Coach Larry Baratte

Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving
Head Coach

B.A. Pepperdine 1981
M.Ed. Azusa Pacific 1991

Coach Larry Baratte came to Ventura College in 1988 as an aquatic instructor and assistant to the Men's and Women's Swim Team 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 1991 Baratte was named head coach of the Women's Swim program at Ventura College, and in 1992 was hired to a full faculty position responsible for the entire Intercollegiate Aquatic Program. 
 
During his tenure Baratte has produced one hundred and fifty-eight National Community College All-Americans, twenty California State Champions in forty-seven individual events, along with five relay team State Champions, and eleven National Champions in seventeen individual events, along with one relay team National Champion. Twenty-one of his athletes have been named the Western State Conference Swimmer-of-the-Year, five have been named the California State Athlete/Performer-of-the-Year, and he has coached two past National Community College individual event record holders. His teams have won sixteen Western State Conference titles, and have consistently finished in the top-five at the California State Championships, highlighted by winning The 2005 Men’s Swimming & Diving State Championship.   With the women’s 3rd place finish at the 2005 State Meet, the Ventura College Swimming & Diving program finished the season as the number one ranked combined program in the state.  In 2006, the combined program finish the season ranked 2nd in the state as the men were runners-up at the State Meet, and the women finished fourth.  In 2007, the combined program once again finished the season ranked #2 in the State as the men were runners-up for the second straight year, and the women finished fifth.  In 2008, a #3 combined state ranking was a result of the men second place finish at the State Meet for the third consecutive year and the women’s third place finish.   Baratte has been honored fourteen times as the Western State Conference Coach-of-the-Year, and was named the California State Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2005.  His dual meet record at VC stands at 219-27 (102-17 for the men and 117-10 for the women). The Men’s team has currently won 54 straight dual meets heading into the 2009 season.  Most notably, his teams have also been honored statewide for their academic results. The 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 Men’s Swimming and Diving teams were named “The State’s Top Scholar-Team.” The 2008 men’s team, with its’ 3.09 team GPA, and the 2008 women’s team with its’ 3.24 team GPA hopes to bring the program additional academic distinction.  Of note…..In 2005 Ventura College became the first Men’s aquatic program in the State (and only the second team in any sport) to win a state team championship and the state scholar-team award in the same year. 
 
On top of his duties as head men's and women's swimming and diving coach, Baratte is the director of the Ventura College Aquatic Center, overseeing a nationally recognized program. He is a professor and a former department head in the Physical Education Department, as well as a member of the board of directors for the California Community College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association.  From 1992 to 1999 Baratte served as the Head Men’s Water Polo Coach establishing the Ventura College program is one the finest in the state. In addition he was the founder of the women’s water polo program, coaching the women’s club team in 1995 and 1996.  During his eight years as the Men’s water polo coach, Baratte, produced eleven Community College Water Polo All-Americans, averaged over 20 wins per season, won the 1997 state scholar team award, and advanced to the 1997 State Championships. 
 
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Baratte was a nationally ranked age-group swimmer in the early 70’s. In 1977, he was listed as a High School All-American in both Swimming and Water Polo while attending Junipero Serra Prep in San Mateo, California. In 1979 Baratte was again named to All-American teams in both Swimming and Water Polo while attending Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. Baratte completed undergraduate work and swam his final two seasons at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. While at Pepperdine, he qualified for the 1981 National Championships, and helped Pepperdine to two consecutive runner-up finishes in the old Pacific Coast Conference (now the Big West). His coaching career began in 1981as a graduate assistant at Pepperdine University, and at Thousand Oaks High School, where he was the Head Boys and Girls Swimming and Head Boys Water Polo Coach, the position he held until moving to Ventura College.  In 2007, in recognition of his successes, as well as honoring the contributions he has made during his coaching career, Baratte was inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame. 
 
Coach Baratte has been married to his wife Beth for 21 years. They live in nearby Camarillo with their three sons, Chase (19) a freshman at Ventura College, Collin (17) a senior at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, and Cole (15) a sophomore at Oaks Christian School.