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Head Coach – Jason Buchanan – ottercoach@cox.net
Jason Buchanan has been coaching swimming since 1993. He started under his former coach, Sally Smith at the Fall River YMCA. After moving to New Jersey, he worked with the Lakeland Hills YMCA and the Pequannock High School Panthers. In 1998, Jason returned to the Fall River YMCA before becomming the head coach of the Kent County YMCA Sea Otters in 1999. Since Jason has joined the Kent County YMCA swim program, it has grown to support over 120 swimmers annually. The team is a perennial contender for the S.E.N.E.C.Y. League Championship finishing in the top three during each of Jason's years as head coach. In 2004, the Sea Otters finished 1st as a team for the first time in Kent County Y istory. Jason and the Sea Otters won the championship for a second time in 2007. Jason has coached numerous New Qualifiers and several New England YMCA champions. His 8 & under girls and 15-18 girls have eached finished as high as third. Overall, the team has placed regularly in the top 20 out of 70 + teams that compete each year with an 11th place finish being their best to date. Under Jason's coaching, the Kent County YMCA has seen three swimmers qualify for YMCA Nationals in both short and long course seasons. Jason loves coaching YMCA swimming because of the families and children involved in the program. He enjoys watching the children as they grow and mature into hard working swimmers. Even more than that, he feels most excited as these swimmers become successful, young adults. Jason is supported by his wife and two young children. He looks forward to the day when they are able to join him in the poool as swimmers for the Kent County YMCA Sea Otters. Graduating swimmers have attended/swam at Wake Forest and Keene colleges. Assistant Coach – Gina Hand – handregina@cox.net
Gina Hand’s coaching experience consists of having coached swimming at many different levels: Y.M.C.A., Boys and Girls Club, High School and the Youth National Team in St. Thomas. She has also coached softball, soccer, volleyball, boys' flag football, cross country, and basketball over the years.
Gina has a BSE in Physical Education from State University of New York at Cortland with a minor in Psychology and a concentration in coaching and Aquatics . She obtained a MSE in Administration of Physical Education at Old Dominion University and is trained as a Massage Therapist at Florida Institute of Massage Therapy.
Gina has worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Eastern Caribbean. She has taught Physical Education and/or Health at the elementary, secondary and college level in New York, Florida, Virginia, Rhode Island, St. Thomas and the Eastern Caribbean. Gina admits she has been an Aquatic instructor in more places than she can count.
Her hobbies include swimming, hiking, camping and gardening, but the thing she enjoys most is hanging out with her children, David and Katie.
Certifications: NK-12 Physical Education, W.S.I., American Red Cross Lifeguard Training, First Aid, CPR, AED
Current Employment: Physical Education Teacher NK-8 St. Rocco School, Johnston, RI.
Assistant Coach – Hilary Fifer – hkfifer@cox.net Hillary has been teaching swimming to preschoolers, youth and adults for over 20 years. She began coaching YMCA swim team while working for the Greater Boston YMCA in 1996. As Assistant Aquatic Director at the Waltham Family YMCA, Hillary oversaw their swim team and assistant coaches. She has coached at the Kent County Y since 2004 and enjoys working with the youngest team members and watching them develop into happy, healthy competitive swimmers. Hillary has a degree in Early Childhood Education from Northeastern University. She and her husband live in Warwick with their two children who also swim for the Kent County YMCA Sea Otters.
Assistant Coach/Head USA Swim Coach - Wayne Brusseau In addition, Coach Wayne has coached with the Connecticut Swimming Zone Team for 12 seasons as both head and assistant coach and as assistant coach with the LEHY National Team. Wayne has worked with swimmers who have continued onto colleges such as Bowdoin, Connecticut College, Central Connecticut State University, and Florida Southern University and athletes who still hold Connecticut Swimming records and consistently demonstrate academic success at the collegiate level. Wayne is most proud, however, of the friendships among swimmers and between swimmers & coaches that have developed during his coaching career and continue to thrive. These relationships demonstrate the YMCA philosophy of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility on a daily basis. Outside of the team, Wayne is a teacher at West Warwick High School.
Assistant Coach - Dan Wishart Dan Wishart has been teaching swimming at the Kent County Y since 2001. He is a certified YMCA Lifeguard Instructor. Dan spends his summers at Camp Yawgoog. He has been the Waterfront Director and is currently the Camp Director. Dan works with youth and teens through the Learning for Life adventure based program. This is Dan's second year coaching with the Sea Otters. Dan is a member of the Providence Rugby Club.
Assistant Coach - Joe Brady
Joe has worked at the Kent County Y for over 4 years and has been coaching with the Sea Otters for 2 years. Joe is a graduate of Bishop Hendricken High School. Currently Joe is attending CCRI and aspires to become a civil engineer. In his free time Joe enjoys rock climbing, paintball, volleyball and skiing.
Jillian has been with the Kent county Y since March of 2008. Jillian swam competitively with the Sea Otters as a youth and more recently for LaSalle Academy. She is now a student at Rhode Island College studying Secondary Education and would like to some day be a college English Professor. Jillian says that she enjoys seeing the swimmers performing well and seeing their accomplishments.
Assistant Coach - Erica Cusumano She was one of the first recruits for the Assumption College swim team in their first year in NCAA Division II swimming. Erica is a certified lifeguard and has been teaching lessons at Healthtrax for two years. Because Erica wanted to devote more time to her studies, she decided to shelf her competitive swimming and transfer to URI majoring in elementary education. Her decision to transfer also has the added benefit of allowing her to return to the Kent County YMCA in a coaching capacity. |