Team Sponsors

Coaches & Directors

The coaches are here to support the needs of every swimmer. If you have any questions about practices, workouts, meets, goal setting, or any other swimming related topic, please contact one of us.

Coaching Staff

Jorge Silva

Head Coach

Jorge is the owner and head coach of his year round swim club, The Hydro-Sonic Tiburones. His club began in Jan. 2002 after many years of coaching and swimming in Montgomery County. Jorge has served as a head coach in many local area leagues including MCSL, MCPS (high school) and Potomac Valley Swimming. Prior to joining our team for the summer of 2008, Jorge had coached The Water’s Landing swim team in Germantown for seven summer seasons. We are thrilled to have have Jorge back for his second coaching season with the Marlins!

When it comes to swimming, Jorge "knows his stuff" and really cares about the kids he coaches. Jorge is a perfectionist when it comes to correcting stroke mechanics and he believes if you develop proper technique, you can prevent many swimming injuries. What makes swimming with Jorge so fun is his silly and crazy sesnse of humor.

When not on the pool deck coaching, Jorge loves to spend time with his wife Beth and two young daughters, Ava and Catherine. His interests also include reading, cooking, scuba diving, watching silly movies and collecting shark memorabilia.

Kate M. Somers

Assistant Coach

Kate has been involved in the competitive swimming world for close to 18 years. Starting her career in Cincinnati before moving to Maryland, the MCSL experience remains one of the best. Kate's proudest swimming accomplishment is never being DQ'd in the state of Maryland. Two months after moving to Maryland in 1996, Kate started swimming for the Westleigh Barracudas (coached by Beth Silva) where she competed until the summer of 2006. Kate also coached for Westleigh for five summers, first as a Junior Coach and then the Assistant Head Coach.

As a graduate of Quince Orchard High School (2006), Kate was a varsity swimmer for four years and captain of the team as a senior. Kate is one of the original members of the Hydro-Sonic Tiburones, where she swam until going to college at the University of Pittsburgh. As a recent graduate with degrees in Molecular Biology and History, Kate is looking forward to a career in medicine.

Kate advocates keeping summer swimming a fun, instructional, and a safe environment. She especially enjoys summer swimming because it allows older swimmers to work with the younger swimmers, building a strong team atmosphere. Kate values a goal system and is looking forward to helping the Clopper's Mill Marlins swimmers reach their goals!

Out of the water, Kate enjoys reading, watching sports, bad 80s rock, and a good coffee. She is so excited to work with the coaches, parents, and especially the swimmers at Clopper's Mill.

Theresa A Bajorek

Assistant Coach

Theresa began swimming competitively when she was 6 years old. In 2001, she moved with her family from Kansas to Maryland at the age of 9 and soon joined the Hydro-Sonic Tiburones Swim Club. Theresa continues to swim year round with the TIBU club team and has been a swim clinic instructor for the past 4 years.

Theresa achieved the following swimming accomplishments over this past year: she lettered for the fourth straight year on the Northwest High School swim team and swam breaststroke for the relay team that broke the NWHS record in the 200 yard Medley Relay. She was a finalist in both the 100 and 200 yard breaststroke events at the PVS Senior Championships and was a finalist for the fourth straight year in the 100 yard breaststroke at the Washington Metropolitan Swimming & Diving Championships. Also, she qualified for the Speedo Series Eastern Zone Sectionals team when she was a Freshman in High School.

Theresa is in her senior year at Northwest High School and will be graduating in June. She will be attending St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, IN this fall where she intends to study Communications and swim competitively for the "Belles".

Her interests include coaching and helping swimmers reach their goals. We welcome her back for her third consecutive year of coaching with the Marlins!

Thor Petersen

Assistant Coach

Thor has been swimming since the age of 5. After a brief stint of club swimming in Colorado, he began swimming with the Clopper's Mill Marlins in 2002. Thor joined the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club during his freshman year of high school. He has been a varsity swimmer at Northwest High School for four years and was captain for two. Thor holds the NWHS records in the 500 free, 100 Breast, 400 Freestyle Relay, 200 Medley Relay, and the 200 Breast Stroke Relay, which also broke the County Record this season.

Thor has taught swim lessons with the Gaithersburg Aquatic Centerfor three years, coached the city of Gaithersburg swim team for two years, and coached the Germantown stroke and turn clinic for one. He looks forward to coaching for his home team.

Thor is graduating from Northwest High School in June and will be attending St. Mary's College of Maryland in the Fall, where he has been chosen as a Nitze Scholar and will also swim varsity.

Erika Lynn Whitney

Assistant Coach

Erika has been in the pool since she was 6 months old and swimming competatively for 15 years. Erika was born in Las Vegas, NV and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado when she was 12. She is working locally for the summer and will be heading off to college, where she will be swimming at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater in the fall. Erika recently graduated from Thomas B. Doherty High School in Colorado, where she swam varsity all four years and was swim captain her junior and senior years. She holds the high school record for the 200 medley, 200 free and 400 free relay. She has coached for several years for both high school and club teams and has taught swim lessons over the last 5 years. In addition, Erika swam for 4 years with the Colorado Springs Swim Team and the Colorado Springs Raquet Club for 2 years. We are delighted to have Erika join the Marlins coaching staff.