seank@canyons.org

Head Age Group Coach
​Masters Head Coach
Senior 1/2 Coach
2012-present

• ASCA 5, ISCA, CSCAA
• College of the Canyons, Head Swim & Dive Coach; ​Adjunct Professor Kinesiology, 2012-present
• City of Santa Clarita Aquatics, Manager, 2002-2019
• University of Southern California, M.A., 2008
• University of Illinois at Chicago, BA, 2006
• Hart High School, 2002

Coach Sean Kakumu has coached and provided leadership for every important swimming organization in the City of Santa Clarita for two decades. Sean is a Level 5 ASCA (American Swimming Coaches Association) swim coach, a level achieved by only 1-3% of the highest rated coaches in the United States, and a member of International Swim Coach Association and the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.

In 2012 Sean was brought onboard the Canyons staff by former Head Coach Jeff Conwell. Sean is currently the Masters Head Coach and the Senior 1/2 Coach. Before he was Senior Development Coach, Varsity Coach, AG3/AG2/AG1 Coach, and Swim School Director; producing numerous swimmers at a higher level. In 2012, Coach Sean was selected as the 13-14 Girls coach for the Southern California Swimming Pacific Coast All-Star Team in Santa Rosa. Since 2015, Sean has been on the staff for the North American Challenge cup; in 2017 Sean was the 17-18 Girls and Boys Coach in UC San Diego. Sean for the last four years has been the Southern California Swimming Coastal Committee Age Group Chair, providing direction for age group swimmers in the Coastal Committee. As of 2018, Sean was appointed to Open Water Chair for Southern California Swimming and was Meet Director for the 2018 Southern California Open Water Junior Olympics and 2018 USA Swimming Western Zones Championship. From 2018-2019, Sean was elected Southern California Swimming Age Group Vice Chair. In 2019, Sean was elected to the SCS Coastal Committee as Secretary. 

When Sean is not with Canyons Aquatic Club, he holds the position of Adjunct Professor of Kinesiology and leads the successful College of the Canyons Cougar Swim & Dive team as Head Coach. Starting his era in 2012, Coach Sean implemented a modern and unique program never before seen at College of the Canyons, or their competitors, in the team’s four-decade-long history. Over the last six seasons the program has set 43 new school records and claimed 11 individual Western State Conference championships, 14 California Community College Athletic Association State qualifiers, Junior National level swimmers, four medley conference championships, and produced five CCCAA state finalists, six All-American relay teams, six All-American Individuals, one WSC Men’s Swimmer of the Year, one CCCAA Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and one on the 2-year College National Rankings. Climbing the Western State Conference ranks, College of the Canyons Swim & Dive program has achieved unprecedented success in the pool, both in team and individual competition.

Before taking his position with Canyons, Sean served as Pool Manager with the City of Santa Clarita. During his 16 years with the City of Santa Clarita, Sean has overseen and supervised multiple city swim teams, trained and mentored city swim team coaches and meet support staff, initiated the creation of swim meet events for 5-6-year-olds, and currently still trains the staff in and helps run swim meet timing equipment and video scoreboard design. Aside from the swim team, Sean oversaw, directed, and influenced thousands of swim lessons at his facilities. Being a natural competitor, he wanted his swim lessons to be the best taught, have the most fun, and be the most professional out of all other city lessons. Sean still helps trains and educates city swim team coaches, provides technical assistance and provides administration for city swim teams.

Personally, Coach Sean has been waterlogged his whole life. Starting at Canyons Aquatic Club in 1989, Sean swam his way to the Senior group at the age of 12 under former Head Coach Bruce Patmos, same as gold medalist Anthony Ervin's head coach. During this time he swam for Hart High School as a varsity member for four years, finishing his high school career winning a CIF Championship with his team. In 2002 he went off to swim for Division I University of Illinois at Chicago. 
​
Sean graduated from Hart High School in 2002 to study Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, earning multiple Dean’s List awards and leading the student body as President. Graduating in 2006, he went on to the University of Southern California (Fight On!) to earn his Masters in Architecture with a specialty in building systems and materials application in commercial, mixed use, and urban planning.  

​In his off time, Sean is an avid reader and writer, designer of everything, furniture maker, traveler, and attends multiple sporting events including USC football.