After 29 years on the pool deck and a lifetime full of memories, longtime Ventura College head swim coach Larry Baratte has retired. Coach Baratte, the architect of the Pirates' dominant men's and women's swimming programs, retired as a full time faculty member last spring, and made his retirement from coaching official in the fall. He is succeeded by veteran women's water polo coach and VC alumna Mary Giles, who worked with Baratte with the swim teams for the past three years an associate head coach.
Coach Baratte came to Ventura College in 1988 as an aquatic instructor and assistant to the men's and women's swim teams with then head coach Bill Miller. Baratte had previously spent six season as the Head Aquatic Coach at Thousand Oaks High School where his teams won nine Marmonte League Swimming and Diving Championships (six boys and three girls). In 1990 Baratte was named head coach of the women's swim program at VC, and in 1992 was hired to a full faculty position responsible for the entire Intercollegiate Aquatic Program.
During his 29-year career, Baratte guided the Pirates into regional, state and national prominence. He guided 152 National Community College All-Americans, 24 California State Champions along with 13 California State Champion relay teams. He coached nine athletes who were named the California State Athlete/Performer-of-the-Year and 26 Western State Conference Athlete-of-the-Year award winners.
His team achievements were highlighted by two state men's swimming and diving state championships in 2005 and 2010. His teams won 27 Western State Conference team titles, and consistently finished in the top-5 at the California State Championships.
Baratte was been honored numerous times as the Western State Conference Coach-of-the-Year, and was named the California State Coach of the Year in 2003, 2005, and 2010.
Most notably, his teams have also been honored statewide for their academic results with 11 teams earning the CCCAA State Scholar Team Award. Of note, in 2005 Ventura College became the first Men's aquatic program in the state (and, at the time, only the second team in any sport) to win a state team championship and the state scholar-team award in the same year.
Giles was recently named the head coach for the Ventura College men's and women's swim teams after spending three years as the associate head coach. She and Baratte and shared Western State Conference men's swimming head coach of the year honors in 2016 after leading the VC men to their third straight conference title.
Giles has directed the VC women's water polo team for 17 seasons, producing seven WSC crowns (2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011). She has also been honored as the WSC Coach of the Year for the six times (2001, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011). Her teams have also captured two CCCAA State Scholar Team Awards (2007, 2009). Giles is also a full-time health instructor at the College.
Giles has assembled a top coaching staff to work with the men's and women's swim teams. Steve Reardon joins the staff with 35 years of swim coaching experience in Southern California at the high School and club levels. Ann Wright will also be joining the staff with 30 years of dive coaching experience at the high school, community college and NCAA division 1 levels. Finally, Mitch Lappo will also join the staff to focus on strength and conditioning with experience in the field dating back to 2009.