Coaches & Directors
We are here to support your needs.
|
| Coaching Staff |
Traci Sandin
Head Diving Coach
Coaching Experience: Traci Sandin is known to her divers as Coach Traci. Her competitive diving career began when she was in 6th grade at her public pool summer diving team and continued until she was 28 years old diving>
- DuBois High School diving coach (late 80's)
- Perkiomen Valley High School diving coach (mid 90's)
- Hill School diving coach (2002 - 2012)
- PVAC diving coach (2007-08 season)
- Hill Age Group Diving AAU instructional diving program (HAGD), owner & coach (strictly instructional no competition) - started 2007 and still doing clinics
- Perkiomen Valley High school coach - 2007 to present
Personal: Traci grew up in Western PA (DuBois, PA) where she started her diving career back in the mid 70's and continued into the 80's and 90's. Currently, she lives in Royersford with her 3 cats Little Man, Amy & Callie. When she's away from the pool, she grooms dogs out of her home based shop and she also enjoys walking, camping and working in her yard.
Achievements: Here are some of Traci's achievements:
- DuBois Drakes - summer diving program at local pool
- DuBois YMCA diving
- DuBois High School diving
- West Chester University diving
- US High Diving team & stunt show
Philosophy of Coaching: “My goal for PVAC is to develop a competitive age group program while at the same time build a strong feeder program for our PV high school team. I look forward to working with and meeting everyone that is involved with PVAC for many seasons to come. Thank you for this opportunity!"
Becky Strawbridge
Assistant Coach
Coaching Experience: Becky has been involved with teaching swim lessons and lifeguarding, since 2008 both at Perkiomen Valley and Upper Perkiomen Valley. She was one of the assistant coaches for the Upper Perkiomen Valley Summer Swim team in 2009 and 2010.
Personal: Becky is a 2014 graduate of Albright College where she studied Sociology. Prior to Albright, Becky was a graduate of Perkiomen Valley in 2010. Becky swam on the high school team for 4 years, played water polo her senior year, and was a member of PVAC. She began her swimming career at age 11 on the Upper Perkiomen swim team, going on to be a captain/coach her junior and senior year of high school.
Achievements: Becky received a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree at Albright College and currently works in King of Prussia as a travel consultant at Liberty Travel. She was captain of the Perkiomen Valley High School Team her senior year, as well as captain of the Upper Perkiomen summer swim team her junior/senior year.
Philosophy of Coaching: “Encourage my swimmers to work with me. I think that a partnership will ensure that we both reach the best possible versions of ourselves as swimmers, coaches, and people. If I can get one swimmer to look back and say, “wow – swimming taught me so much about life and made me who I am today”, my job is fulfilled. My three pillars to helping athletes achieve swimming success are: Technique, Setting Goals, and Growth”.
Tom Hayes
Assistant Coach
Coaching Experience : Tom is currently in his third season coaching PVAC as well as the Perkiomen Valley High school swim team. He has been involved in the Skippack swim team for two years, both resulting in a championship season. Tom has recently been named the head coach for the Perkiomen Valley Men’s Water Polo Team.
Personal: Tom is a 2012 Graduate of Bloomsburg University where he swam four years for the Men’s Varsity swim team. Tom studied Secondary Education and Social Studies while attending Bloomsburg University. Prior to Bloomsburg, Tom was a Perkiomen Valley graduate who swam 4 years>
Achievements: Tom has earned a teaching degree and is certified to teach secondary level social studies as well as elementary to high school level special education. Tom is a three time PIAA district qualifier in the 200 and 500 yard freestyle and was captain of the PV high school swim team his senior year. While he was at Bloomsburg he was a four time PSAC qualifier in the 500, 1000 and the 1650 yard freestyle; Tom was captain of the men’s swim team his senior year.
Philosophy of Coaching: "Swimming is both a team and individual sport that focuses>
Ross Buckwalter
Assistant Coach
Coaching Experience: Coach Ross Buckwalter has acted as an assistant coach for the Perkiomen Valley High School swim team for several years and has provided swimming instruction as well as strength and conditioning implementation for the team. Ross had the opportunity to work as a volunteer coach for the University of Delaware swim team as well as a volunteer coach for Delaware’s Strength and Conditioning staff. Locally, Ross acts as a Weightlifting and CrossFit coach at CrossFit Rage in Skippack.
Personal: Ross has lived in the area all of his life and is driven to give back to the community that has helped to develop him. He continues to train as an athlete in the sport of weightlifting and to share his love of physical culture with anyone who will listen.
Achievements: As an athlete, Ross was a four year Division 1 athlete swimming for the University of Delaware. Ross has also participated in the 2012 Olympic Trials for Swimming and the 2015 and 2016 USA Weightlifting Nationals held in conjunction with the Olympic Team Trials. Ross has also earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware. As a coach, Ross continues to expand his education and has completed the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS-NSCA), the Advanced Sports Performance Coach (ASPC-USAW), the CrossFit Level 1, and has attended/completed a number of additional seminars and courses.
Coaching Philosophy: Ross’s philosophy is to encourage a journey towards lifelong physical endeavors. This sentiment can be summed up in the following saying: “People overestimate what can be done in a day and underestimate what can be done in a lifetime”. There is always something to be improved upon and there is always something that you can be doing to correct that.
Meggie Leitz
Assistant Coach
Coaching Experience: Meggie has previously
coached for Aronimink Swim Club in her hometown of Drexel Hill,
along with years of lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons.
This is Meggie’s first year coaching for PVAC!
Personal: Meggie is a 2018 graduate
from Ursinus College where she studied Math and Physics.
Meggie swam all four years for Ursinus as well as running for
the track and field team for two years. She began her
swimming career at the age of 6, where she swam for her local YMCA
and Aronimink Swim Club in the summers. Meggie participated
in track and field, field hockey, cross country and swimming
throughout her four years of high school.
Achievements: Meggie earned a
Bachelor’s of Science Degree from Ursinus College and she
plans to start a career as a Software Engineer. Meggie was
the MVP for her high school swim team for two years, where she also
was a PIAA District 1 qualifier for four years. Meggie made
history at Ursinus College when she qualified for NCAA DIII
Nationals and placed 3rd in the 200 fly. She is a three time
Centennial Conference champion in the 200 fly and she received the
MVP award for Ursinus in 2017. She was the captain of the
women’s swim team her senior year.
Philosophy of Coaching: Meggie believes
coaching is a growing experience for herself and for her swimmers.
She strives to meet her highest potential so her swimmers can
be the best they can be, all while having fun. “Choose
a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your
life..”
Sean Hodgins
Assistant Coach
Coaching Experience:
PVAC Guppy Coach (Beginner Swimmers)- 2009-2012
Perkiomen Valley High School Summer Program Coach- 2017
Skippack Summer Swim Team- 2018
Perkiomen Valley High School Cross Country Coach- Current (First
Year)
Perkiomen Valley High School Indoor Track Distance Coach- This
Winter
Perkiomen Valley High School Outdoor Track Distance Coach- This
Spring
Personal: Attended Perkiomen Valley from
Kindergarten to graduation. Just recently graduated from Bloomsburg
University in the spring of 2018 with my Masters in Education,
Bachelors in History, and a minor in Political Science. I am
qualified to be a Secondary Education (7-12) Social Studies
Teacher. I am currently a substitute teacher at Perk Valley,
Spring-Ford, Methacton, and other schools in the area. I swam with
PVAC from 2001-2013, Skippack Swim Team 2002-2012, and the High
School Swim Team for all four years from 2009-2013.
Achievements: I was part of the Perkiomen Valley
High School Swim Team that won three PAC-10 and Chest-Mont
Champions from 2010-2013. I qualified for States in swimming as
well as in Cross Country during my high school career. Still a
member of the 200 Medley Relay team that holds the Pool Record at
Perkiomen Valley. I ran Division II Cross Country at Bloomsburg
University for one year.
Philosophy of Coaching: I believe it is important
to build personal relationships with our athletes to generate
success.
| Board of Directors |
|
|
