over all out of over 50 teams: Maui Channel Relay
• 2nd in Division and 6th Over All out of over 60 teams: Trans Tahoe Relay

Daryl Johnson

• Winning multiple Open Water swims
• 1st at the Maui Aumakua

Heather Pryor

• Coerur d’ Alene IronMan Triathlon 2nd in her age group
• Santa Cruz Triathlon 2nd in her age group

Coaching swimming keeps Lyn young and she says out of trouble! See ya at the pool!!

Chris Oshiro, Swim Coach or Disk Jockey? Well, he can be both. Spotlighted in the September issue of the Sacramento Magazine, Chris’ voice can be heard over the radio waves. It can also be heard on the pool deck at Arden Hills Resort Club and Spa in the afternoons.

Prior to swim coaching, Chris worked for fifteen years in radio as a DJ as well as a couple of stints as program director. That career took me to Livermore, Sacramento (four separate times over a twelve year period), Monterey, Boise (Idaho), Honolulu and Oakland. In Sacramento I was fortunate to be part of a team that became the number one station [KSFM, "FM-102"] in the spring of 1986. In August 2006, I was hired as a Jazz Host for Capital Public Radio. In December 2006 they gave me the Saturday evening program, "Blue Dog Jam."

A former competitive swimmer who was born and raised in Southern California, Oshiro went to Pepperdine University on a swimming and water polo scholarship, graduating with a degree in communications with a broadcast emphasis. He swam competitively until five years ago and now has been an integral part of the building of the Arden Hills USA Swimming program.
Chris came to Arden Hills Swimming in June 2005, after eleven years as head coach of Vallejo Aquatic Club (VJO). At VJO we developed a Junior National qualifier, several Sectional qualifiers and Far Westerns champions. The team grew from having twenty-five members who regularly attended practice during winter months to over 160 members in 2005.

Outside interests include a passion for playing golf; browsing golf shops, bookstores and used CD stores; and driving my car aimlessly, without a destination in mind.

Coach Brian Nabeta had known Chris over the years when he was working for his former team. Chris coming to Arden Hills was a breath of fresh air as he was able to help with many different technical skills that swimmers need at a very young age. Chris makes the swimmers think about how their strokes develop and work which then allows them to do more free thinking. Not every swimmer is the same, each and every swimmer has their strengths and weakness and Chris allows them to work on each aspect during the two hour practice.
On the Radio or on the deck, Chris is a fantastic communicator. He also teaches lessons at the club to Adults, children and helps with water polo skills and swimming to many young polo players in the area.

Bio coming soon.

Cortney has been involved in athletics since she was young. Growing up in Sacramento, she began swimming in her community recreational swim program. Until high Scholl she played many sports including basketball, softball, and club volleyball. Her sophomore year at St. Frances High School she decided to try year round swimming under the direction of one of our other coaches Kirk Johansen. With hard work and dedication, she received a scholarship to Drury University in Springfield, MO, where she was a member of 3 NCAA-II National Championship teams and earned both athletic and academic All-American honors.

Throughout her time in graduate school and then in her 'real' job, she spent minimal time at the pool. She always new that she wanted to come back to the sport and Arden Hills gave her the opportunity to jump in with both feet. She has a passion for swimming and her knowledge and experience is an asset when teaching and inspiring our athletes. She especialy enjoys working with young swimmers and encouraging them to pursue success athletically as well as outside the pool. She truly enjoys giving back to the sport that gave her so much. She currently helps out with the National group in the mornings and runs the Gold group in the afternoons. She has helped along several swimmers and relays to National Top 16 rankings. 

Cortney also works as an exercise physiologist at UC Davis Sport Performance Program in Sacramento. Outside of work, she spends time with her family and friends. She enjoys joining the pre-senior workouts and suffering through Catherine's spin class. Cortney has been involved in athletics since she was very young, swimming being just one of her endeavors. She takes hold of opportunity to share her knowledge and experiences through coaching national level athletes as well as teaching and inspiring developing athletes.