Meet New Odyssey Open Water Coach Chenoa Devine: Coach Interview

“I love coaching because I love sharing in the enthusiasm people have for the sport.” -- Odyssey Coach Chenoa Devine

Meet Odyssey’s newest Open Water Swimming Coach -- Chenoa Devine!

Michael from the Odyssey team recently interviewed Chenoa to learn more about here background, experience, and interests in and out of the water.

Chenoa has always loved the water. “I started swimming year-round at the age of 5 in my hometown of Davis, CA.” She started learning in a five-foot pool in her backyard, and then began swimming for a local club team. “I started swimming open water at 10 during the yearly Berryessa swims, and slowly progressed from the 1-mile to 2-mile into 5k and 10k races,” says Chenoa.

Chenoa turned her passion for and experience with swimming into coaching at just the age of 14. “I've coached all ages, from 5 year olds to 80 year olds, and the one thing everyone has in common is their excitement for swimming and the pure enjoyment of moving through water,” says Chenoa. “It's a nice reminder that while racing and competing at high levels is fun in its own way, the best part about swimming is just having fun,” she continues.

When asked about her most memorable experience as a swimmer, Chenoa says, “Competing at the 2016 Olympic Trials in Omaha.” Chenoa was 17 during the Olympic Trials, was preparing to attend UC Berkeley in the fall, and just finished high school. “I remember being overwhelmed and nervous and thrilled and humbled all at once…it's so intense and such an honor to share that space with such amazing competitors, and I'll never forget it as long as I live.”

Chenoa is excited about continuing to help people as an Open Water Swimming Coach. “My favorite part about coaching is meeting new people and talking about what they want to get out of swimming,” says Chenoa. “I love hearing why people want to swim or why it makes them happy.”

When asked for an unexpected tip, Chenoa shares, “practicing belly breathing.”

“Sending your awareness and consciousness of your breath into your diaphragm and really focusing on flexing that muscle as you inhale to create space for your lungs. Not only does it force you to calm down a bit with that sense of mindfulness, but it forces oxygen into your body that you might not get if you're breathing shallowly or panting. I really like focusing on that during my races, since you can get overwhelmed by that feeling of breathless panic quite quickly. Especially in the cold water of the bay, getting yourself to breathe deeply and fully can be super hard, so I think this is a great practice for people wanting to work on their breathing techniques.”

Asked why Chenoa decided to join the Odyssey team, Chenoa says, “I wanted to join the Odyssey team because I love seeing people work on their skills and pursue what they want out of open water swimming!”  

Chenoa works full-time in medical aesthetics. “It's definitely a different side of what people see as health and wellness, but in my eyes, I just like to see people looking after themselves in whatever way makes them happy,” says Chenoa. When not in the water, Chenoa enjoys cycling, kickboxing, and weight training. Chenoa says she’s challenging herself to run the SF 5K in November.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of the Odyssey team, and I truly can't wait to meet everyone. See you on the water!”

We’re thrilled to have you Chenoa! Welcome to the team!

Additional Tidbits from Our Interview with Chenoa

●     “I'm really just a book-loving homebody who enjoys reading fantasy fiction and cuddling with my cats at home under a blanket.”

●     “You'll probably catch me walking to the local coffee shop in the morning before heading off to work for the day, since coffee is priority number one!”

●     “I look forward to seeing people gear up and train for races! I know there are triathletes, Alcatraz swimmers, bridge to bridge swimmers, and even some English Channel swimmers that train here, so I'm really excited to meet everyone and learn what they want to achieve through Odyssey as well.”

●     “My favorite race is actually the 200 meter breastroke! Something I rarely got to do considering I was a distance swimmer/400 IMer, but maybe that's the reason why I enjoyed it so much.”

●     “For some people, it's swimming for health and mobility, for others it's making a certain time or cut, and for still others it's simply for enjoyment or to hang out with friends!”