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Coach Mehrad Zarrehparvar - Head Coach
Mehrad began his coaching career in 1997 working as an assistant coach with the Marin Pirates age-group program in Kentfield, California and later that year as an assistant coach for the Terra Linda Orcas. In 1998 he assumed the role of head coach with the Strawberry Seals in Mill Valley, California. By his third season with the program, it had grown from 90 to 200 swimmers. In 2001 he was awarded the MSL Coach of the Year. Mehrad stayed with the Seals until 2004 when he left coaching to pursue other interests.
After four years working in production and operations management for a small specialty manufacturing firm he returned to school to pursue an MBA. Yearning to coach again Mehrad returned to California in 2010 where he returned to working with the Marin Pirates as an assistant coach for the senior program focusing primarily on the distance and stroke groups. During his time with the Marin Pirates he had the fortune of coaching and learning from many National level swimmers and his coaching mentor, Warren Lager. In 2011, he returned to coach with the Seals focusing on the youth swimming program and later in 2013 resumed the role as head coach of the program.
Mehrad believes age-group swimming programs are the foundation of swimming excellence in USA Swimming and is passionate about promoting swimming to develop confident, healthy, fit, and happy children. He is an avid supporter of the philosophy that “quality” rather than “quantity” is the best approach to produce skilled swimmers while maintaining healthy injury free bodies.
Mehrad is a member coach of USA Swimming and the Association of American Swim Coaches. Mehrad holds a B.A. in History from San Francisco State University achieving the Dean’s List and a Distinguished Scholar Award. He also holds an MBA from Rutgers Business School with several academic honors including the Danielle Kessler Memorial Scholarship, Dean’s Award, and the J. David Parkinson Endowed Fellowship.
Coach Taylor Gamboa - Assistant Head Coach
Taylor has been with the Seals for 27 years as a swimmer and coach. Taylor was born and raised in Mill Valley, CA. He joined the Strawberry Seals as a swimmer at the age of 4 and swam till he was 18. After graduating from Tam High, Taylor went to College of Marin and continued with the Seals as a coach. Taylor graduated from Menlo College and is now working on a family start-up while coaching the Seals. Along with swimming, Taylor participated in water polo while attending Tam and played baseball throughout college.
Coach Kenneth Weber - Assistant Coach, Senior Group
Coach Ken began his coaching career as a freshman at SUNY Albany where he swam distance and mid-distance freestyle on the Varsity team. He coached for the SUNYA Swim Club for four years as an assistant coach and was the captain of the swim team in his senior year. He then attended Oregon State University to get his PhD and coached an additional four years at the Benton County YMCA as the seniors coach publishing twice in Swimming Technique. After attending law school at the University of Washington, Coach Ken had a professional career as a lawyer. He returned to coaching at Tam High School in 2010. He took over as the head boys coach in 2013 and continues in this position. After retiring from his law practice in 2020, he began coaching for the Seals with a focus on the older swimmers.
Karsten Hakes - Jr. Coach
Marin Academy Senior
(Photo unavailable)
Maeve McAuley - Jr. Coach
Branson High School Senior
