Justin Hopgood

Assitant Age Group Coach

I graduated from UC Riverside with a BA in creative writing. I was a city champion in 100 backstroke while swimming for Grover Cleveland High school, where I also contributed to breaking the city record for 200 medley relay with my backstroke leg. I love swimming and the inherent joy that comes with being in the water. The goal for my students is balancing a strong work ethic while still having fun. The water is a great place to decompress after a stressful day at school. Swim is just as much a mental discipline as it is physical. The goal is to sharpen the mind along with strengthening the body. Learning to focus and push through when practice starts to get hard, leads to believing in one’s own ability. I remember swimming lap after lap with no real goal in mind, unsure if my kick was good and what my hands should be doing. Here at Royal we break down every aspect of swimming, every nuanced muscle in the body, and learn how to use it to the fullest capacity. Aside from swimming, I love to write poetry and music as well as create art. In the summer I love to surf, in the winter I love to snowboard, and my favorite sport besides swimming is baseball. Go Dodgers!