Tristan Formon

Head Coach

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Primary Groups: Seniors

Background: Tristan began his coaching career in the UK and has been coaching at Berkeley and teaching at the Berkeley Swim School since 1996. Tristan's background includes many years as an elite level swimmer, competing at the regional and national levels, as well as in collegiate swimming at Loughborough University, in a swimming career that took him to the British Olympic Trials. He was named NJ Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year for 2011 and has been selected as a NJS All Star Zone Coach on several occasions. Active in the governance at all levels of the sport of Swimming, Tristan has served as a member of the USA Swimming, Eastern Zone Swimming and New Jersey Swimming Board of Directors. Currently he serves as Eastern Zone Coach Director, member of the USA Swimming Age Group Development Committee and Co-Chair of the USA Swimming Zone Director Council. He received his Master’s Degree in Physical Education with a concentration in Coaching and Sports Administration from Montclair State University.

Graham Bodner

Head Age Group Coach

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Coach Graham Bodner began coaching in the summer of 2010 in Pittsburgh PA. Most recently, he was the Head Age Group Coach of the Ridgefield Aquatic Club in Connecticut for the past four years. During his time there, RAC’s age group program grew in not only numbers but success at the state and zone level. Last year RAC finished 2nd overall at CT Age Group State Championships with his 10 & Under girls winning back to back team titles in 2018 Short Course And 2018 Long Course Age Group Championships. Coach Graham is also very involved in his off-deck work. Recently, Graham was an assistant coach for the USA Swimming Eastern Zone Select Camp in his hometown of Pittsburgh PA. He was selected as a 2017 ASCA fellow and tasked with studying how to coach GenZ athletes. Also, Coach Graham is a published writer in Swimming World Magazine as well as SPLASH Magazine. Coach Graham’s philosophy on age group swimming is based around simple principles. Enjoying the process, always be competing, always be learning and finding FUN in the challenge.

Anna Barry

Coach

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Primary Group:  Juniors/Snappers

Background: Anna has taught at the Berkeley Swim School for numerous years.  She has also been a member of the coaching staff at Berkeley Aquatic Club for over 15 years.  Anna served on the NJ Swimming Board of Directors as the NJS Treasurer and NJS Records Chair. She graduated from Alfred University in Alfred, New York with a major in Accounting. Anna received a Master’s Degree in International Business from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She has been selected as a coach to the New Jersey Swimming All Star Zone Team on multiple occasions.

Peter Barry

Coach

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Peter Barry

Primary Group: Assists with the Senior and Junior Groups

Background: Peter Barry began coaching in 1978.  He served as Assistant Women's Coach for Columbia University from 1983-1986.  Upon matriculating, from Columbia University, with a bachelor's degree in Architecture and Building and Development, he became Head Age Group at Morris Center YMCA, eventually becoming Head Coach from 1989-1993.  In 1993, Peter took on the role as Junior Coach at the Somerset Hills YMCA, eventually becoming Director of Competitive Aquatics from 2001-2015.  In 2012, he was named YMCA Coach of the Year, by his swimmers, parents and peers.  In his tenure, he has coached Olympic Trial, USA Junior National, National qualifiers, and Junior Pan Pac's finalists, and YMCA National Champions.  

Stephanie A Crofton

Coach

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Marlene Curtis

Coach

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Primary Groups: Streaks

Background: Marlene joined the BAC staff in 1995.  Marlene has more than 25 years’ experience as a swim instructor.  She is an ASCA Level II Coach and has been selected as a NJS All Star Zone Coach.  Marlene currently serves on the NJ Swimming Board of Directors as Registration Chair, and Safe Sport Chair.  Previously she has served as Safety Chair (Operational Risk).  She is an Associate Professor of Physical Education at Kean University.  Marlene also coaches at Echo Lake Country Club during the summer.  Marlene graduated from Calvin College with a major in Recreation and Physical Education and earned her Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology at Columbia University.  Marlene served as the Director of Aquatics at the Union YMHA

Megan Decker

Coach

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Megan Decker began swimming competitively at the age of 7, swimming at the Fanwood Scotch Plains YMCA until graduating from Cranford High School.  She was a scholarship athlete at
Villanova University.  Over the years, she coached numerous summer swim club programs throughout NJ.  She currently coaches a summer team at Colony Pool in Chatham, as well as
Mount Saint Mary Academy.  In addition, she teaches preschool in Chatham.  She coached MSMA to NJSIAA Non-Public B State Champs in 2013-14 and NJISAA A Div. State Champs 2014-15.

Meredith Formon

Coach

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Background:  Meredith began as an instructor in the Berkeley Swim School in 2001. She joined the Berkeley coaching staff assisting with the age group program in the fall of 2008.  In the Fall of 2018, Meredith began running the Competitive Readiness Clinics for 5 to 7 year olds interesting in joining the competitive team.  She has a passion for helping young athletes develop the skills they need to empower them to be more successful at the next level. Meredith has been selected as a NJS All Star Zone Coach on several occasions.  She was a collegiate cross-country runner.  Meredith graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a major in Biology and Pre-Med.  

Bobby Hammond

Coach

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Background:  Bobby Hammond started swim lessons at Berkeley Aquatic Club at the age of 6 and worked his way through the various practice groups up to Seniors. After making the Zone Team at the age of 10, Bobby fell in love with the sport of triathlon and became a sponsored triathlete by the time he was 12. Bobby consistently held a top 3 ranking nationally and is now an Elite Triathlete having the honor of competing as part of Team USA in the North America non draft-legal circuit and winning numerous non-drafting sprint and Olympic distance races across the country. Bobby looks to bring the same level of commitment, energy, enthusiasm and passion for the sports and competition to BAC as a Coach while he builds a Triathlon program here at Berkeley Aquatic Club. Bobby is joining our coaching staff after serving as an assistant coach at Lifetime Athletic Clubs in Colorado and in the New York Metro area.

Walter Richard Kempner

Coach

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This is Walter Kempner's 20th year coaching swimming in New Jersey.  During that time, he has worked with athletes ranging from 8 & unders to 15/18s.  Walter is the head coach at the New Providence Community Pool in the summer and at New Providence High School during the winter.  He has worked previously with BAC swimmers who participated on those teams, and he admires the BAC program and its achievements.  Walter has been a Social Studies teacher at New Providence HS since 2005.  He is an avid sports and music fan.  Walter looks forward to coaching at BAC and helping swimmers to develop and  to attain their goals.   

Chris Labianco

Coach

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The sport of Swimming has been part of Coach Chris’ life for over 40 years - as a swimmer, a coach, a swim parent and at one point or another all three at the same time. Chris has been blessed to coach and work with summer league swimmers as well as Olympians throughout his many years on deck.

A native of New Jersey, Coach Chris is returning to Berkeley Aquatic Club, the club he finished out his age group swimming career with under Coach Jim Wood.  Chris attended Auburn University on a full athletic scholarship for swimming, where he was an SEC Conference finalist and a team Captain.  A true distance swimmer, Chris currently holds two U.S. Masters Swimming Open Water National Records. 

Professionally Chris is the Executive Director of the Cabrini Mission Foundation in New York.  He served as the Chief Development Officer for the USA Swimming Foundation from 2008-2010.  In addition to his undergraduate degree Chris holds a Masters degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.  Chris is married to his wife Shannon of 20 years and has two children.

ANDREA Luallen Egg

Coach

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Andrea’s experience includes coaching high school and masters swimmers at all levels, before taking a break from coaching to start a family. She is excited to be back on the pool deck again! Andrea grew up swimming in Tampa, FL and swam in college at the University of Texas, where she was an NCAA qualifier and part of the team that won an NCAA National Championship title there. She was an Olympic Trial qualifier, nationally ranked age group swimmer and a world ranked masters swimmer. She still holds numerous USMS NJ records and in the past has held several individual YMCA Masters National records and USMS National relay records. Andrea graduated from the University of Texas with a BA in Mathematics and is an actuary working on pension plans for a large HR consulting firm.

Leanne Pedro

Coach

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Chris Rattray

Coach/BAC TV

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Primary Groups: Assists with Seniors, Juniors and AG Program

Elissa Ryan

Coach

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Primary Groups: Take Your Marks

Background: Elissa Ryan (formerly Lavorerio) has been a member of the Berkeley Aquatic Club family for over 30 years.  She swam on the first Snapper team and made her way to swimming on the Senior team.  She earned her varsity letter for 4 years at Watchung Hills in swimming, and was captain her junior and senior year.  She went on to compete for Rutgers University, earning a BA in Political Science and lettering all four years, ending her career as captain. 

Tim Shallcross

Coach

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Tim’s athletic and coaching background are both long term and diverse. His passion for sport and coaching comes from his dad who was a Collegiate 3 sport athlete and one of New Jersey’s first Inductee’s into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. After a successful high school sport career, which included an NJ State soccer title and a placing in States as a wrestler - Tim continued on as a Division 1 college wrestler. After University, Tim embarked on a successful career as an Institutional Fixed Income Trader and Executive. Tim never lost his own passion for competition however, becoming an Ironman and Age Group National Qualifying Triathlete as well as an experienced Open Water Swimmer.

His coaching calling started as an elite New Jersey wrestling coach, which saw many of his proteges ultimately qualify for Division 1 Nationals. Tim’s diversity in coaching includes coaching employees from Bristol Meyers Squib for Walton Endurance’s cycling across America in the “Cure for Cancer” effort. Tim is a Level 1 USA Triathlon coach and Level 2 USA Masters Swim coach concentrating on training step cycles/phases and stroke technique.