Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Don Garman
Coach Don’s career is defined by an
unparalleled commitment
to the sport: over 60 years of
coaching, dedicated entirely to
the Southern California Swimming
(SCS) community. He has
helped develop so many of Southern
California Swimming’s
finest athletes and some of its
finest citizens. Don has served
as a Geo Committee rep, as a Coach’s
Rep, and as an Age
Group Rep. When it comes to service,
no one has done it
longer or better than Don Garman.
Don has been with the Armada since
its inception in 2006 when the team moved
from Industry Hills. Over the years
Don has had the opportunity to work with some
of the finest young swimmers in the
country. To date, several of Don’s swimmers
have set Southern California
Swimming records and even national records and have
continually excelled at the local
level.
Over the period of his career, Don
has coached more top-16 nationally ranked
swimmers than any other active coach
in Southern California. Don was formerly
the Head Age Group Coach of Industry
Hills Aquatics and the El Monte Aquatics
Club. Prior to that Don was the Head
Coach of the Hacienda Heights Aquatics Club.
Olympic Gold medalist, Jill Sterkel,
got her start in the sport under the guidance of
Don Garman as her coach.
Throughout the eighties and
nineties, Don’s teams at El Monte and Industry Hills
were annually in the hunt for the
SCS JO Championship. Don was named as an
American Swim Coaches Association
(ASCA) “Top 10 National Age Group Coach of
the Year” for 2021 and for Metro
Committee “Coach of the Year” for 2010 and 2013.
ABOUT THE AWARD
The Outstanding Service Award was
established in 1981 to recognize volunteers for their
invaluable contribution to USA Swimming.
The award, sponsored by One America Financial, is
presented annually to an honoree
named by each of the 58 local swimming committees.
Selection criteria considers
quality, level and years of volunteer service in elected or appointed
positions from among the categories
of administrator, official and coach.
Southern California Swimming, USA
Swimming and One America Financial take great pride
in honoring the role of the
volunteer as an important investment in the future of all swimming
athletes and the growth they
represent.
Volunteers have been the heart and
strength of American swimming, and their special gifts of
time, talent and devotion to local
swimming programs make USA Swimming what it is today.