Redmond begins service as USA Swimming board member

USA Swimming had a Nov. 20 board meeting in New York City which constituted the board debut of Sean Redmond.

"I'm still learning all the stuff I need to do," Redmond said. "It's fun, exciting, but the workload is I think a little more than I expected."

In September, USA Swimming held its annual convention in Atlanta which included elections for the board of directors. Representatives from the local swim committees in the Western Zone selected Redmond to be the Western Zone Junior Director. The Western Zone covers Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado.

"It's kind of revitalized me in my coaching," Redmond said. "I'm really excited what I'm doing and being able to give back to the sport."

Redmond is the aquatics director and head coach of the Fallbrook Associated Swim Team club and has been with FAST since 1990. He has also been the Fallbrook High School girls swim coach since 1990 and coached the Warriors' boys swim team for one season. (Redmond has also been Fallbrook's girls water polo head coach since the 2011-12 season, although water polo is not under the auspices of USA Swimming.)

Redmond, who is originally from Maryland, coached at Coronado High School for three years before joining the Fallbrook High School program. He began his service on the CIF San Diego Section's swimming and diving advisory committee when he was at Coronado High School and continued on that advisory committee after he became the Fallbrook coach.

He is the co-director of the CIF diving championship meet, and Fallbrook High School hosts three high school diving invitational meets each year. (Diving is also under a separate national governing body, as is synchronized swimming.) Redmond was named the CIF San Diego Section girls swim coach of the year both for 2004 and in 2009.

The USA Swimming board meets four times a year and may also have special meetings if necessary. The normal meetings are in November, January, and April as well as at the annual convention in September.

The annual convention is a week-long event, but the other board meetings are on weekends. Redmond noted that the April meeting would not conflict with any Fallbrook High School invitational meet. "I'm the one that makes up our schedule," he said. "It's not going to be a conflict."

The April 2017 meeting is the same weekend as the Ironman Relays meet; Redmond and Fallbrook boys coach Bill Richardson opted against entering that meet for historical individual participation reasons prior to Redmond's selection to the USA Swimming board.

Redmond may miss some FAST meets due to his board activity. "Fortunately we have some great assistant coaches," he said.