Greensboro Community YMCA : GCY Coaching Staff

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Bradley F Herndon

Swim Team Director and Head Coach

Brad is a graduate of East Carolina University, where he swam all 4 years and was voted Team Captain his senior year in 1993. Through 15 years of successful coaching experience, he has demonstrated a superior ability to coach, motivate, and positively impact young people through the sport of swimming.

Highlights include: Guiding the former Sedgefield Swim and Racquet Club to multiple High Point City Meet titles throughout the 1990s, and coaching 4 separate swimmers in all 4 strokes to multiple individual NC Swimming 14-under State Championships in the 2000's. He has also started and developed several successful aquatics program, all ages and all skill levels, from 18 months through adults, and learn-to-swim through elite swimmers.

Brad has already quickly demonstrated his ability to run effective practices, teach stroke details to mass audiences (as well as small groups/individuals) in interesting and innovative ways. He has also excelled in mentoring other coaches, has strong management and organizational skills, and a posses a true passion for swimming.

In addition, Brad has competed very successfully himself recently. He completed the 2011 Lousiville Ford Ironman Triathlon, qualified and completed the 2012 Boston Marathon, and he had a top 10 finish at the 2012 US Masters National Championships held in the Spring in Greensboro, NC.

Brad is currently ASCA Level 3 Certified.

In one completed year, here are some of the GCY Highlights and Acheivements for the team:

12 YMCA National Qualifiers
1 NC State HS AAA Champion
Multiple YMCA Nationally Ranked Swimmers
Multiple NC Select Camp and IMX Camp Athletes
1 NC High Point Award at NC 14-Under Champs
Multiple GCY Team Records Broken
62 YMCA Regional Level Qualifiers
1 National Masters Record and National Masters Champion
Multiple National Masters Top 10 finishers

Connor B Griffin

Head Site Coordinator

Connor primarily works with our elite age group swimmers and is currently the Head Site Coach at the Spears YMCA in northwest Greensboro. He also coaches an all site practice at the Greensboro Aquatic Center once a week, where the elite age group swimmers (primarily 13 and under) merge together from all 4 sites to train.

Connor has been coaching competitive swimming for 4 years. He started his swim coaching career in Hendersonville, NC where he was the coach for the regional team. While there he produced multiple regional championship qualifiers. During his time in Hendersonville he was also the head varsity coach for West Henderson High School where he helped lead the team to a conference championship.

Connor joined the GCY staff in the spring of 2010. While coaching with GCY year around, Connor also successfully coached 2 season of the YMCA Bears summer league swim team, drastically improving their placement at the city meet championships.

Connor is ASCA level 2 certified and resides in Kernersville, NC

During his tenure with GCY, Connor has led his swimmers to the following accomplishments:

21 Team records broken
3 State Champion titles (all achieved by the same athlete)
1 High point award winner at 2012 North Carolina 14&under state championships
2 Athletes invited to attend North Carolina Swimmings zone select camp
15 Regional championships (all achieved by the same athlete)
16 14&under State Championship qualifiers
1 Long Course YMCA National Championship qualifier
2 YMCA Capital Classic qualifiers
3 North Carolina Swimming Senior Championship qualifiers

Matt A Thorne

Head Site Coordinator

Coach Matt Thorne has been coaching with the Mako’s since 2003. In August of 2003, in an effort to develop his coaching skills, he began volunteering with the Greensboro Community YMCA(GCY). He is currently serving as the Site Coordinator for GCY at the Ragsdale YMCA in Jamestown where he over see’s training of all group levels from National to age group level. Matt has coached numerous swimmers constantly to YMCA Regionals each season during his time with the team. At the YMCA Regional meet his swimmers have placed multiple times in the top 3 in numerous events. He has also coached swimmers to multiple NC JO’s & YMCA National qualifying times. Matt has coached multiple swimmers to AAAA & AAA times and has led swimmers to top 10 finishes at the High School 4A & 3A state championships.

Coach Matt has also worked with many different local High Schools and CSA teams. He started coaching with Adams Farm of the Greensboro CSA in 2011. In his second season he led the AFST to an undefeated season and from 16^th to 8^th place in the CSA. Coach Matt has also enjoyed coaching with many other teams around Greensboro. In 2005, he started his High School coaching carrier serving as an assistant coach with Page High school for the 2005 – 2006 season. After one season with Page he accepted a Co-Head coaching job with the North West Swim team in 2006 – 2007 and Head coached from 2007 – 2009 where he received Metro 4A coach of the year honors both seasons along with leading the girls’ team to two undefeated season. He also coached with another CSA swim team Battle Forest for 8 seasons, taking them to their first undefeated season since the early 70’s in 2006.

Matt is ASCA Level 2 & USA Level 2 certified and is always working on improving his knowledge of swimming and achieving higher ASCA levels. Matt loves the opportunity to pass on his knowledge to younger generations while learning from his swimmers as well.

Leigh Tharrington

Head Site Coordinator

Coach Leigh is finishing up her 1st season as a coach for GCY. Leigh is currently the Head Site Coordinator at the Reidsville YMCA, where she has made an immediate positive impact on the program.

Leigh was born and raised in Greensboro, where she swam as an age group swimmer here at GCY. She still holds multiple team records to this day. Leigh experienced a tremendous amount of success during her swimming career. Her highlights include a North Carolina Swimming State Championship title, multiple YMCA National Championship time standards, as well as a YMCA National Top 16 finish.

Leigh has made quite a name for herself in the North Carolina Swimming coaching world prior to starting with GCY. She was one of the youngest 4A Head High School swim coaches in the state when she coached Page High School to one of their largest state championship teams in school history. Leigh also successfully coached the Cardinal Country Club for 3 years, doubling the size during her tenure. Leigh has recently started a new chapter in summer league coaching by accepting a head coaching job for the Sherwood Swim and Racquet club, where she is supervising 4 assistant coaches on a team of over 100.

Having already nearly tripled the attendance at the Reidsville site, and helping to produce the sites first ever YMCA regional qualifier, it is clear that Leigh's attention to detail and ability to change GCY swimmers physically, and mentally, has earned her the respect of her peers, swimmers and parents alike. Never one to be seen sitting down, Leigh's energy level is 2nd to none, and her ability to get Mako swimmers excited is unparalleled.

Leigh graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in English, and resides in Greensboro with her beautiful cat, Orchid.

Justine C Intiso

Coach and Aquatics Director

Justine is originally from Long Island and now her family lives in Wilmington where she attended and swam four years for Ashely High School. She is starting her third year with the GCY Makos, where she will continue her work with the Pups and Minis, and is looking forward to expanding her coaching knowledge as well as working with all the swimmers. Justine has been with the Greensboro YMCA for four years where she works as a lifeguard and teaches swim lessons. Her passion is to continue working with youth throughout her professional career.

Johnny Tsui

Coach

Johnny is in his third year coaching at GCY, working mainly with Age Group 2 and Senior Prep.

He begins coaching at the Goldsboro Family YMCA where he served as assistant coach for 3 years. He has coached all age groups at GOLD. While coaching at GOLD, he also coached the local high school teams, where he was the assistant coach at Charles B. Aycock High School for 2 years, and head coach at Goldsboro High School for 1 year, while swimmers from both teams qualified and reached finals at State Championships. Johnny also has 6 years of experience teaching swim lessons from the YMCA and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro. He is a certified WSI (Water Safety Instructor), LGI (Lifeguard Instructor) from the American Red Cross, and Certified Pool Operator. He was the head lifeguard at a YMCA and City of Goldsboro co-run pool for 2 summers.

Johnny swimming career begin in Hong Kong, China, where he started swimming for his primary school and district. After moving in the states at Goldsboro, NC, Johnny swam for Charles B. Aycock High School and received male MVP in his senior year.

Johnny has graduated from Wayne Community College with an Associate in Arts degree. He is currently a student at UNCG major in Kinesiology, concentration in Sports Medicine, minor in Recreation and Park Management, concentrating in Therapeutic Recreation. Johnny enjoys every bit of teaching and coaching, and he finds the most satisfaction from knowing his teaching has made a difference.

Samuel H Peck

Coach

Sam swam and attended the University of Rhode Island where he received his Bachelor in Fine Arts in 2001. In 2003, he moved to Greensboro and began teaching art after 2 years as the Asst. Mens and Women’s swim coach at the University of Rhode Island. In 2010, he received his Masters in Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is now working for this same institution while coaching as an ASCA level 2 certified coach. Sam has coached at the age group level for the past 10 years and has experience at both the Division 1 and Division 3 levels. Sam lives with his Australian Shepard/ Border Collie mix, Madra in Greensboro.

Julie K Greene

Coach

Julie is a native of Greensboro and started her swimming career swimming for Grimsley High School and teaching swim lessons at the Guilford College YMCA and Spear’s YMCA. While attending the University of North Carolina-Wilmington she continued teaching swim lessons and coached two seasons with the Mini-Barracudas for the YWCA Barracudas swim team. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology from UNC-W she returned to Greensboro and joined the GCY team in February 2006 coaching the Silver and White groups in both the short-course and long-course season. In the 2006-2007 season she coached the Mini-Makos and the Pups group as well as coaching the GCY Masters team and assisting with the long-course season for the Silvers and White groups. In addition to GCY, she has completed two fantastic seasons as a head coach at Southeast Swim Club in Greensboro CSA. Julie enjoys the challenge of finding new and creative ways of formulating and implementing workouts and drills, while helping to motivate her swimmers, cultivate leadership skills, and create a sense of unity and excitement.

Meganne Raines Gould

Coach

Meganne is excited to begin her third year coaching at GCY. She previously worked with the Pups and Minis, and she is looking forward to coaching Age Group 2 and Senior Prep this year! Meganne also coaches the GCY Mako Masters and our Tri Swimmers. Prior to coaching, Meganne worked in aquatics at the Spears YMCA, where she ran aquatic programs and taught swim lessons. Meganne enjoys the excitement and energy that accompany swimming and loves being a part of the development of swimmers of all ages. Meganne is a native of Greensboro and graduate of Grimsley High School and UNC – Chapel Hill. She is a former GCY swimmer, was captain of the Grimsley swim team, and participated in club swimming at UNC. She has recently started participating in Masters swimming events. Her favorite events are butterfly and relays.