Competitor Coach of the Month: Jonty Skinner, Cali Condors

Competitor Coach of the Month is a recurring SwimSwam feature shedding light on a U.S.-based coach who has risen above the competition. As with any item of recognition, Competitor Coach of the Month is a subjective exercise meant to highlight one coach whose work holds noteworthy context – perhaps a coach who was clearly in the limelight, or one whose work fell through the cracks a bit more among other stories. If your favorite coach wasn’t selected, feel free to respectfully recognize them in our comment section.

Through the month of October, the Cali Condors are undefeated with two key wins and the league’s #1-scoring roster.

Head coach Jonty Skinner was actually a late substitute for the Condors. Jeff Julian was originally set to coach the International Swimming League team, but he was hospitalized during another bout with cancer early in this month.

Julian is doing well back in California, beginning treatment and exemplifying the optimistic mindset that has always been readily apparent in Julian as a person and a coach. And Skinner has been excellent in his stead, guiding the Condors to the ISL’s lead.

Included in the Condors’ big month: a season-opening upset of defending league champs Energy Standard.

The Condors have remained undefeated in the women’s medley relay, with six wins in six meets across two ISL seasons. Lilly King has improved to 25-for-25 in event wins – she’s swept the 50, 100, and 200 breaststrokes in all six of her ISL meets so far, along with medley relay wins and a 50 breast skins win in the opener.

Cali’s women hold the league’s top time this season in 10 of 18 events, including 7 of the 10 events on day 1 of the ISL format. And Skinner has parlayed that dominating women’s roster into maximum skins points, setting up 1-2 finishes in the skins final in two different strokes in two meets.

And the team owns six new ISL records from October: King’s 50 breast (28.86) and 200 breast (2:16.04), Melanie Margalis‘s 200 IM (2:04.06), Olivia Smoliga‘s 50 back (25.74), Caeleb Dressel‘s 100 IM (51.27) and Radoslaw Kawecki‘s 200 back (1:48.23).

Smoliga’s 50 back and King’s 50 breast were both American records. So were Margalis’s 100 IM (57.94) and 200 IM (2:04.06).

About Competitor Swim

Since 1960, Competitor Swim® has been the leader in the production of racing lanes and other swim products for competitions around the world. Competitor lane lines have been used in countless NCAA Championships, as well as 10 of the past 13 Olympic Games. Molded and assembled using U.S. – made components, Competitor lane lines are durable, easy to set up and are sold through distributors and dealers worldwide.

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