Meet the Coaches
This information has been updated so that you can know a
little more about each coaches history in swimming and coaching philosophy. Not only do they
know their strokes and techniques, but read on to see what great
personalities each of them has. If you'd like to ask any of them
questions on A.R.A.C just click their name to email them!
Michael Diverniero(AKA: Mic-Dev):
Being the head coach of the ARAC team is a hard job to maintain but Mic-Dev makes it all look very easy. With his very unique noise that he makes (whoo oo wup) he can get the attention from every swimmer in the pool. He has been coaching for over 30 years so he really has great experience. He has that talent of getting you to work hard in a meet but not put on any pressure, however sometimes he may have to. Funny, hardworker, friendly, happy, that all sums up Mic.
Mic-Dev has spent 33 years coaching swimming. He started and spent 26 years with the Paradise Country Club in Hamden. Mic-Dev’s swim team at Paradise compiled an overall record of 114 wins and 16 losses with 14 league championships. Mic has also been coaching in Orange with the Amity Regional Aquatic Club (the old Orange Otters) since 1980 and has been the Head Coach/Director since 1988. Mic-Dev’s ARAC team competes in the Nutmeg League and has won 15 League overall team championships during his tenure in Orange. ARAC is a member of Connecticut Swimming, Inc.; the local governing body for competitive swimming in the State of Connecticut. Connecticut Swimming, Inc. is one of fifty-nine (59) Local Swimming Committees of USA Swimming, the National Governing Body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is through USA Swimming where Mic-Dev has had his most success. Starting in 1988 Mic has helped develop 6 swimmers to compete at Olympic trials. His highest finisher was Ben Michaelson who finished 3rd in the 100 meter Butterfly at the 2004 Trials. The top two simmers in each event make the team. The most recent swimmer has been Katie Sieben in 2008. Mic has also developed numerous swimmers who have achieved ranking times of top 16 in the country. Mic has two lovely daughters, Ellyn Rose age 10 and Aimee age 7. He and his wife Julie reside in East Haven.
My Philosophy as a Coach
As a professional coach, I would imagine that my philosophy is not very different from all coaches, which is to bring out the best in each young athlete that I have the privilege of influencing. There are several aspects to coaching that under the best of circumstances all come together to produce a team made up of successful individuals.
Bringing the best out of a young athlete physically is a simple technological issue. Knowing which muscle groups will respond to specific exercises, the correct repetition and duration of each of these exercises is studied and documented for anyone who cares to do the research. Having the instinct to know how hard and how far to push each individual is an art. Finding the perfect balance between these two entities is my constant goal.
Coaching athletics should be about more than just the physical ability, however. Instilling self-confidence and inner drive is just as important if the individual's emotional development is also considered. Giving a youngster a strong sense of self worth and a sense of belonging to an entity greater than himself will follow that youngster into his or her adult life and ideally become an inner strength that can be called upon when needed later in life. Getting to know each athlete’s personality, strengths and weaknesses is vital if a coach's ultimate goal is to have that youngster become a better person for having been involved in organized athletics.
Each athlete getting a sense gratification and joy out of their sustained efforts is also a part of my philosophy. Without this sense of accomplishment and some fun, how far can young athletes be expected to push themselves? As the coach, it is a part of my job to give each youngster all the tools they need to become the very best they can.
To me, coaching basically comes down to the pursuit of excellence. By realizing the combination of all the aspects that make up each individual, helping them set personal goals, and pushing them to reach those goals, I am constantly trying to bring out the best in each youngster that I coach.
How I Would Like to be Remembered
I would like to be remembered as a person who gave one hundred and ten percent at all times. My goal is always to help build good people, good students and good athletes.
Kristen has been swimming almost her entire life. She was a competitive swimmer for 17 years and even when she was not at practice she could be found in the water; whether she was at the beach, the country club or in her own backyard. Though Kristen played many sports, it quickly became apparent that her passion lay in the water. And although she tried out diving and water polo, her true love was always swimming.
Kristen excelled as a young athlete and by the age of 11 she was a regular competitor at the Connecticut Senior Championships. She also qualified for YMCA Nationals at age 12 and made her first Sectional cut when she 15. Kristen also had the opportunity to compete at 3 different Senior National Meets where she had the privilege of witnessing a handful of world record breaking swims, an experience she won’t soon forget.
As a high school swimmer at The Hopkins School, Kristen achieved All-American time standards in the 100 Yd Backstroke and was a New England Prep School Champion in that event. Along with her teammates, Kristen helped break the National Prep School record in the 200 Meter Medley Relay, although the record fell again in less than a month. Kristen still holds records for the Hopkins School in the 200 Yd Freestyle, 100 Yd Backstroke and multiple Relays.
After high school, Kristen attended Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, where she completed her competitive swimming career. Kristen was thrice named to the Academic All-Patriot League and thrice named to the All-Patriot Team. Upon graduation she held places on the University’s top 10 times list in 7 different events (200, 500, 1000 and 1650 Freestyle and 200, 400 and 800 Freestyle Relays) and was honored by her team with two awards; The Frazier-Grunow MVP Award and the Robert A. Latour Award for leadership, dedication and love of the sport.
Although her competitive days are now over, Kristen is excited to continue to give back to the sport that has taught her so much. She understands the close-knit nature of the Connecticut Swimming community and even remembers both Coaches Mic and Bob from the pool deck during her competitive days (they were already coaches then). Kristen has been teaching swimming in various capacities for almost 10 years and hopes to continue to do so for many more to come.
Coach Vin began swimming competitively at the age of four, and year-round under Coach Mic-Dev at ARAC, at the age of seven. It was at this time that Coach Vin was taught the same core values of competitive swimming that he teaches today to all his swimmers: hard work and determination equals success.
As a freestyler and backstroker, Coach Vin excelled under the guidance of Coach Mic-Dev and the other ARAC coaches. Winning several events each year at the Nutmeg Championship, Vin first qualified for Age Groups as an 8 year-old, and Senior Championships as a 12 year-old.
As a 14 year-old, Vin placed second at Seniors in the 200 meter backstroke and was part of two first-place relays with his older brother, Seth. The next year Vin went on to win the 200 meter backstroke at Age Groups and Seniors with a yards-conversion time of 1:54.21.
As part of a dominant Amity High School team, Vin held records in both the 100 yard backstroke and as the backstroker in a 200 Medley Relay that would go on to win the Southern Connecticut Conference Championships and the Class L Championship, and place second at the Connecticut State Open Championship. As a freestyler, Vin primarily swam the 100 and 200 yard freestyle events, with personal bests of 48.65 and 1:47.98, respectively.
By the time coach Vin graduated high school in 2002, he had accumulated 11 All-State selections, 1 All-American automatic selection and 1 All-American consideration selection. He was offered multiple swimming and academic scholarships from many Division 1 schools, including The University of Connecticut, Penn State and Georgetown. However, due to a lower back problem that has since required multiple surgeries and metallic implants for support, Vin was unable to continue his swimming career into college. In 2006, he graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Pre-Law, with a minor in American History.
In 2001, while still in high school, Vin began coaching for ARAC on a part-time basis. Since 2006, he has been a part of the ARAC family as an assistant coach and in 2008 began coaching as a full-time assistant.
Coach Mike knows the ARAC system! In 1987, at the age of 7, Mike began swimming for Coach MicDev with the Orange Swim Club (now known as ARAC). He continued to learn proper technique and skills until 1998.
Coach Mike attended Notre Dame High School and was on the varsity swim team all four years. He made State finals in the 200 and 500 freestyle events.
Mike’s love of swimming and belief in the ARAC program brought him back on the Orange Town Pool deck – this time as a coach. He began coaching for Coach Mic and ARAC 6 yrs ago. While continuing to help our swimmers improve, Coach Mike has entered the high school coaching arena. He was the Head Coach at Foran High School from 2007-2009. Currently he holds the following Head Coach positions: Notre Dame High School – 2009 to present, St. Joseph’s girls Head Coach – 2010 to present. Coach Mike has coached 3 all-state swimmers, including a Class S Champion in 2 events, and several top 10 finishers at State Opens.
In the summer, Mike O’Brien continues to broaden his swimming experiences. He was the Coach/Pool Director at Ridge Top for 2 years and will be starting his new position as Club Manager at Paugussett this summer.