Coaching swimming has been a labor of love for me over the past 16 years. It began in my home town of Missoula, Montana where I coached pre-competive swimmers at the Missoula YMCA during my senior year of college to pay for gas. I never dreamed that it would become my career, but it has led me all over the world and afforded me the opportunity to work with hundreds of families and swimmers from just about every background imaginable. As a young coach I used to burn the candle at both ends and loved the grind. While I still love my work, I now have a family of my own and understand the importance of quality time spent time with your kids. Sports, even at the highest level, should not be activities that take away time with your kids, but rather enhance your time spent together whenever possible. Everything we do at Horizon, we do it with your kids (and your family's) happiness in mind.
On the professional side, I am lucky to have worked with some of the best coaches in the world and trained some of the fastest swimmers in North America. I have coached at just about every level of our sport, from teaching young children to swim for the first time, to working with elite athletes at national and international level competition. Swimming has brought me so much joy over the past 16 years, and I hope sincerely that Horizon Swimming and our staff can pass that joy and love on to you and your children.
Career Highlights
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Finalist for the 2016 National Age Group Coach of the Year, American Swim Coaches Association.
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Winner of the 2017 Age Group Coach of the Year for Metropolitan Swimming (Greater New York City).
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Head Coach of the Cayman Islands National Team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2013 Island Games.
Originally from Osaka, Japan, Coach Tomoko Naka brings a wealth of swimming and coaching experience to the Malibu Canyon Aquatics staff. As a teenage swimmer, Tomoko competed at the 2004 Olympic Trials for Athens in both the 50 and 100 Freestyle. She was trained and taught by traditional Japanese coaches in a program that focused on high level stroke technique from the youngest age. She brings a strong background of discipline with a splash of fun to her coaching every day.
Through the success of her athletes, Coach Tomoko was selected to represent Metropolitan Swimming (New York City) as a coach on the All-Star Staff three times, most recently as the Head Coach.
Career Highlights
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Chosen three times for the Metropolitan Swimming All-Star Coaching Staff.
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Selected as the Head Coach of the 2017 Winter/Spring Metropolitan Swimming All-Star Team
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Swam in the 2004 Japanese Olympic Trials competing in the 50 and 100 Freestyle.
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Member of the Japanese National Record Breaking team in the 200 Freestyle Relay.
Beca returns to the world of competitive swimming after a hiatus during college to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Boston, MA (May 2020). She is creating multi-media art, primarily through hand papermaking, as a studio artist living in Calabasas.
As Captain of the Girl’s Swimming and Dive Team at Niskayuna High School in Niskayuna, NY, Beca built camaraderie and set high performance goals through her leadership of the 30 members of the team and organization of special team events. She capped off her high school career by swimming with the school’s 400 free relay and 200 free relay at the 2015 New York State Championship Meet in Ithaca, NY. Beca tied for a 3rd place finish in the 200 free and secured a 4th place finish in the 100 free in the 2015 Section 2 Championship Meet. She also swam with her teammates to a 1st place finish in the 400 free relay and 2nd in the 200 free relay. Beca was a four year varsity letter athlete for the Varsity team.
Beca’s USA Swim team was the Albany Starfish in Albany NY, within the Adirondack LSC, where she had a 10 year progressive swimming career. She swam with multiple Zones teams and qualified for Speedo Regional Swim Meets as a senior swimmer.
She was a swim instructor with Excel Aquatics in Albany, NY, the Jewish Community Center in Schenectady, NY, and the Niskayuna Town Pool in Niskayuna, NY. Beca has been a fully certified lifeguard since 2014.
