The swimming group mourns the passing of Kati McDermott, trainer with Orinda Aquatics.
McDermott died on Feb. 20, 2025, at age 55, after a combat with most cancers.
“Kati lived to coach, and had an innate ability to nurture young swimmers and to care about everyone. It was truly her soul’s work, and her life blood. In Kati’s world, it was not coach and athlete, it was family,” stated Don Heidary, a fellow Orinda Aquatics trainer.
The membership introduced her dying with a tribute on Instagram, stuffed with pictures, moments and comforting phrases.
“Coach Kati lived a life that was rare. She loved her work with a deep passion and sought every day to help the team in any way possible,” the membership posted. “Training and her valuable younger athletes had been her lifestyles blood. She precious her time with Orinda Aquatics, the place she thought to be everybody part of her circle of relatives. There was once not anything she wouldn’t do for every of them. She was once extremely happy with her Junior crew and engaged them in tactics few coaches do. Kati created an access level for OA swimmers that was once stuffed with power, nurturing, and love. This was once once more obtrusive at our fresh Neptune Invitational, as you need to see the delight and pleasure in her as she watched them compete and engage.
“Kati’s reach went much further than the Junior group, as she was very close to, and very instrumental in, the swimming lives of many of the senior group swimmers. Kati was the coach who championed Orinda Aquatics and encouraged young swimmers to make the move to the team. She believed in these swimmers and guided them to Orinda Aquatics, knowing it was the best place for them to thrive both as athletes and individuals.”
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Previous to becoming a member of Orinda, she coached at Alto Swim Membership (previously Palo Alto Stanford), and was once at Top previous to that. She has been answerable for All-Famous person groups in PacSwim and has coached the NCS Championship Carondolet Swim Staff. She advanced a swim faculty and hospital for aggressive swimmers whilst training in San Ramon, and was once the Camp Director at Stanford Campus Sport Affiliation (SCRA), training the leisure swim group and educating classes to swimmers of every age.
It’s that legacy that the Orinda Aquatics circle of relatives hopes will proceed with the teachings discovered from McDermott.
“Her spirit, strength, and unwavering passion for swimming will live on in all of us. Kati was LOVED by ALL, and her absence will be profoundly felt,” the put up persisted. “Kati, thank you for your love, dedication, and inspiration. We know you will always be looking over us. Our hearts and prayers are with the McDermott family and the entire Orinda Aquatics community.”
