Darin Blizzard

Hello. My name is Darin Blizzard. My son will be attending Los Alamitos High School next fall as a freshman. My older son, Alex Van Steenbergen is a graduate and former soccer player at Los Alamitos. I'm a retired Long Beach Police Officer and have interest in assisting in coaching freshman basketball at Los Alamitos High School. This is a position I believe I'm well suited for starting with my work ethic, determination and treatment of people equally which I learned from my parents as a child. These values translated into my everyday life. I was fortunate enough to play for the US Water Polo organization starting at age 16 through 26. During those years I was able to travel extensively both nationally and internationally including living in and playing for the city of Marseille, France, participating in Jr Pan Am's, Jr world championships, many international jr, senior tournaments including the 1994 world championships. My accomplishments include 1984 CIF water polo champion, 1985 CIF Water Polo semi finalist and co-MVP, 1st team water polo All American twice, 1984 1985, 1986 Junior Olympics champion and MVP, 1986 CIF and State basketball champion which included my good friend Scott Williams a 3 time NBA world champion, 4 years varsity water polo and swimming at Cal State Long Beach 1986-1991 and assisting USA water polo and multiple friend's club teams in water polo clinics for youths. The values I learned from my parents, coaches and training also came in handy when I joined the Long Beach Police Department in 1996. There, I was able to work such details as patrol for 20 years, under cover narcotics, community policing, auto theft and forgery.

I come from the mindset that a coach should

know his players individual strengths, weaknesses and every athlete will have their challenges in some way. A coach should try to maximise his/her athletes abilities as a team player, roll model, leader and supportive teammate. A coach should also be honest in letting an athlete know their weaknesses but at the same time assist in helping athletes strengthen those weaknesses. This is where I believe my degree in speech communication, 20+ years as a police officer, years of participating in elite athletics and coaching comes in handy. I coach from a positive, you can do anything if you put your mind and effort into it, point of view. I enjoy passing on knowledge to younger athletes/students in hopes that it will assist them through life.

I believe I have many positive qualities to pass on and would love an opportunity to help out.

• Police officers standard and training, State of California, 06/96, Completion of the standard Police academy training.
• EVOC, State of California, 06/96, Emergency Vehicle Operations Course.

• Date of Birth: 02/04/68
• Nationality: USA

• Https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1994/07/06/levinson-setting-the-pace-for-atlanta-games/121b3be9-5041-4663-a1b5-f12b5e380028/
• Https://www.presstelegram.com/2018/03/19/armed-with-a-garden-hose-longbeach-police-save-man-clinging-to-belmont-pier/

• Staying fit
• Playing guitar
• Boating
• Playing water polo
• Traveling