Coaches
Heather is excited for another great season with the Sharks. She began coaching at the Cavalier in 2014. She graduated from Old Dominion University with a degree in sociology and a teaching license in K-12 special education. She is currently the Executive Assistant and Youth Director at the Cavalier, after spending 6 years as the Aquatic Director. She previously worked for the City of Virginia Beach, teaching at the high school and elementary school levels. She has worked with children of all ages and all ability levels both in and outside the classroom. Heather has been around the sport of swimming most of her life, swimming for clubs in New Hampshire and then Virginia. She started giving swim lessons at the age of 16 and taught swim lessons at the Chesapeake YMCA for 6 years as well as developing swim lesson programs and managing the outdoor pool. She has worked with the VBTCC swim club coaching the 6 and unders as well as an assistant age group coach with Tide swimming for four years. Her philosophy regarding summer swim is to have fun, learn proper stroke techniques, and most importantly develop a lifelong love for swimming!
We are pleased to have Coach Katherine back with us for a third year of coaching and her second year as co-head coach.
Katherine grew up in Virginia Beach and swam for various teams since she was 5 years old including Little Neck, Tide Swimming, and Norfolk Academy. She attended Norfolk Academy and participated in varsity volleyball, swimming, and was a captain of her rowing team for two consecutive years. Katherine continued her education at James Madison University (JMU) studying interdisciplinary liberal studies (IDLS) with an elementary education minor. She worked as a lifeguard at JMU. She graduated with her B.S. in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies in May 2020 and earned her Masters of Arts in Teaching in 2021. When Coach Katherine was student teaching she coached with Tide Swim School offering small group lessons and coaching with their intro to competitive swimming program.
During the school year, Katherine is a 3rd grade teacher at W.T. Cooke Elementary School. She encourages her students to set goals and try their best to achieve them in and outside of the classroom.
Sydney grew up swimming for Norfolk Academy and the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club. She attended Norfolk Academy where she played tennis and was captain of the swim team. Sydney just finished her first year at the College of William and Mary.
Sydney is very excited to coach her second season this summer. She enjoyed working with our youngest swimmers last year and looks forward to helping them develop their skills this year.
She wants to help each young swimmer have a great experience in the water like she did, and can’t wait to watch the Sharks succeed this summer.
Tucker grew up swimming at the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club. He attends Ocean Lakes High School, where he made the varsity golf, swim, and soccer teams. He is finishing up his senior year as captain of the swim team.
He is always looking to help out our fellow Sharks and is super excited to come back for his third year as swim coach.
He wants to create the love for swimming that he first discovered at the CGYC which carried him to swim for Ocean Lakes in high school.