Coaches & Directors

Welcome to the coaches page. We are very proud of our coaches staff and look forward to using our talents to make your competitive swimming experience a great one.

If your questions are related to workouts, meets, events, goal setting, and other swimming related needs, please contact your coach. For all questions related to administrative, such as dues, safety, or policy issues, please contact Holly Hinz.

Coaching Staff

Tay Stratton

Co-Head Coach LRRC

Coach Tay Stratton has led the Laser Swim Team as Founder and Head Coach since 1992. Under her direction, the team grew into one of the largest teams in the State. She has trained swimmers to compete at the State, Regional, Junior, Senior Nationals, and Olympic Trial levels. Under her coaching, the team has had 40 Top 16 swims posted, had two swimmers rank 2nd in the nation in their age group, set over 56 State and LSC Records, and had many State High Point Champions. One of her alumni set a World Record while on a NCAA Div. I relay. Coach Stratton was the Arkansas Zone Coach for the 1996, 1997, and 2003 teams. She is an ASCA level five coach. She has been named Arkansas Age Group Coach of the Year and was inducted in the Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame. She has served as ASI Age Group Chair two terms and currently serves as ASI Technical Chairman.

As a competitive swimmer from the age of five, Tay swam for Millers Swim Gym, and the Little Rock Dolphins. She attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on a full swimming scholarship and was swim team captain two years. Her competitive background, coupled with 24 years of teaching 1000’s of students, has allowed Tay to further her dedication and knowledge of stroke mechanics, motivation, racing strategy and training methods. Her mission statement remains the same: To provide a positive and motivating experience that builds self esteem, develops the athlete to their fullest potential, and gives swimmers the skills and lessons of competitive swimming that they may take with them through all walks of life. She is excited about the future of the Dolphin- Laser Swim Team and looks forward to continue providing direction and vision for its future. Tay oversees all aspects of the team in partnership with Coach John Hargis, coaches the Age Group Team as well as oversees all developmental practices at the Little Rock Racquet Club.

April 28, 2007 Induction into Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame Bio

Keith McAfee

Co-Head Coach Jacksonville-Sherwood

Coach Keith is the Head Coach of our Jacksonville and Sherwood sites and Team Administrator. He joined the Dolphin coaching staff in 1986. He took over the Jacksonville program in 1994 and developed the Sherwood site in 2004. As a coach for the Dolphins, he has been instrumental in the development of many of the tops swimmers in Arkansas.

Coach Keith is a Little Rock native and began his swimming career at age 6 as a member of the Millers Swim Gym. He joined the Little Rock Racquet Club Dolphins swim team in 1972. As an age group swimmer, he held several state records and was selected as team captain for the Dolphins his senior year. While at swimming Hendrix College, he not only served as Team Captain but, received the prestigious Carl Babcock Award for Outstanding Leadership in Athletics.

White attending Hendrix College, he coached the Hendrix Aquakids from 1983-1986. He has taught hundreds of children how to swim as an instructor at the Little Rock Racquet Club.. He was active in the development of the West Little Rock Optimist Summer Swim League and coached five of the competing teams over a four- year period. In 2003, in addition to his Dolphin coaching duties, he took over the coaching of the struggling Sherwood Sharks Swim Team, which is part of the Central Arkansas Swim League. Through his direction, he took this summer program to the top of the league with four straight undefeated seasons and is one of the largest in the state.

He has been involved in many aspects of Arkansas Swimming, Inc. He has volunteered his time by serving as Equipment Chair and Awards Chair. He has been the Meet Director for many ASI Age Group Champs meets. He has been instrumental in the Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame, serving on the committee since 1987. He is currently the Chairman of the Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame. He was awarded the highly coveted Conoco Phillips 66 Volunteer of the Year in 2000.

Recognizing his numerous contributions’ to Arkansas Swimming, Keith McAfee was inducted into the Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame in 2009.

Matthew H Adams

Head Senior Coach

Matt has an extensive background in competitive swimming as a swimmer and coach. He most recently has served as the Senior Coach of the AquaHawgs swim team in Fayetteville. Matt coached swimmers age 14 and older. During his time with the AquaHawgs his swimmers achieved success from the State level to the Senior National level.

Matt has a background in Arkansas Swimming, as an age group swimmer he grew up swimming for the Razorback Aquatic Club in Springdale, AR and swam summers during college for the Arkansas Dolphins Swim Team. As a collegiate swimmer he swam for the University of Missouri at Rolla where he was a four-year letterman and a 2 year team captain. Matt was also a national qualifier, he received 18 All-American awards, and logged several school records. He graduated with degrees in Business Administration and Economics. Upon graduation he worked as a Business Systems Analyst for DaySpring Cards in Siloam Springs Arkansas.

*Coach Matt is the contact for college coaches.

Basil V Hicks

Senior Team I Coach

Basil Hicks began swimming with the summer league swim team at the North Side YMCA in North Little Rock. At the age of nine, Basil joined the Dolphins lead by Coach Paul Blair. At 10 years old, Basil achieved his first Top 16 time in the 200 yd. Freestyle. At the age of 14, Basil Hicks achieved his highest top 16 rankings. He was ranked first in the 500 free and second in the 100 and 200 free. Basil was a Jr. National qualifier in the: 100, 200, 500 and 1650 free and the 100 and 200 breaststroke 200 Fly and the 200 IM. He was undefeated in the 200 and 500 Free at the High School Championships. As a junior, Basil qualified for Senior Nationals in the 1650 freestyle. Basil attended Yale University where he swam each of his four years and graduated with a BA in Philosophy in 1996. Basil ended his college swimming career with a 6^th place Finish at the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Championship in the 1650 Freestyle. Basil returned to Arkansas and coached at the Razorback Aquatic Club as an assistant age group coach in 1997. In 2000 he became the Head Age Group Coach for RAC. RAC finished first in the ASI Long Course Championship from 2000 to 2003 with a short course championship in 2002. From 2000 to 2003, Basil also coached the Fayetteville High School Swim Team. In 2001 the Fayetteville Men’s team won the State Championship, and in 2002 the Women’s team did the same. In 2003 Basil returned to the Dolphins as the Head Age Group Coach under Coach Blair. The Dolphins finished first at the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Short Course ASI Championships and first at the 2004 Long Course Championship. Basil Hicks still holds 8 LSC and 5 State records and his 100, 200 and 500 freestyle times as a 14 year old are still in the top 100 of all time According to USA Swimming.

Eimear M Ryan

Head Coach Little Rock Athletic club

Coach Eimear Ryan is the Head Coach at the Little Rock Athletic Club. She is also the Aquatics Director at the Little Rock Athletic Club. Eimear has been swimming all her life. She is one of the founding swimmers for the Laser Swim Team. Eimear was team captain from 1999-2001, a Region VIII swimmer and a member of the Arkansas State Champion team of 2001. After graduating from Little Rock Central High School she attended the University of Arkansas Fayetteville where she swam for the Lady Razorbacks from 2001-2003. In 2003 she went on to swim for the University of Arkansas Little Rock Trojans on a swimming scholarship. At UALR, Eimear was swim team captain, 5 time school record breaker, an Athletic Scholar and was on the Sun Belt Conference Honor Roll for academic excellence.

Eimear graduated from the University of Arkansas Little Rock in May of 2006 with a Bachelors of Science with an emphasis on health and exercise science.

Tasha Stratton

Masters Coach

Tasha Stratton joined the Laser team in September of 1998 as LRAC Head Age Group Coach. Tasha swam competitively through her high school years. She has a competitive background in swimming where she swam for the Little Rock Racquet Club. She began teaching swimming at age 16 at the Pine Bluff Country Club. She taught swimming as well as water aerobics and lifeguarding while attending Lyons College and Emergency Medical Technical School. She also has had experience working in childcare through independent organizations including the Montessori school system. Tasha is the Head coach of the Laser Masters program where she oversees training of Lasers Masters Swimmers.

Tasha was the aquatic director at the LRAC for eight years where she oversaw swim instructors and lifeguards. She also teaches private and group lessons. When not coaching you may see Tasha with her fourteen-year-old daughter Skye or her six-year-old son Ronan or her one and a half year old son Finn. Tasha has always loved working with children and wants to help them achieve high self esteem and success through the sport of swimming.

Brian Bowen

Cabot Coach

Holly Hinz

Coach and Team Coordinator

Holly grew up in Atlanta and has been swimming all her life. She swam competitively for the Stingrays in Marietta, Georgia from ages 7 to 18. She also swam for her high school, Westminster, and helped the Wildcats earn 4 State Championships. In addition to USA swimming and high school swimming, Holly also swam and coached summer league.

After high school, Holly attended Emory University in Atlanta Georgia where she majored in psychology and swam for the Eagles. She led Emory to a Division III National Championship in 2005 and again in 2006 as team captain. She holds many All-American honors and, her sophomore year, became the Division III National Champion in the 500 freestyle.

After college, Holly joined Teach for America and taught 7^th grade science in Miami, Fl for two years. When her Teach for America commitment was over, she moved back to Atlanta and spent a year teaching 7^th grade science at the same middle school she attended.

She began work as the team coordinator in July of 2009. She is also the Developmental Coach at the LRRC site. We are excited to have her experience and knowledge of the sport to help move our team in the right direction.

Shane Eliason

LRRC Coach

Shane Eliason began his swimming career when he was 6 for the Door County Dorphins and later Sturgeon Bay High School. During this time he set numerous club records as well as won 10 high school state championships and set 2 high school state records. He then attended the University of Kentucky where he was a 5 time All-American and currently holds team records in the 100 backstroke and the 200 medley relay. Throughout his years at UK, he taught numerous private lessons to swimmers of all abilities as well as coached at the University of Kentucky Swim Camp. Shane graduated with honors in mathematical economics last fall and currently works for Windstream Communications. Shane will be assisting the Age Group Program at the LRRC.

Board of Directors