Kim Thornton

As a child, Kim suffered from asthma which severely limited her physical activities until she learned to swim.  Her doctor suggested that swimming might help develop her lung capacity.  At the age of 7, her swimming career began.  Kim took to the water like a fish and joined the local swim team, City of Commerce, in Southern California.   She achieved National Ranking by the age of 10 and set several National Age Group records in breaststroke and individual medley events.  At the age of 12,  Kim qualified for Senior Nationals in the 400 IM and by 16 headed for the Olympic Trials in 4 events, 100 and 200 breaststroke and the 200 and 400 IM.  However, she fell short of her goal of the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.

Kim hung up her cap and goggles and retired from swimming for nearly 40 years until she joined Nova Masters in 2005.  With the great support from her Nova teammates and coaches, her love for swimming was quickly rejuvenated.  Once again, swimming became her focus and zest for life.  As a coach, Kim’s goal is to help her teammates be successful in the water.  Her main emphasis is to motivate each swimmer to achieve their own personal goals in swimming and to enjoy the sport.