The Michael Phelps and Janet Evans of tomorrow are training today at the West Hollywood Pool and at Marlborough School with the BLAST Sharks, a competitive swim program led by veteran USA Swimming Coach Peter Lambert.

Lambert is also head swimming coach at Marlborough School, and he oversees BLAST Sharks programs for swimmers ages 6-18 on the Marlborough School campus and in West Hollywood. Swimmers don’t have to be Marlborough students to join the BLAST Sharks team at the school.

Lambert started the BLAST Sharks program three-and-a-half years ago utilizing the Marlborough School pool. The program is currently also offered at the L.A. Tennis Club and at the Verdugo Pool in Burbank. The BLAST Sharks program is growing, and became the sole youth swim training program at the West Hollywood Pool at the beginning of this year.

Swimmers aged 6-18 years old can join the BLAST Sharks competitive swim team at West Hollywood Pool and at Marlborough School.
(photo couresy of Peter Lambert)

BLAST Sharks, under the tutelage of USA certified coaches, have a reputation to advance to collegiate, junior Olympic and Junior National competition. The training focuses on health and well-being, giving young athletes exercise that benefits their minds and bodies, Lambert said.

“We’ve found that the kids actually perform better in school. All of their nervous energy dissipates,” Lambert said. “The direction and training translates into better focus. We try to create strong individuals. It’s not pitting athletes against each other. The stress is discipline and interpersonal relationships. We teach them to use their skills to achieve their goals.”

The co-ed BLAST Sharks program trains swimmers in the four primary strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breast stroke and freestyle. Every session includes a skills lesson in swimming and cardiovascular training, helping participants prepare for monthly swim meets. Lambert said Southern California is one of the most competitive areas for youth swimming competitions. Last year, swimmers from the BLAST Sharks team competed in the Senior Nationals and Junior Nationals. The program produced 38 Junior Olympic Swimmers in 2016.

“The meets are very exciting. It’s definitely very challenging and competitive,” Lambert said. “Not unlike the Olympics, there is a ‘ready room’ where the swimmers get psyched up and stretch out. They get paraded out to the platform and their names are announced. They get ready and when the starter goes off, it’s all business. Hundreds of people are cheering and it’s all about racing. It’s a great experience for the kids.”

Last year, seven BLAST swimmers joined the swimming teams at Princeton, Brown, MIT, New York University, Lafayette, Pitzer, College of Holy Cross and the University of California, San Diego. BLAST also helped younger swimmers get accepted into programs at selective middle and high schools, Lambert said.

Lambert was a standout swimmer at the University of Wisconsin. He qualified for the USA Swimming National Championships multiple times and coached in the USA Swimming program. He began running a swimming program at the Los Angeles Tennis Club 12 years ago, and two years later became head swimming coach at Marlborough School in Hancock Park. He said the BLAST Sharks program is flourishing at the West Hollywood Pool.

“Things are going nicely,” Lambert said. “The exciting news is they are building another pool (as part of the West Hollywood Park renovation). It’s going to be state of the art. We will be in that pool in summer 2018.”

Other exciting news for the BLAST Sharks is that Marlborough School opened its new 13-lane, state-of-the-art pool in 2016. The professional facilities are a perfect place to train the swimmers of tomorrow, Lambert said.

The BLAST Sharks program is offered in West Hollywood from 4 to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturday mornings from 6:45 to 9 a.m. Swimming classes are held at Marlborough School from 4:15 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Lambert encouraged anyone interested in improving their swimming skills or competing to consider the BLAST Sharks. Information is available at blastswimming.org. And while the program is goal-oriented and challenging, it’s also a rewarding and fun experience in which young swimmer have a “blast,” Lambert added.