Head Coach - Cristina Perovich
As a former Italian National
Champion and member of the Italian National Team for 6 years, Cristina
benefited greatly from her experience of training with diving legend, 3 times
Olympic champion, Klaus Dibiasi. She graduated from the Superior Institute of
Physical Education of Milan, Italy with a degree in Physical Education and
completed her thesis in Sports Medicine. She has worked extensively in the
gymnastics and dive community in Italy and here in the U.S. and served as Head
Coach of the Royal Aquatic Diving team when it merged with the RBAC.
Assistant Coach - Hunter Shafer
Hunter
comes to us from Long Beach, where he was the Junior National Team Coach for
McCormick Divers. Hunter competed nationally for 10 years at the Junior,
NCAA and Senior National Championships. He is a US National Bronze
Medalist and was the first person to compete a Reverse 2 1/2 with 1 1/2 twist
(5353C). He graduated from Northern Arizona with a degree in English
Literature. In addition to his duties at RBAC, Hunter is also the Chair of
the Junior Rules Committee for US Diving and was recently elected to the
nominating committee.
Assistant Coach - Isabell Saakian
Isabell was a diver in
her native Armenia from the age of 7 until she was 16. At 13 she already
has her Master Sport CCCR. After receiving her degree in Physical
Education and Sports from the Armenian State Institute of Physical Education,
she coached diving for 10 years in her home country, then began coaching here at
the Rose Bowl in 2004, as soon as she moved to California.
Assistant Coach - Bobbi Fielding
Assistant Coach - Lenny Larsen
Joining RBAC in January 2009, Lenny coaches beginning and adult diving lessons. While Lenny may be new to the sport of diving, he is certainly no stranger to teaching and coaching, with experience ranging from youth theatre education to college level entertainment design courses. Away from the pool, Lenny is an accomplished writer, director and designer for theatrical and themed entertainment. He holds a master degree in entertainment technology from Carnegie Mellon University and is responsible for shaping the creative vision behind more than sixty major projects, including theme parks, museums, and stage productions around the world.