Chris Bertana
Head Coach - & Green, Yellow Coach
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Chris started coaching 1995 and has been the Head Coach of the Blue Devil Swim Club for the last 6 years. His passion for coaching comes from a deep love of working with children to accomplish their dreams and helping them become valuable citizens in their communities through hard work, dedication, time management, a love for working hard and reaping the benefits that comes from that committment.
Under Chris' direction the team has finished with 2 top ten finishes, 2 top 15 finishes, and 2 top 30 finishes at the Illinois Age Group State Meet. At the Senior State Meet level, the club has finished in the top 20 over the past 4 years and most recently finished 2nd at the Summer Championships. As a member of the Northwest Illinois Swim Conference (NWISC), the club has captured the championship spot in multiple seasons. Most recently, the club finished in second place.
Under Chris' direction the club has produced many Regional and State Champions and recently qualified 3 individual swimmers in 9 events and 1 relay for the USA Swimming Junior National Swim Meet and has 3 swimmers qualified for the USA Swimming Senior National Swim Meet, 2 swimmers qualified for the 2012 Olympic trials and placed a swimmer>
OFFICE HOURS
I will be in the office from 10am-2pm Monday - Friday. These office hours are listed for parents or swimmers as the best time to contact me via my cell phone. My cell phone is>
Karin A Brown
Elite, Green, Yellow & Dryland Coach
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Karin is the Assistant Head Coach and has been coaching with the Blue Devil Swim Club since September 2007 and has assisted with the various high school age swimmer groups. She hails from the beautiful coastal town of Cape Town , South Africa.
Karin has always liked working with young student athletes, at colleges in South Africa and now through BDSC. She feels it's such a unique honor guiding and witnessing them blossom into well round individuals, often displaying characteristics like discipline, focus, time management, skill mastery, coping with successes and failures - all skills learned as a swimmer and athlete. She is the Lead Senior Coach and will also be responsible for running the dryland conditioning program for the senior swimmers. She looks forward to another great and exciting year.
Kevin Kowalski
Bronze Group Coach
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Kevin graduated from the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. His day job is with Wm W Meyer & Sons in Libertyville, IL. Kevin went through the Red Cross swim lesson program as a child and has been swimming recreationally his entire life.
Kevin's first job was teaching swim lessons for a few summers with the Wildwood Park District. He swam competitively in High School at Warren and was a captain his Junior and Senior years.
Kevin has been coaching with the Blue Devil Swim Club since the Summer of 2005. He currently coaches the Bronze 2 group and you may see him helping out with other Age Group practice groups. On his days off he enjoys time with his family, time with his daughter (Junior 1 swimmer), working on his house, and rooting for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Greta Nash
Junior Devil Group Coach
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Greta has been
coaching with the Blue Devil Swim Club since the summer of 2008. As
a youth, Greta swam competitively for eight years. She grew up in
Alabama and spent most of her time in and around the water. If she
was not swimming herself, she was teaching swim lessons to area
youth and adults, or life guarding at the city pool. She has
competed in several 5K and 10Ks and two triathlons. In addition to
coaching the Jr. Devil group she assists with the Gold and Blue
groups.
Before her
family moved to Gurnee in 2004, Greta served as the Team Manager
for the Chenoweth Chargers swim team in Brentwood, TN from 2003-2004.
When her four
children are not swimming for the Blue Devils or keeping her busy,
she enjoys gardening, reading, running and yoga.
Megan L Mariani
Silver Coach
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Megan started coaching with the Blue Devil Swim club in May of 2015 after graduating from Valparaiso University with a degree in Exercise Science. Her future goals are to go on to Graduate School for Physical Therapy while continuing to coach with BDSC. She currently works as a Rehab Aide at Athletico.
Megan began swimming in fall 2004 with the Blue Devil Swim Club. She continued to swim through High School, where she was the captain her senior year at Warren. After graduating from Warren, she went on to swim competitively all four years at Valparaiso University where she swam the 500, 1000, and mile events.
Megan currently coaches the Sliver group. She is excited to see her swimmers set and achieve their goals and hopes for a fantastic season for all.
Stephanie Kramer
Asst. Coach
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Stephanie is currently a senior at DePaul University
studying to have a bachelors degree in Communications. She has been
swimming for eighteen years, thirteen of which were on a swim team.
She swam with Hastings Lake YMCA for ten years and Blue Devil Swim
Club for three years. She has been coaching for Blue Devil swim
club for five years. She started out coaching the Junior Devils and
has been with the silver group for four years.
