'This is my dream job': Sara Kuhn adds her touch to the Sandpoint Sharks
Sara Kuhn, 30, recently became the second head coach in Sandpoint Sharks history. Kuhn grew up in Philadelphia and competed at Edinboro University. When she stumbled across an application for the job, she knew she couldn't pass it up. "This has been a perfect opportunity for me," she said.
(Photo by DYLAN GREENE)
SANDPOINT — The Sandpoint Sharks recently welcomed the second head coach in the club swim team’s history.
Sara Kuhn took over the program after Mike Brosnahan retired as the aquatics and youth director at the Litehouse YMCA in October.
Brosnahan founded the Sharks swim team in 1990 and coached the team every year up until his retirement.
But now the Sharks have a new voice and Kuhn couldn’t be more excited to take over a club team with so much history.
“It’s big shoes to fill with Mike being here for 32 years,” she said, ‘ … But I’m here for the kids and I really want to implement new things, challenge them and really teach them about humility and being good sports.”
Swimming is part of who Kuhn is. The 30-year-old started swimming before she turned a year old and by 5, she was competing. She even appeared in national meets as early as the eighth grade.
“I have always been obsessed with the water,” she said.
Kuhn grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and went to Archbishop Ryan High School. There, she won multiple titles in the 100 and 200 backstroke, the 200 IM and 400 IM, and several relays. She earned All-Catholic League honors countless times and was named the team’s MVP.
After graduating from Archbishop Ryan in 2009, Kuhn attended Edinboro University in Pennsylvania and swam for the Fighting Scots throughout her college career.
Kuhn earned her bachelor’s degree in human performance from Edinboro in 2014. Following graduation, Kuhn bounced around the country and lived in New York City and Wyoming for periods of time.
But four years ago, she found her way to North Idaho with her fiance. After working at Sweet Lou’s for two years and The Coeur d’Alene Resort for one, Kuhn stumbled across an application on Indeed for the Sandpoint Sharks head swim coach. It was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.
“This is my dream job,” she said.
After competing for over 19 years, Kuhn took a break from swimming following the grueling demands of being a college athlete and didn’t step back into a pool until accepting the Sharks’ job.
“I always wanted to get back into swimming, so this has been a perfect opportunity for me,” she said.
Swimming is Kuhn’s passion, but she needed some time away from the sport following college and she could never find time for it with her work schedule. After so many years away from the water, Kuhn said the encouragement and support she received from her club swim coach growing up, Dawn Pachence, pushed her to get back into it.
“She was the greatest mentor that I could have ever asked for and I’m still super close with her,” Kuhn said. “She’s one of my best friends to this day.”
Kuhn said swim has had a profound impact on her life and that’s part of the reason she took the job. She wants to share her love for the sport with others.
“Swimming molded me into the person that I am today,” she said, “and I’m super grateful for all the opportunities that I’ve had personally as a swimmer, so being able to coach a new generation of kids is awesome.”
In her first few months since accepting the job in November, Kuhn has already put her own touch on the program. She’s expanded daily practice hours from an hour and a half to two, implemented a weight training program for the older kids and set new standards and goals for each age group.
Kuhn said it’s been great working with such talented and self-motivated athletes and she’s really enjoyed watching all the 6-18 year olds she oversees improve.
“Just being able to push them toward their goals is an awesome opportunity for me,” she said.
As an athlete, Kuhn said she was a grinder who was always hard on herself, and she’s brought some of that into her coaching.
“I’m more of a tough-love type of coach,” she said. “I’m here to help, but I’m also going to push you your hardest throughout our practices.”
Kuhn plans to be with the Sharks for a long time and would like to expand and promote the team more in the future.
“I’m hoping to achieve great things,” she said. “Swim is a great community and I just want everyone to realize that.”