The Issaquah Swim Team, led by Head Coach Kyle Johnson, was recently awarded the 2007 Silver Medal Club status by USA Swimming in the Club Excellence Program. This is the second year in a row that the IST Sockeyes, a local competitive swimming team committed to athletic and personal excellence, have received the silver from USA Swimming, the National Governing Body for amateur competitive swimming in the United States. The Excellence in Club Swimming Program embraces leadership and excellence in up to 200 of USA Swimming’s top member clubs.

IST provides instruction and training for swimmers ages 6-18, at all skill levels. From beginners focused on learning and developing competitive swimming fundamentals to elite athletes striving for National and Olympic trials, there are invaluable long-term benefits from a total commitment to excellence and the "team concept," whether he/she chooses to make an athletic career out of swimming or not.

Earlier this year, IST swimmers placed 6th out of 127 teams at the Northwest Age Group Sectional swim meet and competed against teams from Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming at the aquatic center in Federal Way. Since 1975, the Issaquah Swim Team has held a commitment to their tradition of excellence by the coaching staff, board of directors, athletes and parents. Determination, participation, fun, accountability, and hard work with a positive attitude are all goals expected of IST athletes.

"Competitive swimming is all about fast swimming, about racing, about winning. But under the surface it is much more than that,” said Kyle Johnson, the Head Coach and Director of Team Planning and Athletic Development for the Issaquah Swim Team. “It is about self-exploration, self-discovery, and the pursuit of excellence through making the correct daily decisions that will allow you to be the best you can be. This doesn’t always mean beating other people; more often it is about the process of reaching your potential. The process of long-term development and career progression has defined the sport of competitive swimming,” stated Johnson, who began his coaching career in 1981 and has been the Head Coach of the Sockeyes since 1997. Johnson is currently an American Swimming Coach Association Level 4 certified coach and continues to qualify athletes for Junior National Championships, Senior National Championships, and Olympic Trials.

Each athlete begins and ends his/her swimming career at a different level of development. The coaching staff enhances this development with structured training sessions from the novice to national levels. Within these training sessions several personal aspects are taught and refined on a daily basis: effort, attitude, skill mastery and time improvement. While refining these skills, each athlete is provided the opportunity to learn the benefits of dependability, responsibility, self-discipline and self-control.