Coaches & Staff
Our coaches are USA Swimming certified and Red Cross CPR certified, most hold ASCA certifications, and several are bilingual in Spanish and English. Nearly all of them either grew up on this team or have coached on it for years.
Coach Emily Graham was born and raised in Rose Park and swam for Race Swami for six years, so her love for this program runs deep. She graduated from West High in 2019 and finished a BS in Exercise Science at Utah Tech University in 2024. As a certified Health and Wellness Coach she brings real depth on health and athletics to her swimmers.
Emily coached the Kairos group for Race Swami in 2022 before leaving to finish her degree in St. George. She is thrilled to be back on the Rose Park deck, living out her dream job leading something as special as this program. Her goal as Head Coach is to give her swimmers the experience she had: fun, hard work, friendships and a love for the sport. As she puts it, “Race Swami is more than a swim team, it's a family that helped teach me how to persevere during challenging times, to make the most out of every situation, and to have fun while doing it.”
She still trains for triathlons and road bike races, and also coaches the Rowland Hall boys and girls swim teams. Outside the pool she spends her time with her family, her husband Thomas, and her two cats.
Coach Kleo Kobe was born and raised in Salt Lake City, swimming for Eagle Aquatic Team and the Skyline High girls' team. She studied International Relations at Occidental College in Los Angeles and swam for the Oxy team, where the 500 freestyle was her event. With more than ten years of coaching behind her, she is happiest helping swimmers reach their goals and believe in themselves everywhere else too. Off deck you will find her with a good book, crocheting, or hiking with her dog.
Coach Jenny has been on the Race Swami staff since 2022, working mainly with the Kaizen group. She takes a methodical approach to stroke technique while making sure her kids are enjoying themselves. Over three years with the program she has done an outstanding job getting swimmers ready to move up to Kairos with a real foundation and an eye for detail.
Coach Kleo Kobe was born and raised in Salt Lake City, swimming for Eagle Aquatic Team and the Skyline High girls' team. She studied International Relations at Occidental College in Los Angeles and swam for the Oxy team, where the 500 freestyle was her event. With more than ten years of coaching behind her, she is happiest helping swimmers reach their goals and believe in themselves everywhere else too. Off deck you will find her with a good book, crocheting, or hiking with her dog.
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Co-founder Matt Finnigan grew up in the swimming hotbed of the Bay Area, training more than twelve years at the Los Altos Aquatic Club, seven of them under the late Kevin Perry. Before coaching Race Swami's Salt Lake City site from 2011 to 2021 he led the Judge Memorial Catholic High School boys and girls teams to six Utah state titles in eight years. He stepped off the deck in 2021 to serve as Executive Director for the programs in both Salt Lake City and Menlo Park.
A native of Mexico, Minerva has been with Race Swami for eight years, first as a Swami parent to two swimmers and later hired to manage the program's growing day-to-day. She has become the face of Swami, since she is usually the first person a new family meets. Minerva is fluent in Spanish and English and serves as the club's recorder at every board meeting, among a thousand other things. Call or text her at 801-618-9807.
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Board of Directors
Race Swami runs on a strong, working board and a long list of gifted volunteers who bring real skill to the program while making our swimmers' lives better. We thank them all for making a difference.
Board emeritus
Jeff Appel and Rich Romano, with our thanks for years of service to this program.