Joseph Shelly - Head Coach
Born and raised in Mount Vernon, the local YMCA and swimming have always been a big part of Joseph’s life. He began his journey as a swimmer at the Mount Vernon Y back at the old location on Fulton, starting with swim lessons at the age of 6. Eventually, he would go on to join the swim team as a 9 year old in 2007. With this team, he competed in many meets over the span of 12 years, ending with a final meet at Y Nationals in 2019 at age 21.
Joseph has worked as a lifeguard, swim instructor, and assistant coach for the Skagit Valley Family YMCA throughout the years. He is a state licensed math teacher, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education at Western Washington University and has experience working for the Issaquah and Mount Vernon School districts. Before accepting the position of head coach for SVYA, he was the head coach for Mount Vernon High School’s boys swim team, as well as the head coach for the Y’s Special Olympics program.
Now as head coach of the team he grew up with, Joseph wants to maintain an inclusive environment that supports the physical and cognitive development of young swimmers, both in and out of the water. His biggest priorities are keeping swimming fun and engaging for the team, and to help athletes attain their goals with the sport through honing technique, building confidence, and promoting camaraderie with swimmers, parents, and staff.
To contact Coach Joseph directly, please email [email protected]
Jenn Radford - Assistant Coach
Jenn has a profound love of the water and has been involved in the sport of swimming since she was a child. She joined a club swim team at a young age and continued swimming competitively through college. There is something about the peacefulness of the water combined with the challenges of swimming that has captivated her from the moment she jumped into the pool!
Her love of swimming led her to start teaching lessons as a summer job in high school, and since then, she has taught and coached in various settings. Prior to coming to SVY Aquatics, Jenn was the Head Coach of a USA team in Colorado and previously worked as a Lead Coach for a large USA team in Texas. In addition to her experience with club swimming, Jenn also has been involved in learn-to-swim lesson programming, coaching adult triathlon and Masters swimmers, coaching summer league and Special Olympics teams.
She received her Bachelor's degree in Recreation Administration with Minors in Exercise Science & Special Education, as well as her Master's degree in Exercise Science from Texas State University.
Jenn's priority as a coach is to give her swimmers the opportunity for growth, development, and success. She believes that supporting individuals in achieving these things while being a part of a team requires an environment where all swimmers have appropriate training and quality instruction. She prioritizes teaching and enforcing proper technique and stroke mechanics, as those areas can severely limit or enhance a swimmer's long-term achievements. She also values the fact that swimming offers the opportunity for growth and success outside of the pool. There are so many life lessons that can be learned through sport, and Jenn is thrilled to take on the challenge of not only building up individuals as athletes but also as successful human beings!
You can email Coach Jenn at [email protected].
Isaac Smith - Assistant Coach
Isaac has been a competative swimmers for 10+ years. He is the current record holder in the 50 freestyle for Mount Vernon High School and the current record holder for multiple records for Skagit Valley YMCA Aquatics. He is also a 3 time YMCA National Qualifier in the 50 free and 200 Medley Relay and a YMCA Regional Champion and State Champion for 5+ years.
Having grown up through the team, Isaac has also lended his talents to the Y as a lifeguard and swim instructor. As a swim instructor, Isaac has taught a variety of levels and has been constantly involved in the Y's 4th grade swim lesson program; a program that selects students from the Mount Vernon School District and offers free swim lessons to promote water safety and reduce drowning rates in the community.
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Kelsey Johnson - Assistant Coach
Coach Kelsey Johnson has been swimming her entire life. She began at the age of 1 and completed all of the levels at the YMCA by the age of 7. Her talent was noticed by the coaching
staff of the Skagit Valley Family YMCA Chinooks Swim Team and Kelsey began to compete at the age of 7. At the age of 12, Kelsey transitioned to the Thunderbirds Aquatic Club in Anacortes, WA and then later swam with Sedro-Woolley High School where she was a star swimmer, competing all 4 years at the 2A Washington State Championships. This earned her a swim scholarship to Colorado State University Pueblo where she was a butterfly specialist. Since then, Kelsey has coached at the Thunderbird Aquatic Club, Riverside Health Club and Sedro-Woolley and Burlington High Schools as Co-Head Coach.
