ECSC provides opportunities for each athlete to achieve their full and ultimate potential through proper training in a positive, safe, and healthy environment.
Welcome to ECSC
Eugene City Swim Club (ECSC), is a year-round competitive swimming team offering instruction, training, and competition to swimmers of all abilities.
ECSC is a non-profit organization financed and supported by its members and corporate sponsors, and receives no public funding from the City of Eugene to pay for its use of public facilities.
Since the club’s inception in 1968, the program has helped to develop the abilities of many of the area’s finest swimmers. Club members have included numerous nationally ranked age group and senior swimmers, as well as college and university standouts.
The team competes in local, regional, national, and international competitions sanctioned by United States Swimming (USA), our national governing body for amateur swimming.
We are very proud of our rich tradition and history.
Why a Phoenix?
ECSC disappeared for almost a decade when we merged with the Eugene YMCA, and has recently been re-established in the state of Oregon. This come-back would not have been possible without an amazing amount of support from the local business community, coaching community, past and present swim families, and a fantastic group of swimmers and families who didn't want to quit.
Striving for Excellence
Eugene City Swim Club strives to make a positive difference in the lives of its team members by promoting good sportsmanship, mechanically sound techniques, a healthy and nutritional lifestyle, balance, commitment, responsibility, love for the sport of swimming, and self respect. We are committed to creating an environment where every swimmer can realize his or her own potential.
We believe that the healthiest motivation for a child is the motivation that comes from within.
Our goal is to draw out each child’s natural energy, hope and courage, thereby fueling the pursuit of their dreams.
“Not everyone can be an Olympian, but we can be Olympic in our pursuit of excellence.”
-Understands the importance of the ‘team’
-Congratulates teammates regularly during practice and competition
-Demonstrates proper meet behavior (i.e. not throwing cap, goggles, etc)
-Respectful to Meet Officials
-Swimmers know names of competitors
–Understands and takes responsibility for attendance and performance, habits in practice and how these relate to meet performance
–Respectful of pools, locker rooms, team equipment and other swimmers property
–Swimmer is not influenced by the negative behavior/actions of teammates
–Actions show dedication to the team and promote team values
–Competes in the highest level of competition qualified
–Takes leadership positions as positive role modeling for younger swimmers
–Can complete a legal 200 of each stroke
–Can complete a legal 400 IM with transition turns
–Knows advance stroke drills
–Understands relationship between distance per stroke, stroke rate, and swimming speed
–Able to maintain stroke rate and times in training sets
–Can race in every distance, every stroke available over duration of season
–Knows his/her best times and best events
–Consistent use of race strategy
–Maximizes outside factors for better performance
–Knows how to descend and build
–Sets season goals
–Knows what decreasing resistance means
–Develop leadership skills
–Understands the difference between aerobic and anaerobic training
–Brings a water bottle to every practice for proper hydration
–Understands the importance of proper pre-meet meals
–Demonstrates eating a balanced diet and basic fuels used during swimming training
–Swimming is becoming highest priority
–Informs coach of practice absences and reasons
–Demonstrates proper rest habits
–Prioritizes schoolwork, social activities, and other commitments including swimming.
Meet the Coaches!
Nothing has greater influence on the quality of team swimming than the excellence of the coaching staff.
Scott Kerr
Scott Kerr is a native Oregonian who has a long history of successful swimming and coaching. He graduated from South Salem High School, where he held numerous school swimming records, and was inducted into the school Hall of Fame in 2011. After graduating from high school, Scott competed for the Florida State Seminoles, and in 1987 he received his B.S. in Hospitality Management from Florida International University.
Scott’s coaching history includes 4 years at the Pinecrest School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 24 years coaching Sheldon high school swimming, 15 years as Head Coach with the Eugene City Swim Club (ECSC), and 9 years as Head Coach with Team Eugene Aquatics after ECSC and the Eugene Y swim team merged in 2009. Scott is an ASCA Level 5 coach and has been part of the USA National Team coaching staff. Throughout his long career, Scott has qualified athletes for the Olympic Festival, World Championships (short course and long course), Goodwill Games, and Olympic Trials. He has coached 13 Senior National Qualifiers and over 60 Junior National Qualifiers. Scott has been married for 28 years to his wife, Toni. They have 2 sons, a dog, a cat, a bearded dragon, countless fish, a rabbit, and 3 chickens. Scott and Toni are NOT currently looking to rescue more pets.
Steve Johnson
Steve Johnson has coached swimming at six different clubs starting in 1965. Coach Johnson was away from coaching for many years while working as a scientist and university professor. He founded Emerald Aquatics in 1995 and was their senior coach from 2016 until recently joining our staff. In addition to coaching he has a long record of competitive swimming himself, both as a Division One college athlete and as a master swimmer. He has held seven United States Masters National Records. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1970 and also holds a Ph.D. In sociology. In coaching he tries to help each athlete see that limits are self imposed and that they can do more than they thought possible.
Coach Johnson has competed in more than 300 open water swims and won several USMS national championships. He also had top three finishes 4 times at the masters world championship.
Stephanie Marler
Stephanie Marler grew up on the Southern Oregon Coast and began swimming with the South Coast Aquatic Team at age 10. Stephanie was a varsity swimmer for Marshfield High School in Coos Bay for all 4 years. Stephanie is a graduate of the University of Oregon with degrees in Political Science and Sociology.
In 2010, Stephanie began as assistant coach for Marshfield High School, where she coached for over 10 years. During that time, Stephanie also coached for Gold Coast Swim Team and Southwestern Oregon Community College. Stephanie took a short break from coaching when she moved with her family to the Willamette Valley. Stephanie started as the Age Group coach for Eugene City Swim Club in September 2023.
Outside of coaching, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, lap swimming, attending U of O sporting events, and going to concerts.
Megan Hummel
Megan grew up in Eugene and started swimming on Coach Scott’s team when she was six years old. She swam for South Eugene High School where she was the girls’ team captain during her senior year. Megan also played water polo during high school. She has been a coach with Eugene City Swim Club since 2023 and coaches the Supersquad group.
Megan has worked for City of Eugene Recreation since 2016 and currently coordinates the swim lesson program at Echo Hollow Pool. Outside of swimming, Megan enjoys reading, Dungeons & Dragons, watching football, and hanging out with friends and her cats, Meatball and Pablo.
Sierra Tena
Sierra Tena was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon and found her passion for swimming very early in life. She swam for River Road Swim Club starting at age 6 and continued through her senior year of high school. In addition to club swimming, she was on North Eugene High School’s swim and water polo teams all 4 years of school. Throughout her time with RRSC, she found her passion for teaching as she began teaching swim lessons part time. During her senior year of high school, she began coaching with ECSC as a volunteer coach until she graduated in 2022.
From then, she continued as an assistant coach with ECSC as she continues her education at the University of Oregon with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies. Currently, she works with the City of Eugene as a Swim Lessons Coordinator, Lifeguard, and everything in between outside of ECSC practices!
Off the pool deck, you can find her out in the backcountry doing various activities such as hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, and backpacking. She loves to travel and visit places in our great outdoors as much as she can. She is always looking to learn new outdoors skills and try something new!
Volunteering
ECSC currently operates on the generosity of our parents and swimmers stepping up when needed. Our ONLY volunteering request at this time is to help out when our team is assigned lanes (for timing) at swim meets.
Fundraising
We currently have NO MINIMUM requirement for fundraising, and we fully acknowledge that this wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of our families, our community, and local businesses who support ECSC’s core values and goals for our swimmers. We greatly appreciate the ongoing efforts that help keep ECSC alive and well.
Still Undecided? Try us out!
We assume that by now, you have seen and read enough to be seriously interested. If you’ve never been on a swim team before, and you want to test the waters at Eugene City Swim Club, we invite you to swim with us for two weeks… FOR FREE!
Just Visiting?
If you swim for another team and you’re visiting from out of town, and you need to stay in the water… we welcome you as well! Please call or email Scott to let him know in advance. He may want to check in with your coach if you’re in a crucial training stage of the season.
We look forward to meeting you!
ECSC, a member of United States Swimming, encourages athletes to succeed as competitors in the pool as well as citizens of their communities. While natural athletic talent is not bestowed in equal amounts, excellence is an attainable goal for everyone willing to work for it.
Sponsors
ECSC is a 501(c)(3) organization and would not exist without the generosity of our sponsors. Your contributions keep us going, keeps our fees low for everyone, and allow more families to participate in this amazing, life-long sport. Click to read more!
Contact Us
If you have any questions about becoming a sponsor, donating to our cause, visiting from another team, or joining our team, please contact Scott Kerr. He'll either answer your questions or point you to someone who can. Click for contact information.
USA Safe Sport Reporting Information
To deal with a Safe Sport concern, contact USA Swimming at (719) 866-4578
Contact the U.S. Center for Safe Sport to make a report. Call (720) 524-5640 or use the online reporting form or find more information at http://www.uscenterforsafesprot.org/
Contact the U.S. Center for Safe Sport to make a report. Call (720) 524-5640 or use the online reporting form or find more information at http://www.uscenterforsafesprot.org/
Please contact our Safe Sport Club Coordinator, Jules DeGiulio, at 541-510-2937
Donate to ECSC
We thank you in advance for your support! Your donations are greatly appreciated and will be used to help us grow as an organization while we focus on the present and future successes of our swimmers. Coming soon!
