About Karen Zarchin:

Karen returns to the Tanterra Tarpons and will be the head coach of the 2009 swim team.  Tanterra Swim Club has been a place her family calls home during the summers since 1987 when the Zarchin family first joined the pool.

Zarchin’s background with the Tanterra Swim Team goes back quite a few years. She started swimming on the team in 1987 after her family transferred pools from Brooke Manor Country Club and she swam with the Tarpons from ages 12-18. Karen’s brother Danny (the current pool manager) and sister Debbie also swam for Tanterra. Debbie was a standout swimmer on the team and she still holds a record or two at the pool. Both Danny and Karen were proud to contribute on the both the "B" team and at Saturday morning A meets! Karen’s three oldest brothers did not swim at Tanterra but they did swim for Brooke Manor Country Club in Olney.

Soon after Karen finished her swimming career she became the assistant head coach for two seasons at Tanterra prior to becoming the head coach from 1996- 1999. During her tenure as the Tarpon's head coach the team competed with other teams at the top of the MCSL in the A Division. Karen coached some of Tanterra’s most outstanding swimmers such as, Melissa Bartlett, David Mader, Chris Tappis and Jill Vukmanic who still hold Team and Pool Records. After five seasons at the helm of the Tarpon's swim team Karen was forced to "retire" from summer swim coaching to focus her attention on coaching at collegiate field hockey and recruiting. Karen left the Tarpons on great terms in 1999 and has missed Tanterra ever since!

Transferring from Ohio State University, Karen became a dual sport athlete at James Madison University (field hockey and lacrosse) and a member of the University's first ever NCAA Division I National Championship team in 1994 in field hockey. A two time Regional All-American and All-Conference player she was selected to try-out for the USA Olympic team in 1995. As a member of the James Madison lacrosse team in 1997 and 1998 the program captured the Colonial Athletic Association Championship in 1997, participated in the NCAA Elite Eight and the NCAA Sweet-Sixteen respectively. Karen played both goalie and defense as a member of the lacrosse program.

After graduating from James Madison University in 1998, Karen began coaching NCAA Division I field hockey at American University and then at Georgetown University. Karen currently teaches Health and Physical Education at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, DC. After completing her eighth season at the helm of Visitation's varsity field hockey program Karen is entering her fourth season as the goalie coach for the Cubs lacrosse program. A 1993 graduate of Magruder High School in Rockville, MD Karen helped lead the field hockey team to a State Championship in 1991. Karen was a high school All-American in field hockey, an All- County selection in four sports, and an All-Met award winner in 1993 for field hockey.

"You should expect that all Tanterra swimmers will learn the fundamental techniques specific to each stroke, that they will be challenged each day at practice and that they will learn what it means to have good sportsmanship in both victory and defeat" says Zarchin. Karen believes that your child or children will learn that it is possible to intertwine FUN with competition. In return, the coaches expect that each family be supportive and respectful of their swimmer, the coaches, ALL members of the Tanterra Swim and Dive teams and especially supportive and respectful of those we compete against.

Karen is hopeful that all of the returning swimmers and their parents are as excited as she is to get the summer started and is thrilled to have one of the finest coaching staffs in the league.