Coach Lysandra and her certifications

Lysandra first learned to swim at the age of 3 in a pond in Arizona to escape the sun’s heat. Her speed improved as she fled the water snakes that slivered past her. When she came to California, she started swimming on the Venice Dolphins and began competing at the age of 7. Her novice swimming continued into middle school with the Santa Monica Sharks.

In high school, she joined the SAMOHI swim team. She also discovered water polo and surfing her sophomore year and joined those teams. During high school, she made All-American for swimming and water polo. In swimming, she was a conference finalist in freestyle. Her interest in water continued to grow, and she joined the junior guards program at Will Rogers State Beach. When she turned 16, she began lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons to children at Crossroads School. That same year she volunteered for Boarding House Mentors, as a personal guard and a surf instructor. This program was started by a close friend of hers-- it gives inner city kids the chance to learn and play at the beach.

Moving forward in her life, she began collegiate swimming and water polo at Santa Monica College. She received athlete of the year for water polo, and was in the top 5 for state swimming championships in butterfly and freestyle. She again made All-American for swimming and water polo at the community college level. During that time, she began scuba diving and is now on her way to becoming a Master Diver. Once she finished at the community college, she transferred to California State University Northridge to finish her last two years of eligible collegiate swimming. She concentrated on freestyle, helping the team beat conference records in 4 relay events. At CSUN, she graduated with a BA in Psychology.

She now continues her swimming career with US Masters Swimming and was a champion in her events in the 2010 Summer Nationals. Currently she coaches for the same team she competed on in middle school, the Santa Monica Sharks. She is also an assistant coach for the new swim program at East LA College, teaches Aqua Aerobic classes, and continues instructing all levels of swimming.

Certifications held by Coach Lysandra

American Red Cross:
- First Aid for Public Safety Personnel (Title 22)
- Lifeguarding & First Aid
- Water Safety Instructor (WSI)
- CPR/AED for Lifeguards (Adult, Child, Infant)
- Administering Emergency Oxygen
- Basic/Advance Scuba
- Rescue Diver