About Don Regenbogen

Don Regenbogen brings more than fifty years of active coaching experience to Northern Virginia Aquatic Club — a career that spans the full spectrum of the sport, from first-time age-group swimmers to Olympic-level competitors. A lifelong figure in aquatics and a foundational influence on the club's vision from the very beginning, Don joins NVAC as a Senior Advisor, lending decades of hard-earned wisdom to the program.

Don's connection to developing people extends well beyond the pool. For over twenty-five years, he served as an Elementary School Physical Education teacher in Northern Virginia, shaping the habits, confidence, and character of young people at the earliest stages of their development. That same dedication to the whole person has defined his approach to coaching throughout his career.

As Head Coach of the QDD swim team for twenty-five years, Don built a program that reached the highest levels of USA Swimming competition. Among the athletes he guided was Jeff Rouse, who went on to become a decorated Olympic competitor earning multiple Olympic medals. His work with QDD demonstrated not only an ability to develop elite talent, but a sustained commitment to long-term athlete development that produces results on the national and international stage.

His accomplishments on the high school deck are equally decorated. During his five seasons as Head Coach at Osbourn High School, Don earned the Coach of the Year award — a recognition that reflected both the success of his athletes and the respect he earned from everyone around him.

Closer to home, Don has served as an active coach with Sudley Swim Club, a Northern Virginia summer league program, for more than thirty years — a testament to his enduring love for the sport and his deep roots in the local swimming community that NVAC is now proud to be part of.

With over half a century in the sport, Don Regenbogen represents exactly the kind of foundation a new program aspires to be built upon. His presence within NVAC is a reminder that great coaching is developed over a lifetime — and that the values passed from coach to athlete, and from generation to generation, are what give a new club its soul from day one.