Ron Aitken

After a successful career as a swimmer at UNLV, Ron Aitken’s first coaching job started in 1994 working with the 8-and-unders for the Sandpipers of Nevada. He quickly continued to climb the coaching ranks, being named the head coach of the Sandpipers in 1997 and the head coach of the Bishop Gorman High School swim team in 1999.

Now, with nearly 30 years of coaching experience Aitken has built an impressive resume on the local level serving as the executive director, head coach and CEO of the Sandpipers and on the national level with USA Swimming. The Sandpipers, along with being recognized among the few Gold Medal Swim Clubs in the country, continue to offer a comprehensive program that satisfies the needs of novice swimmers to Olympic hopeful athletes.

Aitken has continued to establish himself as one of the nation’s top coaches, qualifying three of his swimmers – Katie Grimes, Bella Sims and Erica Sullivan – onto the 2021 U.S. Olympic team in Tokyo.

Just a year later, he was named as an official coach on the 2022 U.S. World Championship team that included Ilya Kharun, Grimes, Sims and Claire Weinstein.

A consummate professional and teacher, Aitken has encouraged his swimmers to challenge themselves in the pool and the classroom. He has grown the Sandpipers to more 400 swimmers out of Las Vegas looking to continue his run of excellence.