Head Coach Ken Grey

Favorite Stroke(s):    Butterfly, IM, Distance

Ken brings 35+ years of coaching knowledge with him beginning his coaching career at his alma mater, Kansas University as a grad assistant then off to Wichita Neptunes, Mission Viejo Nadadores, Conejo Simi Aquatics, Buenaventura Swim Team, Irvine Novaquatics, The Woodlands Swim Team and Katy Aquatics. He has coached numerous swimmers to their highest potentials, state champions, age group record holders, and now can boast several that have gone on to great coaching careers. 

Personal Swimming Experiences:
Starting at the age of 6 ken’s parents signed him up with Club Deportivo de Ponce in Puerto Rico and so his love for the sport began. Due to his father’s work schedule and being transferred Ken went on to swim for The Mission Viejo Nadadores in California as an age group swimmer. At the age of 14 his family relocated to San Antonio where Ken joined the San Antonio Aquatic Club which became The Alamo Area Aquatics Association where he was coached by John Ryan and swam for Winston Churchill High School under Al Marks.  

Site Director

Coach Kelly is in her 6th season with the Wave.  She grew up near Erie, PA, but calls home wherever the Air Force sends them.  She began competitive swimming when she was 8 years old with the YMCA. Kelly has a BA in Elementary Ed, from Grove City College, where she swam competitively for four years.  She began teaching swim lessons in her early teens and developed a love for stroke technique through years of attending and working at swim camps. She had exceptional examples in coaches who taught, encouraged, and fueled her desire to coach.  Kelly has coached 10 & under age groups for Chartiers Valley Swim Club in Pittsburgh PA, Eifel Sharks and Elmendorf Penguins at overseas Air Force bases. She is very excited to work with the Intro Bronze & Silver groups while assisting Age Group Coaches to encourage all these young swimmers to enjoy their sport and take it as far as they can. 

Coach Kelly enjoys teaching and coaching swimmers for over 25 years.  Watching young swimmers improve technique, competitive skills and gain the confidence to reach their goals over time is one of the most rewarding parts of coaching.  I hope to help swimmers along the way to reach their goals and use this great sport to learn the value of hard work, perseverance, sportsmanship, and the fun of being part of something bigger than themselves.

Favorite Stroke(s):  Butterfly and Distance Freestyle

Coaching experience:
*Chartiers Valley Swim Club, Sewickley PA
*Suisun City CA YMCA (swim instructor)
*Eifel Sharks Swim Team,
*Elmendorf Penguins Swim Team
*Great Hearts Middle School/HS Assistant Coach
 

Personal Swimming Experiences:
*Corry Area High School, PA (4 years)
*Pennsylvania YMCA (12 years)
*Grove City College (4 year letter) 

Personal Swimming accomplishments:
*Presidential Athletic  Conference (PAC) Championship 1991 MVP award
*Top Ten record holder Corry YMCA/ Corry HS
*HS District qualifier, District 10 Championship Team
*District/State YMCA qualifier
*Presidential Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Team 1991:1993, GCC Team Captain

Education:
*Grove City College, Grove City,  PA - BA Elementary Education

Things I enjoy, when not on the pool deck: 
Time with my husband, 4 girls, dog & cat

Favorite Quote(s):

"One of the keys to success is the discipline to do the things you should even when you don’t feel like it"   - unknown

"No man drowns if he perseveres in praying to God and can swim."
     - Russian Proverb

Coach Shellie started coaching after 20 years as a neonatal intensive care nurse due to one of her husbands deployments. With 2 daughters in the pool everyday as swimmers it seemed like a great choice. Over the past 12 years she has coached in Alabama, Georgia, Nevada and Florida. Shellie loves coaching the younger, more novice swimmers taking them from "being able to swim a 25 freestyle to that first IM". She stated that it is so rewarding and loves the sense of accomplishment seen in each swimmer as they gain more skill and confidence.

"For me coaching is not only a job I do, it is a passion. To watch young swimmers build confidence in themselves is one of the most rewarding things you can do. I love to watch a very novice swimmer go from being able to barely make a 25 free and back complete their first IM (legally)." With the more experienced age group swimmer the phrases, “I could really tell the difference in my stroke” and “thank you coach” are among some of the most important things to hear.   Coach Shelli, believes you need to love what you do and do what you love.  Because of that she believes, "you can never stop learning and growing as a coach."
 

Favorite Stroke(s):
Free and Breast

Coaching experience:
*Began in Alabama with Maxwell Seahawks Summer League 2002/2003 /2004 
*Montgomery Barracudas – Montgomery AL 2002- 2005
*Swim Macon Aquatics Club - Macon GA 2005 - 2008
*Shadow Ridge High School Team 2008-2010 Las Vegas NV
*Sandpiper Swim Club 2008 - 2010 Las Vegas NV
*Brandon Sports and Aquatics Cener Blue Waves Brandon FL 2010 - 2014
*San Antonio WAVE 2017

Swam summer league only. 1 meter and 3 meter dive team year round.

Personal Swimming accomplishments:
*State- Gold Medal , JR Olympic Silver Medal , Midwest Regional Dive Team
*Many swimmers over the years that placed in the top 5 at State, Regionals and Sectionals level
*Assisted in the Shadow Ridge High School Relay qualifying for their first state meet

Education:
*Lutheran Medical Center School of Nursing
*Nursing – 22 years neonatal ICU

Things I enjoy, when not on the pool deck:
Swimming, Watching Patriots Football, Woodworking, Crafting and exploring San Antonio and the surrounding areas with friends and family.

Favorite Quote(s):
"The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today"

"Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s learning to dance in the rain."

Coach Christina believes great swimming is, the result of a strong coach-athlete relationship.  Hard work
and effective coaching are two of my goals every day, regardless of an athlete’s age or stage in the
sport.  Coach Christina makes it her mission to make the best impact possible on all athletes; both as a coach,
and a mentor for the next wave of swimmers.

Favorite Stroke(s): Butterfly

Coaching experience: 
 *Golden West Swim Club (2017-2019)

Personal Swimming Experiences:
*Mount Carmel High School 4 yrs
*MESA Swim Club
*Piranha Swim Team
*Golden West College swim team 2 yrs

Personal Swimming accomplishments:

*2016 CCCAA Qualifier 
*CIF Qualifier 

Education:

*Communications major at GWC

Things I enjoy, when not on the pool deck: 

*Running, Hiking, Puzzles, Baking, Community Service

Favorite Quote(s): “Good, better, best. Never let it rest.  ‘Til your good is better and your better is best.” -St. Jerome

For Coach Crystal, being a coach is to inspire, challenge and motivate swimmers to meet and exceed their own personal goals.

Favorite Stroke(s): Free and Brst

Coaching experience:
*Fort Stockton High School and Odessa Aquatic Club

Personal Swimming Experiences:
*High School: Americas High School (El Paso) 4 years
*College: McMurry University 1.5 years

Personal Swimming accomplishments:
*Swim team captain junior and senior year of high school

Education:
*University of Texas at El Paso
*Major in Biology and minor in Chemistry

When not on the pool deck:
*Crafting, baking, traveling

Favorite Quote(s):
“The greatest pleasure in life, is doing what people say you can't”

Coach James seeks to build new relationships with his athletes everyday. He aims to share his knowledge and experience with others while also learning from them.  He strives to see joy and improvement in my students and athletes.

Favorite stroke: Breaststroke 

Coaching and Swimming Experiences:
Alamo Heights Pool Sharks summer league 1 year
AAAA elementary/middle school age group for 1 year.

Additional training Experiences:
Lifeguard, Swim Lesson, Swim Team, Aquatics safety experience for more than 8 years 

Education: Texas A&M San Antonio University (current student/senior),
studying Kinesiology with Teacher Certification 

Things Coach James enjoys when not on the pool deck: Staying active, running, going to the gym, playing music (guitar, drums, vocals), woodworking and custom carpentry projects, playing most sports, (basketball, soccer, and football) 

Favorite quotes:
*”Practice makes permanent”
*”You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”
*”Be better everyday.”

Site Director

Coach Jen grew up in Corpus Christi but has recently made San Antonio her new home. She began her swimming career at her local summer swim league team at the age of 9. She then progressed her career into club and high school swimming. While still in high school Jen began teaching swim lessons and helping coach her summer league team. She then moved on to college swimming where she swam at the University of the Incarnate Word. She graduated in May of 2013 with a degree in Biology and now works as a Children’s and Youth Minister at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit. Before joining the WAVE, she was the head coach of the Hunters Creek Lone Star summer league swim team.

Favorite Stroke(s):  Freestyle

Coaching experience:
*San Antonio Splash Summer League Team 2017-Present
*TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas 2016-Present
*San Antonio Wave 2014-Present
*Hunters Creek Summer League Team 2014
*Tuloso-Midway Summer League Team 2009-2012

Travel Team Coaching:
*2020 USA Swimming National Diversity Camp Assistant Manager - Olympic Training Center
*2018 STX Select Camp Coach
*2018 STX Zone Team Coach
*2016 Open Water Festival Coach
 

Personal Swimming Experiences:
*Tuloso-Midway HS Corpus Christi, TX
*Bays Edge Aquatic Team (BEAT)
*University of the Incarnate Word

Personal Swimming accomplishments:
*HS All South Texas Team
*HS All Regional Team
*HS All State Team
*Collegiate Conference Team
*Collegiate Travel Team

Education:
*University of the Incarnate Word
*Bachelor of Science in Biology
 

Things I enjoy, when not on the pool deck:
Taking my two pups out on adventures and spending time with my husband

Favorite Quote(s):
“No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.” -P.T. Barnum

“I literally had one goal tonight, and that was to have fun, and I did that. I’m not happy with the time or the place, but I’m happy that I had fun, and that’s literally all that mattered.” — Elizabeth Beisel