Mesa Aquatics Club : Coaches & Directors

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Paul Lewis Smith

Coaching Director-CEO

Since assuming the "helm" of MAC in April of 2009 Paul and his wife Laura have lead a top to bottom transformation of the club. The process has involved reorganizing the training groups, adding dry land training as a component for all age groups, adding "family" that includes coaches, a team manager and a volunteer corps that all together have taken the club from a little over 100 to 495 USA Swimming athletes (and over 200 masters registered in 2012)I The past year also saw 60 new team records, USA Swimming Level 2 Club Recognition achieved, a final ranking of #223 in the USA Club Excellence program (6th best in Arizona) and a VCC score of 67,446 ranking us at #510 of the close to 3000 year around swim programs in the country! In addition, with arguably two of the finest outdoor pools in the country MAC has become one of the top meet hosts in the state with events that have included Age Group, Senior and 8 and Under Championships, USA Swimming IMX Championships a USMS Masters Nationals and co-host of the annual Memorial Day Arizona Invitational.

Paul has a B.A. in Clinical Psychology with a Coaching Minor from the University of California, Santa Barbara and went on to obtain his Masters Degree in the same field from Antioch University. He was a World University Games Gold Medalist and Record Holder in 1981 and is a two time Olympic Swimming Trials Qualifier. Paul was an NCAA Swimming All-American in 1980 and 1981 for UC Santa Barbara where he was recruited by and played for their Division l Water Polo Team as well. Recently, Paul has been a two time USMS Master Swimmer of the Year recipient; is a multiple USMS World and National Record Holder; has been a USMS All Star 5 times and is a 10 time USMS All American. He has acquired 174 Age Group Top Tens in USMS to date.

Paul is a USA Certified Coach and an ASCA Certified Coach who has been a team assistant to clubs participating in both the 1988 & 1992 Olympic Trials, has hosted two National Team training camps while residing in Colorado and in addition to directing the clubs operations also who oversees the post-grad training group and coaches several masters workouts each week. Paul and his wife are Co-Directors of Mesa Aquatics Club which also encompasses Mesa Masters, MAC Swim Shop and Mesa Water Polo.

Laura Smith

Director-Age Group & Strength Coach

Laura Smith is an Arizona native with a life long passion for athletics. She attended Coronado High School, where her achievements included multiple State Records in swimming, State Record in the 800 (Track), Varsity Letterman in Track, Swimming and Cross Country, National Honor Society, President Spanish National Society, and Arizona Scholar Athlete of the year 1984. Laura turned down Academic Full Ride Scholarships to A.S.U.; U of A; and N.A.U. and decided to attend college out of state. She was a Division I Backstroker for University of California, Santa Barbara where she double majored in Comparative Religions and Exercise Science with a Coaching Minor.

Laura worked abroad for For 4 ½ years in the Bahamas, West Indies, Dominican Republic and Mexico designing and implementing sports and fitness programs for both children and adults. Post Graduate, Laura has acquired over 12 National Certifications in the Health and Fitness Industry (A.C.E.; A.F.F.A.; Cooper Institute) and was the Fitness Director / Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Vail Athletic Club and the Arrowhead Alpine Club in Colorado. She is a three time USMS National Champion and was a part of the 800 Women’s Relay National Record team.

Laura and her husband Paul are the Head Masters Coaches and Co-Directors of Mesa Aquatics Club. She currently holds a Level llI ASCA Certification, USMS Level II Certification, and works with our age groupers on deck and all ages running MAC's dryland program.

Meg M Zajdzinski

Age Group Coach

Coach Meg grew up swimming in the original Mesa Aquatics Program. She is a Mesa , Arizona native who graduated from Westwood High School . Meg was Arizona High School State Champion in the 200 yard free style and runner-up in the 500 yard freestyle in 1987 and runner up in both events in 1988.

In college, Meg swam for Arizona State University , where she was named All American. She transferred to Colorado State University where she was All WAC (Western Athletic Conference) as well as team captain both her junior and senior years. During her time swimming at Colorado State she had many WAC championship and runner-up awards in her main events: the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyles. Meg graduated in 1994 with a BS in Human Development and Family Studies. After graduation, Meg began teaching high school in Mesa .

Meg’s previous coaching experience includes coaching Age Group swimmers with Mesa Aquatics, Arizona Thunder Aquatics and the Arizona Swimming Gauchos. Meg is ASCA level 3 certified, USMS level II certified, and is happy to return to her old stomping ground, and the new Mesa Aquatics Club at the newly renovated Kino Pool! Meg currently coaches the Squirts and the Rookies (or as she likes to call them: The Little Munchkins!) These groups are the new and novice swimmers as well as newly developed swimmers. She also helps out with the “lil’ Mac’s mainly in the area of stroke development. Coach Meg knows that correct stroke development from an early age is so important, and she is at her most comfortable being a part of the development process of her swimmers. Working with the little ones is fun as well, as she gets to see their smiling faces on deck and join in their enthusiasm. The kids are usually very eager to get in the pool, learn and have FUN . And, Coach Meg makes it fun! She has a theme day for every day of swimming and she loves instilling a passion for fun, safe and fast swimming!

Coach Meg has been married to her husband, Chris, for 17 years and together they have four children ages 9,11, 12, and 13. She home schools her children and all four of them currently swim for MAC . When she isn’t busy with coaching or teaching or swimming herself (she recently joined MAC Masters), Coach Meg enjoys hiking, running, a good book (especially on the beach) and a good cup of coffee!

Jonathan Shaw

Senior Coach

Jon Shaw grew up in Indiana where he was a standout age group swimmer and achieved the #1 ranking in US in the 100 fly & 400IM, set state records in the 100 fly, won multiple state age group and senior championships and is still ranked in the top 100 in 4 events (40th all time in the 400IM as a 13-14 year old).

Jon was recruited by and swam for ASU from 2000-2004 where he was a Pac 10 semi-finalist in the 200 fly and 400IM, he graduated with a BA in Elementary Education and currently teaches 7th grade Social Studies. Jon's passion for swimming has never died, he has coached for Sun Devil Aquatics as well as Sun Devil Masters and joined the MAC family in September of 2009. Jon's forte is technical instruction, in addition to coaching masters and assisting with MAC's Senior group Jon also does private instruction.

Jack Giles

Senior Coach

Jack joins our team with long history of coaching in Arizona. He graduated from Saguaro High school, where he swam for the Varsity Team. From there, he coached a summer Rec league at South Lake Tahoe, a team of 80 kids. He came back to the valley and spent 13 years with the City of Scottsdale working as the summer team coach, team program coordinator and pool manager. He graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon in 1983 with a BS in Psychology and Child Development. He was the Assistant Coach for the Marcos de Niza swim team for two years before moving to the Arcadia district where he coached Arcadia High School to 9 State Championships! Jack was the Aquatics Director at the Village Athletic Club for three years before returning to school to obtain his Law Degree from ASU. He has always been a fan of swimming, a participant of swimming, and his passion and knowledge of the sport has led to the success of his swimmers.

Glen L Coy

Age Group Coach

Eagle Scout, Glen Coy, is a Utah transplant who moved to Arizona for the availability of year round outdoor activities. Glen’s full time job is teaching junior high and high school physical education. When he isn’t teaching or coaching, he can usually be found enjoying his boat on one of the Valley’s many lakes, practicing for or participating in wakeboarding tournaments.

Born and raised in Utah, Glen swam for Clearfield High School Swim Team, graduating in 1984. He still holds the school record in the 500 free. In college, he swam for Truman State University in Missouri, where he held records in both the 200 back and the 800 free relay.

Glen has coached at the club level since 1993, mainly coaching the 14 and under age groups. He holds a Level V ASCA certification. Several of his age group swimmers, both former and present, have earned National Age Group Recognition, hold State Records, are State Champions as well as top 8 finishers at State Championships and Far Westerns. Glen also has coached several age group swimmers who have gone on to be Olympic Trial Qualifiers. One former swimmer is a National Record Holder, as well. Swimmers who had Glen as their age group coach have gone on to swim for many colleges around the country, including U-Conn, Stanford, BYU, Washington, U of A, Pepperdine, UC Irvine, and Drury.

In addition to club coaching, Glen coaches at the high school level. He has been a high school swimming coach since 1995, coaching at two 5A schools: Mountain Pointe boys from 95-98 and Mountain View girls from 1999 to present. During that time, he has earned numerous coaching recognitions, including High School Coach of the Year in 02, 03, 05, 06 and 11. Among his high school swimmers, are several High School State Champions, High School State Record Holders and High School All Americans.

Glen has been wakeboarding for 14 years and has been the Masters State Champion from 2003 to 2010. Glen is a big fan of PB and J sandwiches, cheese pizza and chocolate chip cookies! He stays busy with teaching, coaching and wakeboarding.

Jenifer Hamilton

Age Group Coach

Prior to coaching for MAC, Coach Jen worked at Swim Kids USA in Mesa for a year. Coach Jen is a California girl who worked for the Fresno Dolphins swim club for two years as the Head Age group coach, for the 8-14 year-old swimmers. Coach Jen’s duties for the Fresno Dolphins included: coaching the 10 & under water polo team, being the Fall League director and being the supervisor of the lower level coaches.
For three years, Coach Jen was also the varsity and junior varsity head coach for the water polo teams at Central High School in Fresno, California.

At 18, Coach Jen started teaching swim lessons for Swim America and is very proud of the work that she conducted there. Coach Jen is a big believer in Swim America’s mission statement and teaching techniques. Coach Jen started swimming for the Fresno Dolphins at age 7 and had dreams of swimming in college, but two invasive shoulder surgeries started Coach Jen’s passion for coaching a little early. She was a varsity swimmer all four years and also was a 4-year letterman in water polo, earning all-league, league MVP, and all-valley honors throughout her career. Coach Jen is very passionate about stroke technique and stroke work and believes in helping swimmers find the right stroke techniques for them.

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later. –Og Mandino

The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. –Vince Lombardi

You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get. -Michael Phelps

I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match. -Mia Hamm

Eric Dimmery

Age Group Coach

Eric Dimmery is an Army brat that moved around every three years. He got to see and experience many places in the United States and abroad. He moved to Arizona in high school and graduated from the Mountain View. From there Eric went to the University of New Mexico on a swimming scholarship. He graduated with a degree in Education.

He moved back to Arizona in 1997 to teach and coach swimming. He has coached all levels of swimmers and has been very successful with each. His swimmers have had all levels of success from achieving best times to swimming at Olympic Trials. Eric quit coaching for a few years to further his education and get his masters in Administration for Educators. He started coaching again at the high school level for Apache Junction the last three years where his team made tremendous gains in achievement. He is happy to be joining our team as a13-14 age group coach.

Sheila Arredondo

Coaching Staff

Sheila began her coaching career assisting her father at the Lakes Beach & Tennis Club in Tempe. Over the past 30 years she has implemented comprehensive learn-to-swim programs and coached swimmers of all ages from novice to elite. She is authorized as a water safety instructor by the American Red Cross and volunteers with this program.

Sheila’s coaching philosophy — Less is More — evolved while working for U.S.A. Swimming at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Her initial responsibilities included the World Championship Tracking and National Developing Elite Athlete Testing programs. She later served as Coordinator of Sport Science Services and was responsible for conducting biomechanical, metabolic, nutritional, physiological, psychological, and technical analyses. She was also the first person to experience the internationally acclaimed flume or swimming treadmill, and conducted numerous specialized training and research studies using the flume.

The years spent studying the science of swimming and art of coaching affirmed that individualization is essential and quality matters most. Consequently, Sheila’s programs emphasize building endurance through technique and skill development as well as kinesthetic awareness, efficiency, specificity, recovery, relaxation, balance, speed, flexibility, variety, and most importantly — FUN.

In addition to being a coach, scientist, and educator, Sheila is also a swimmer. She began swimming competitively at the age of 5 and is a former Arizona age-group state champion and record holder. She earned most valuable honors throughout high school and college. Sheila graduated from Occidental College (NCAA Division III) with records infour individual and four relay events and was selected as a member of the All-America Collegiate Swimming Team in thirteen events over four years.

Sheila joined masters swimming in the early 1990s. In 1994 she won the 50- and 100-yard breaststrokes as well as the 100-yard individual medley at the U.S. Masters Swimming Nationals held at Arizona State University. In 2003 she achieved the honor of “All American Masters Swimmer” by recording the fastest times in the 50- and 100-yard breaststrokes for women ages 35-39. She also swam to three individual and three relay top-ten finishes at the 2006 FINA World Masters Championships held at Stanford University.

Sheila met her husband, Dave Faulkner, at the Olympic Training Center where he was a resident athlete and member of the U.S.A. National Judo Team. Dave continues to enjoy and coach judo at a local club. Married nearly 20 years, the couple has two daughters — Darian and Devyn (yes, they swim and play a little judo too). Sheila earned a BA from Occidental College, a MS in exercise science from the University of Colorado, and a PhD in higher education from the University of Denver. She has worked at Colorado College, Colorado State University, the University of Colorado, the University of Denver, Education Commission of the States, and WestEd.

Marissa Marziale

Age Group Coach

Paul and Laura noticed Marissa Marziale’s natural talent for coaching young children while she was working for the City of Mesa. She has been swimming since she was a little girl, and is still in love with the sport today. She attended Mt. View High School where she trained under the Legendary Glen Coy.

Currently she is attending Mesa Community College, and is striving for a degree in English from ASU with minor in Kinesiology. She would like to become an English professor and have a part time job as a Fitness Trainer…but we’re trying to convince her to stick to coaching!!! She is excited to start spending more time around the pool deck and getting to know all of the amazing MAC swimmers!

Nolan Ruane

Age Group Coach

Nolan Ruane was born and raised in Mesa. He swam at Dobson High School, and excelled in the 100, 200 and 500 Freestyle. He earned multiple State Championships and All American Awards for individual and relay events. He also played club water polo, where he competed in many Nationals and International ompetitions. Nolan then went on to swim for the Arizona State Sun Devils from 2007 – 2011, where he became a Pac 10 Semi-Finalist in the 50, 100 and 200 Freestyle. Nolan is an excells at coaching the Senior Group, the Strength and Conditioning Program, and Water Polo. He is currently in the process of earning his Bachelors in Kinesiology and Sociology.

Nolan is new to Mesa Aquatics and is also working at Lifetime Fitness hoping to one day become a Personal Trainer. Having grown up in Arizona, he has family from Pittsburgh and is a huge Steelers and Penguins fan.

Ethan Tanner Price

Age Group Coach

Ethan was a swimmer for Mountain View High School, gradutating in 2010. He swam at Mesa Aquatics Club throughout his high school career, so he’s very familiar with the team and how we do things here in Mesa! Ethan followed his passion for swimming by working at SWIMkids USA for the last 16 months specializing in stroke technique. He has two older brothers that were swimmers as well, so he grew up loving swim and always being around it. He coached in 2010 for Mountain View and was considered the Distance Coach. He will be bringing his enthusiasm and expertise to the Skyline deck assisting Coach Jen and molding future MAC Olympians!

Anthony William Borr

Senior Coach

Education:

• I am current attending Grand Canyon University and getting a Bachelor’s in Exercise Science with emphasis in Pre-Physical Therapy. I went to Westwood High School from 2005-2008.

Working/ Coaching Career:

• I have worked for the City of Mesa for the past six summers, and last two summers I have been an assistant swim coach for Carson. In 2010, I coached Phoenix Christian High School, along with another coach. In 2011, I was an

assistant coach with Westwood High School and conducted my own dryland workouts, and work specifically with the middle distance and distance swimmers.

Swim Career:

• I started competitive swimming in 2003 with Mesa Parks and Rec at Carson Pool. I swam for Westwood from 2005-2008 and finished 7th at state in the 100 and 200 free. I also swam on USA Swim teams throughout high school. After high school swimming I went to swim at Grand Canyon University and swam with them for my freshmen year. Currently, I am swimming with MAC Masters and every now and then I swim in a Masters swim meet.

Personal:

• I have lived in Mesa my whole life. I enjoying being apart and around the sport of swimming. I try to stay active, by staying active in swimming, participating in different sports, hiking, and a variety of different workouts. I have recently

moved out in to my own apartment, providing fun and different challenges. My family recently got 2 German shepherd puppies, they are a little over 3 months old and their names are Nike (she is a tank) and Leila, both girls. They are in training to be therapy dogs, so once they are in training or certified, you may see one or both of them on deck, so they can get different experiences in different settings.

I really enjoy the sport of swimming, and I am happy to be apart of the MAC family, and very excited to help these swimmers achieve their goals and watch them succeed in swimming and in life!

Molly Anne Elkins

Age Group Coach

Molly Elkins has been swimming for MAC for a little over a year, and she'll tell you firsthand how great the program has been for her and how much she loves MAC! She is finishing off her senior year at Seton Catholic High School in

Chandler and swam all four years in high school. She swam in final heats at the State Championships and went with the senior team at Sectionals this past March. Molly is also attending and swimming at Northern Arizona University

this fall and will be studying Bio-medical Science. She has coached/taught lessons for two years for another club and is very excited and happy about her new position with MAC. Her hobbies outside of swimming include hiking, bikeriding, and other "land" sports. Molly is very passionate about swimming and can't wait to share her love for the sport with her kids!

Erin Shields

Team Administration

Erin Shields grew up in Northern California and swam as an age grouper and in high school. At 15 she was hired to coach the "Belmont Bullets"- a summer rec. team and quickly realized that she enjoyed the administrative side of competitive swimming much more than participating. Erin coached each summer for 4 years.

Quickly after moving to Batesville, Arkansas to attend Lyon College word got out about Erin's aquatic experience and she was hired to teach the swimming courses at the college. Soon after she was hired to coach the county's year-round team and spent one year coaching the local high school team. During Erin's last season as coach with the "Batesville Torpedoes" the team brought a state title to the team on her last day as a coach- which was also her birthday!

Erin moved to Arizona in 2005 and has been working as a full time swim team administrator since that move. She is also currently the corporate secretary for Arizona Swimming, Inc. Erin is passionate about the future of swimming in Arizona and hopes to continue to be able to bring world class swimming and competition to Mesa!

When Erin is not running a meet or hanging out at the pool she is busy chasing 5 year old Connor who is thrilled to finally be an official MAC-ster!