Sergii Kukharskyi is the Head Coach of the JBarracudas Swim Team. He is a certified USA Swimming Coach with years of experience in teaching swimming and improving the technique of swimmers of all ages.
Originally from the small city Kurakhove, Donetsk oblast, Ukraine, Sergii wasn’t always bound to be involved in the swim world. From an early age he really enjoyed swimming, but decided to try different sports. It wasn’t until the age of 16 when he returned to swimming and continuously worked hard to achieve his goals. After numerous victories he became the best swimmer in the Donetsk Region, earned silver and bronze medals at the Ukrainian National Championships, received the title of ‘Master of Sport of Ukraine’, and was a member of the Ukrainian National Swim Team!
Sergii’s first experience of coaching started at the SC Petrovskiy, Donetsk, Ukraine where he served as the Head Coach from September 2012 to May 2014.
Beginning in May 2014, he further developed his impact in the swim community by serving as the Director of the Sports Complex. In this position he oversaw daily operation of the sport complex including management of the pool. He stayed in this role until he moved to the United States in 2015. After moving to the USA in April 2015, Sergii worked as a swim coach at Matchpoint NYC where he was involved in the learn to swim program, served as an assistant coach to the swim team, ran swim clinics, and constantly provided private lessons.
In September 2018, Sergii moved to sunny San Diego and joined the staff of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center as an assistant swim coach, masters coach, and private lessons instructor. A year later, all of Sergii’s hard work and impact with the team was recognized so he was promoted to being the Head Coach of the JBarracudas Swim Team!
While in this role, Sergii has developed an exceptional program that has grown quickly and has also earned its USA Swimming recognition as a youth swim club. In September 2021, Sergii brought the JBarracudas to their first ever competitive swim meet in the San Diego-Imperial Swimming LSC and by February 2022, he attended Winter Age Group Championships with several of the swimmers.Under the direction of Sergii, the team has continued to excel and reach new levels of competition, including a National level swimmer who competed at the 2021 Olympic Trials. His approach is focused on building a love for the water and understanding proper stroke technique prior to focusing on speed.
Achievements: Top 10 US Masters Champion in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 UANA Pan American Masters 2018 record holder in 100m Breaststroke
Certifications: USA Swimming Coach, American Red Cross First Aid, CPR & AED, American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, ASCA (American Swimming Coaches Association) Certification Level 2.
Aleks is originally from Kharkiv, Ukraine and started swimming at the age of 7. When he was 10, he took third place at his first hometown competition and that’s when he developed his passion for swimming. At the age of 17, Aleks won the 50 freestyle at the Ukrainian Junior National Championship. This magnificent achievement allowed him to earn a scholarship to join the swim team at Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, California.
As a Freshman (2018-19) – at the PCSC Championships, Aleks won first place in the 100 IM, 200-free relay, and 200 medley relay while taking second place in the 50 free. At the NCAA DII National Championships, he competed in the 200 free relay.
As a Sophomore (2019-20) - at the PCSC Championships Aleks took 3rd place in the 50 free with a time of 20.58. At the NCAA DII National Championships of this year, he competed in the 200 medley relay. During this period, Aleks earned CSCAA All-American honors and set a school record.
As a Junior (2020-21) - at the PCSC Championships Aleks reclaimed the title by winning the 100 free and took 3rd place in the 50 free.
As a Senior (2021-22) - at the PCSC Championships his senior year, he took 2nd place in 100 free (44.81.
After being a professional swimmer for so many years Aleks has gained a lot of knowledge through experienced coaches from different parts of the world. Now starting his career as a coach here with the Barracudas Swim Team, he is excited to pass it on to future generations so that he can help them grow and improve in this amazing sport!
Olga Stamova was born in Ukraine and began her swimming career there when she was 5 years old. She is a former competitive swimmer of seven years and specialized in the 200 backstroke and 100 freestyle.
During her life she found interest in many different sports such as tennis and volleyball but her passion for swimming was always foremost in her heart. Although she stopped swimming competitively, when Olga moved to San Diego eight years ago, she wanted to start her career as a swimming instructor.
Therefore she began coaching private lessons in 2021 and has since been able to earn her USA Swimming Certifications. She joined Barracudas in November 2022 and believes in swimming technique and fundamentals to build a strong foundation for success.
Alex comes to us with a wealth of coaching and swimming knowledge. Alex began swimming at the age of 4 in her club team's swim lesson program and began swimming competitively at age 6. After having won many high point trophies and making various All Star teams, Alex was recruited to swim for the University of Hawaii on an athletic scholarship. At the beginning of Alex's time in college she specialized in the 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle, but at the end of her career she ended up swimming the 50, 100, 200, and 500 freestyle. While in college she was identified as a Scholastic All American for 4 years and was part of a 3x Conference Championship winning team.
During and after college, Alex coached for three different swim teams as her career brought her all over the country. While coaching Alex has guided her swimmers to become technique champions, reach their swimming goals, and qualify for senior-level meets. Alex has a heart and passion for swimming and coaching and is excited to cheer on your swimmers inside and outside of the pool.
Omar starting swimming competitively at the age of 12 for the Napa Valley Swim Team (NVST) in Napa, CA. Although getting a late start in the sport, Omar quickly became an asset to his team. He specialized in 100/200 butterfly and 200/400 individual medleys. By the end of his high school career, he had broken various NVST records, traveled to senior meets across the country, and took home the conference title in the 100-yard butterfly his senior year. Omar continued his swimming career at the Santa Rosa Junior College where he was able to fine tune his swimming and weightlifting technique. He went on to qualify for CCCAA State Championship and became All-American in 200-yard butterfly, 200-yard medley relay, and 400-yard medley relay. After his time in Santa Rosa, Omar transferred to California State University - Chico where he competed on the triathlon team and completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Food Science.
As a swim instructor, Omar began by holding private lessons for families. He eventually went on to coach multiple summer leagues during college. Omar is excited to join the Barracuda family and share all he has learned throughout his swimming career. He is looking forward to helping future generations of swimmers achieve their goals through proper technique, hard work, and of course fun!
When Omar isn't on the pool deck, you can find him working as a nutritionist for a non-profit and working towards his master's degree in sports nutrition. He also enjoys spending time with his family and friends, baseball games, cooking, sitting at the beach, and swimming with masters.
Go Barracudas!
