In loving memory of Kara Ward

Assistant Age Group/ Developmental Coach

Coach Kara joined the SSAN coaching staff in 2016, and was responsible for developing the younger to middle age group swimmers by focusing on skills that will enable them to be successful as they progress to new skill groups. The primary goal for Coach Kara and her younger swimmers was to focus on skills that translate to success down the road. Focusing on “basic” skills like diving off blocks, breathing, and turns, the success of her group was quantified by the successful completion and progression of strokes, rather than the winning of races.

Kara’s background in swimming started at age 4, when she began swimming for her neighborhood swim team in Pennsylvania. There she excelled at butterfly and backstroke and won many team relay championships.  Coach Kara continues to love summer league and its environment for fun and development, and as a result, in addition to her US Swim coaching responsibilities, Coach Kara is also an assistant coach of Imperial Oaks Swim Team 2015- present, where she helped lead the Seals to an undefeated 2015, & 2019 season including Ponderosa champs!  She spent 2 years coaching with Spring Swim Team.  

Dedicated to the younger age group swimmers, Kara had a love for teaching and motivating her swimmers to pursue the sport of swimming. It was not uncommon to hear her tell her swimmers that practice makes habits. In fact, because of her heart for teaching, swimmers in her group would often come home reciting creative little sayings for them to remember what they have spent the day learning.

Kara is a mother of 4 SSAN swimmers, and when not coaching at the pool, she enjoyed relaxing with her family and traveling to new places. She was a stage 4 Breast cancer fighter and committed to making the most of every day.