Speakers
Eastern States Clinic
Bob Bowman
Olympic Head Coach
Bob was recently appointed Director of Swimming and Diving at the University of Texas. Before his move to Austin, Bob coached the 2024 Arizona State’s Men’s Team to their first NCAA Championship in school history. Prior this, Coach Bowman was best known as the longtime coach of the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, who won 23 Olympic gold medals in his swimming career (8 gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics). His latest protégé heading into the 2024 Paris Olympics is the current World Swimmer of the Year… Leon Marchand who broke Phelps’ 400 IM World Record last summer. Bowman’s success goes well beyond these 2 athletes, as he has also coached a bevy of other Olympic gold medalists including Allison Schmitt, Chase Kalisz, Simone Manuel, Ryan Held, Yannick Angel, Kaitlan Sandeno, Peter Vanderkaay, Davis Tarwater, Conor Dwyer, and Klete Keller. He has been on four USA Olympic coaching staffs and seven World Championship teams. His swimmers have accounted for over 43 world and 50 American records. Most recently his group of collegiate and professional athletes included many of the above mentioned swimmers plus Regan Smith, Hali Flickenger, Hubert Kos, Jenny Kulow, Olivia Smoliga, Lindsay Looney, Jay Litherland, Chloe Isleta, Xander Skinner, Jarod Arroya, Taylor Ruck, Grant House, Illya Kharun, Jack Dolan, and Iva Maluka, among other 2024 Olympic hopefuls. Prior to his arrival in Austin and his tenure at Arizona State, he coached the North Baltimore Aquatic Club (twice) and the University of Michigan. After graduating from Florida State with a major in Developmental Psychology (minor in music composition), he worked his way up through the ranks… with stops at FSU, Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club, Napa Valley Swim Team, Cincinnati Pepsi Marlins, Las Vegas Gold, and the Birmingham Swim League. His diverse background and ability to relate to others have inspired Bob's success as a coach and motivational speaker.
Mark Schubert
A native of Akron, Ohio, Mark attended the University of Kentucky where he swam and stayed on as an assistant coach after graduation. He later returned to Ohio where he coached Cuyahoga Falls High School and Waterwork Swim Club. A year later he made a bold move when he packed and moved to Southern California and took over a local rec team…the Mission Viejo Nadadores. In short order, they developed into a powerhouse winning 44 National Team Championships over the next thirteen years. Schubert then moved to Boca Raton, Florida to coach the newly created Mission Bay Makos. Here his teams won another 10 National Team Championships. The challenge of coaching college called and he went on to win NCAA’s team championships at the University of Texas and later at the University of Southern California. Over the years Mark has helped to develop numerous Olympians and world record holders (including Olympic gold medalists Brian Goodell, Shirley Babashoff, Janet Evans, Lenny Krayzelburg, Ous Mellouli, and Dara Torres to name a few). This resulted in his being named to eight USA Olympic Coaching Staffs. Because of his success and business acumen, he was asked to serve as USA Swimming’s National Team Director and Coach. He later went back into club coaching…first at Golden West Swim Club before returning to the Mission Viejo Nadadores. He is currently coaching a group of Olympic hopefuls at The Swim Team (TST) in Lake Forest, California.
USA Olympic Coach
David Marsh
Olympic Head Coach
A native of Miami, Florida, David attended Indian River CC before transferring to Auburn, where he was an All-American and ranked as high as 6th in the world in the 100 backstroke. He earned his degree in business administration in 1981, and remained at Auburn as an assistant coach. In 1985 he became head coach of Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta before going to the Las Vegas Gold Swim Team in Nevada in 1988. Marsh returned to Auburn as Head Coach in 1990 where his teams won seven men’s and five women’s NCAA Championships over the next 17 years. In 2007 Coach Marsh was offered the position of CEO and Director of SwimMAC Carolina. Here he created Team Elite which was comprised mostly of post graduate, Olympic hopefuls. SwimMAC Carolina/Team Elite became one the top programs in the country winning several USA Club Excellence awards and Senior National Championships. After ten years David moved to UC San Diego in 2017 where he also relocated Team Elite program. In 2022 he joined the University of California’s program, initially on an interim basis, before becoming their associate head coach. Here he was reunited with head coach Dave Durden, who had been his assistant coach at Auburn. Cal continued its winning ways, as they’ve won two NCAA Championships (six total under Durden). Marsh’s success is responsible for his being named to four Olympic coaching staffs (head women’s coach in 2016) with more than 60 Olympians from 20+ countries. He has also served as head coach of the LA Current of the International Swim League (ISL). David is a highly regarded speaker, having delivered addresses at both local and national events. He has also authored numerous articles for various publications and has provided commentary on a series of swimming technique videos. David and his wife, Kristin who swam at Cal, have one son (Aaron) and two daughters (Maddie and Alyssa).
Brent Arckey
Sarasota Sharks (FL) Head Coach / CEO
Brent Arckey is best known as the coach of world record holder and Paris Olympic favorite Summer McIntosh. However, his Sarasota Sharks are also one of USA Swimming’s Top 5 Gold Medal Age Group Teams. Coach Arckey has been with the Sarasota Sharks since 2010. Over the years he has worked in various capacities from a novice coach to working with Olympians. Brent started his coaching career in Gainesville, Florida in 2005 with Gator Swim Club working with the age group program and masters’ team while finishing his degree in Sports Management a the University of Florida in 2008. After graduation, Brent helped build and run Gator Swim Club as the senior assistant. He also served as a volunteer assistant with the University of Florida team that won the 2010 Women’s NCAA Championship. Additionally, Brent worked with many of the post graduate Olympians that competed in the 2008 Olympics. Since becoming the Head Coach in 2014, Brent has helped the program become an independently board run, as well as, the operator of the Selby Aquatic Center. He has been named the Florida LSC Coach and Florida High School Coach of the Year numerous time, as well as winning 9 YMCA National Combined Team Championships and 18 Florida Age Group Championships. Brent and his wife Katie live in Sarasota and have a son Jackson and daughter Amelia.
Carol Capitani
Olympic and World Championship Head Coach
Carol Capitani recently completed her 12th season as the Carol Capitani recently completed her 12th season as the head coach of the Texas Women’s Swimming and Diving program. She guided the Longhorns to a runner-up finish at the past 3 NCAA Championships and 10 top 10 finishes. All told, 56 Longhorns have earned All-America accolades during Capitani’s tenure at Texas including national champions Laura Sogar, Lydia Jacoby, and Emma Stricklen. Coach Capitani was recently named to the US Olympic Coaching Staff in addition to her previously serving as head coach of the World Championship Team. She was tabbed as one of the 100 Greatest College Coaches by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America’s (CSCAA) during the organizations Centennial Celebration. Carol spent 14 years at the University of Georgia during two different stints. While a member of the Georgia staff, Capitani was a part of four NCAA team titles and seven NCAA second-place finishes with the Lady Bulldogs. In between her stints, she served as assistant head coach for the Singapore National Team from 2009-10. Prior to her time at Georgia, Capitani was the associate head coach at Villanova University. She grew up in Utah and Southern California and graduated from the University of California with a degree in English where she was an 8 time All-American. She and her husband, Kevin, have two daughters.
Tom Himes
Head Coach of North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC)
Tom Himes has 45 years of coaching experience in addition to five years of summer league coaching. Coach Tom first began his career with North Baltimore (NBAC) in 1985 after spending six years with the Howard County YMCA. He spent 17 years with NBAC as the Head Age Group Coach, before departing for Retriever Aquatic Club, Green Terror Aquatic Club, and later Loyola Blakefield Aquatics. Tom elevated the level of each club's age group program. In 2009, he returned to NBAC once again as the Head Age Group Coach. In the fall of 2016, Coach he was named NBAC's Head Coach. Himes has coached swimmers to more than 600 National Top 25/Top16/Top10 rankings, including 88 number one rankings, 38 National Age-Group Records, and more than 550 Maryland State Records. In addition, NBAC won 11 consecutive National Age Group Team Championships. He has coached some of the best swimmers in the world as age groupers, including Olympic Champions Michael Phelps and Beth Botsford. In 2023, Tom Himes was inducted into the International Swimming Coaches Association (ISCA) Hall of Fame. He has also been honored as ASCA’s National Age Group Coach of the year and been a top 10 finalist multiple times. Tom has served on the Maryland Swimming Board of Directors for more than 35 years in various capacities including the General Chairman, Age Group Chairman, Technical Planning Chairman, Zone Team Coordinator, and Zone Team Head Coach. Tom and his wife Betty have been married for 38 years and have a son (Matthew) and a daughter (Rebecca).
Hollie Bonewit-Cron
Collegiate Swimming Head Coach
The 24-year coaching veteran brings a plethora of experience to the Nittany Lion swim and dive programs. Most recently Hollie Bonewit-Cron spent eight seasons building and leading Miami (Ohio) RedHawks to five of the last six MAC Championships while being name MAC Coach of the Year 5 times. Bonewit-Cron's squad also excelled in the classroom producing College Swimming & Diving Scholar All-America student-athletes and teams. Before arriving in Oxford, Ohio, Bonewit-Cron spent seven seasons as the head coach at Nova Southeastern University. The decorated head coach built the program at Southeastern from the ground up in its first years of existence. Her program quickly exceeded expectations, with the men's team finishing fourth at the 2016 Division II National Championship. She coached 12 NCAA Champions along with 66 All-Americans and 85 All-America honorable mentions. Before her first head coaching gig at NSU, Bonewit-Cron spent one season as the volunteer assistant coach at the University of Miami (Florida). However, Bonewit-Cron spent the bulk of her early career as an assistant coach for the men's and women's swimming and diving team at the University of Florida from 2002-08. She helped guide the Gators to a great of success throughout her time in Gainesville assisting in coaching 12 NCAA Division I Individual Champions, 50 SEC Champions and a combined 420 All-American honorees between the men’s and women’s teams. Bonewit-Cron also had a hand in coaching five Olympians in two Olympic games who totaled four gold medals, four silver medals, and three bronze medals. A decorated swimmer herself, Bonewit-Cron was a four-year letterwinner at Ohio University where she earned All-American honors. Bonewit-Cron earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Ohio University in 2000. In her first coaching stint, she launched her career as an assistant coach at Georgia Southern University in 2000 while completing her master's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in sport psychology from GSU in 2002. Hollie and her husband, Chad, have two daughters and a son.
Carle Fierro
West Chester Aquatic Club Head Coach/ Owner
Carle Fierro has coached Olympians Katie Douglas, Claire Weinstein, and Cristina Teuscher as age groupers. She has also coached swimmers 110 Metropolitan Age Group and & 7 USA Swimming National Age Group records. She was also awarded Top 10 national “Coach of the Year” award 3 times and Metropolitan Swimming “Age Group Coach of the Year” numerous times. As a result of her success, she was one of 13 Women in the United States invited by USA Swimming to attend the First USA Swimming Women's Leadership and National Team Coaches Summit. After graduating from Iona College (BS computer science) in 1983, Carle’s first coaching job was as the age group coach at the New Rochelle Aquatic Club. She also started coaching at Rye High School where she was named area “Coach of the Year” 6 time. Coach Carle later moved to Badger Swim Club as their age group coach. In 2010 she started Westchester Aquatic Club which she continues to own and serve as head coach.
Cullen Jones
Cullen nearly drown when he was five years old which prompted his mother to enroll him in swimming classes. It didn’t take long before they realized his natural talent as a swimmer. Born in the Bronx, New York City, Cullen grew up in Irvington, New Jersey. He started his swimming career with the Metro Express Marlins (West Orange) and later swam with the Jersey Gators Swim Team (Cranford). After graduating from St. Benedict’s Prep School, he enrolled at North Carolina State University in 2002. As a member of the Wolfpack, he went on the win the NCAA Championships in the 50 freestyle. Cullen eventually graduated with a degree in English. At the 2008 US Olympic Trials Jones earned a spot on the US Olympic Team by placing 3rd in the 100 freestyle. In Beijing, Cullen was a member of the winning 4x100 free relay team. Four years later he qualified for the 2012 London Olympics. Here he won another gold medal swimming on the 4x100 medley relay breaking a world record in the process. He also earned a silver medal in the 50 freestyle and another as a member of the 4x100 freestyle relay. Throughout his career, Jones has been passionate about bringing more diversity to the sport of swimming. He serves as an Ambassador for the USA Swimming Foundation and serves on their Board of Directors. Jones and his wife Rupi have a son Ayvn.
Olympic Gold Medalist
Dr. Genadijus Sokolovas
Sports Physiologist
Dr. Genadijus Sokolovas (Dr G) is considered to be one of the world’s most accomplished sports physiologist. Genadijus was USA Swimming’s Director of Physiology & Director of Sport Science. Here he developed several innovative testing programs for USA Swimming’s Olympic and National Team members including Olympic gold medalists and world record holders Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres, Jenny Thompson, Ryan Lochte, Aaron Peirsol, Gary Hall Jr., Anthony Ervin, Lenny Krayzelburg, and Cullen Jones. Overall, he has tested and worked with 115 Olympic Champions and 15,000+ swimmers from 125 countries, developed innovative swimming tests and databases. Dr. Sokolovas has provided testing feedback and advice to high schools, clubs, and universities such as Stanford, California Berkeley, Texas, Michigan, Florida, Southern California, Alabama, Auburn, Arizona, Arizona State, North Carolina, South Carolina. Dr G received his doctorate from the Russian Academy of Physical Education in Moscow where he used physiological, biochemical, and pedagogical testing programs to assess adaptation in swimming to different workloads. He received his BS and MS degrees from the Lithuanian University of Sport.
Dr. Zac Hojnacki
Mental Performance Coach
Dr. Zac Hojnacki (Coach Zac) attained a Masters and PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Arizona, where he focused his research on performance under pressure;
John Waldman
Creator of the Avatar
Fluid Mechanics (FM) is an aquatic consulting company that takes a unique visual approach to help competitive swimmers develop, achieve, and exceed their goals. Their swimmers have competed in every major international competition including the Olympics, World Championships, and World Games. FM was founded in 1987 by John B. Waldman, a renowned leader and visionary in competitive swimming instruction and a former world-ranked swimmer and record-holder at Indiana University. Waldman was mentored throughout his career by Dr. James E. Counsilman (4 Time US Olympic Coach) – widely considered one of the most successful coaches of all time – who coached such swimming luminaries as Mark Spitz (7 gold medals 1972 Munich Olympics) along with gold medalists Gary Hall Sr., Charles Hickcox, and John Kinsella to name a few. FM uses a unique approach to dramatically improve swimmers' performance. Their visual training system, uses life-like avatars to teach the science of swimming. This ground-breaking system utilizes cutting edge technique, strength, in-water training methods and mental strategies. With FM Animations, swimmers internalize advanced athletic concepts at-a-glance. Simply put, swimmers just see it, then do it.
Dick Shoulberg
Olympic Coach
After graduating from Norrisville High School and a stint in the Army, Dick worked as a precision machinist and started his coaching career at Penn Square Swim Club. Followed by stops at Norristown YMCA, Mermaid Swim Club, and the Roxborough YMCA he was hired in 1969 as coach at Germantown Academy. Over his 45-year tenure at GA, his teams won 2 men’s and 6 women’s National Prep School Championships with a dual meet winning percent of 98% (women) and 82% (men). During this time, he also coached national power Germantown Academy Aquatic Club which later merged with Foxcatcher Swim Club. Coach Shoulberg has coached Olympians Maddy Crippen, Dave Wharton, David Berkoff, Sean Killian, Trina Radke, Erika Hansen, Karen LaBerge, Dan Jorgenson, Sue Heon along with several international swimmers. Because of his success, he was appointed an Olympic Coach and Advisor at two Olympic Games. He has also participated internationally in swimming clinics in Australia, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Guam, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Russian, Spain, Thailand, Israel, Finland, along with the United States. Although he chose swim coaching as a career, Shoulberg has noted he was not an exceptional high school swimmer, never broke a standing record, and never swam for a college team. As a Norristown area native, he has lived within a two-mile radius of East Norriton Township in the Philadelphia suburbs his entire life. Dick and his wife Molly have four children and several grandchildren.
Jack Bauerle
Olympic Head Coach
Jack Bauerle began swimming in the Philadelphia area at the Germantown YMCA, the Manor Lu Swim Club, and the Philadelphia Aquatic Club. As a senior in 1970, he was co-captain of the La Salle College High School swim team. Jack went on to the University of Georgia where he broke several school records and served as the team captain for two seasons. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1975. After graduation, Bauerle stayed on as assistant coach at Georgia. He was appointed head women's head coach in 1979 and later became head coach for the men's team in 1983. It should be noted that early in his collegiate coaching career he would spend his summers in Philadelphia coaching with fellow ISCA Hall of Fame inductee Dick Shoulberg. During his 43 seasons as head coach, Coach Bauerle’s teams have won 7 NCAA Team Championships with over 300 student athletes receiving All-American status. During that span he was named NCAA Coach of the Year 7 times. Jack was named Head Coach of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and served as a coach in 5 other Olympics between 2000 and 2020. The Georgia Bulldogs contingent at the 2020 games consisted of seven swimmers…Hali Flickinger, Natalie Hinds, Chase Kalisz, Jay Litherland, Allison Schmitt, Olivia Smoliga, Javier Acevedo. This was the largest group of swimmers from a single university to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games. Jack retired from coaching in 2022. Although he’s been living in Georgia for the past 50+ years, his heart is still in Philadelphia as he remains an avid Phillies and Eagles fan. Jack and his wife Leigh Ann have three children...John, Magill, and Duke.
Stephen "Sid" Cassidy
USA Open Water National Coach
Sid Cassidy started his swimming career in North Carolina before his family moved to Delaware in the late 60’s. Here he met and flourished under his mentor, Bob Mattson, at the Wilmington Aquatic Club. After graduating from Salesianum School he matriculated to North Carolina State where he earned several ACC Conference titles and was named an NCAA All-American. Sid got hooked on open-water swimming in the mid-1970s as a member of the Ocean City (NJ) Beach Patrol. He went on to swam marathon races in the USA, Canada, and Egypt and was ranked as the #4 professional marathon swimmer in the world in 1979. Cassidy began his coaching career at WAC before moving to Florida in 1983 after being hired as an assistant coach at the University of Tampa and head coach of the Greater Tampa Swimming Association. He also became involved with USA Swimming and eventually served as the National Team Head Coach of Open Water Swimming. This led to a position as Chairman of FINA’s Technical Open Water Swimming Committee which was instrumental in bringing this into the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Sid also served as an assistant coach at Florida State University, head coach at James Madison University, and head coach at the University of Miami. In 1994 Cassidy made his way back to the Jersey shore as the Aquatics Director for Atlantic City where he also founded the Atlantic City Aquatic Club. Coach Cassidy has spent nearly 2 decades as the Aquatics Director and Head Coach at the prestigious St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, Florida. Here he’s been named Florida High School Coach of the year 5 times and continues to coach many athletes at the National and Olympic levels. He is also the head coach of St. Andrew’s Aquatics and co-owner, with his wife Kara, of Florida Swim School. They have 2 children…Quinn and Kate.