Culver City Swimmers Retain Coaches and Merge with Team Santa Monica
Sixty-one swimmers and their families, along with all of the coaches who formerly belonged to Edge Swim Club, have merged their organization with Team Santa Monica (TSM).
The merger occurred as a result of the Culver City Council’s decision in November 2007 to end their agreement with Patrick Moran, owner of Edge Swim Club, at The Plunge. With Moran given only three weeks notice, the families and coaches who comprised Edge had to determine how best to protect their children’s interest. Coaches Monique Shelton, Ryan Mushin, and Mary Mitchell have joined their swimmers in the move from Edge to TSM.
In the aftermath of the Council’s vote, the head coach of TSM, Jon Carroll, approached Monique Shelton, the head coach of Edge, and suggested the two teams join forces. Both programs place a heavy emphasis on fitness as well as competitive swimming. With the merger of these two successful organizations, TSM’s Santa Monica and Culver City teams now comprise the largest swim team in the West Los Angeles area.
Shelton was committed to making sure the children and her fellow coaches were protected in the transition. A deciding factor for the coaches and families was that TSM shares the Edge tradition of promoting diversity and providing financial aid to families in need.
“This has been a challenging period of time for all of us, but our parents and coaches have remained focused on preserving the strong program we have built over the past several years,” Shelton explained. “Although it was sad we had to separate ourselves from Patrick, the majority of our kids and all of our coaches have remained together. Our kids come from all walks of life and it was important to us that TSM provided financial assistance to those families who need it. We are all committed to keeping every child we can in the water. We remain the same team – we simply have a different name now.”
“We are very excited about the addition of the Culver families to the TSM organization,” commented TSM coach Carroll. “We look forward to creating a dynamic organization that will be a source of pride for Los Angeles and its surrounding communities. Any time you can bring quality coaches on board as we have with Monique, Ryan, and Mary, and committed families, then you have the ingredients for something special. I personally cannot wait to get started building a feeling of team unity.”
