TIDE is very proud of its Swim School staff. Each instructor joins us with a unique ability to connect with children and a core knowledge of our sport. In addition to a background in competitive swimming, all Tide Swim School instructors go through a rigorous certification procedure that includes not only all customary aquatics safety certifications but also training in Safe Sport, as per the curriculum set by the U.S. Center for Safe Sport.
All instructors 18&older have passed a criminal background check.
All instructors have completed at least 8 hours of in-water training before teaching a class of their own.
We teach students the right way to swim from the very beginning while always adapting our methods to an individual's unique needs. We believe that this philosophy, coupled with the finest instructors, is what makes us the best choice for learning how to swim.
Amanda joined the Tide Swimming staff as Swim School Director in October 2021. After completing her Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of Missouri in 2007, Amanda moved to the Virginia Beach area to join the YMCA of South Hampton Roads where she served in a variety of roles and positions for 13 years, most recently the Executive Director of the YMCA JT's Camp Grom. Experience in marketing, program development, aquatic knowledge and a love of working with people are all skills she has brought to the TIDE organization. Amanda's love of the water started in her early years when she joined the Liberty Hills Gators swim team at the age of six, accepting her first coaching position at the age of sixteen. From teaching swim lessons, working swim meets, to providing safety around water or leading a team, Amanda is grateful her skills have allowed her to share this passion with others throughout her life. Amanda enjoys working for an organization that practices achievement through hard work, consistency and diligence, as well as shows a strong commitment to its athletes, their families, and their staff team.
SITO ARROYOBio coming soon!
JACKSON BENNETTJackson started swimming in summer league for Little Neck Swim & Racquet Cluib when he was in kindergarten. He swam year round with Tide for 5 years. He is currently on the First Colonial High School swim team and lacrosse team. Jackson will return again this summer for his second year as a Little Neck summer league coach. In his free time, Jackson enjoys fishing, being outdoors and playing guitar.
BRYN DEPAULCoach Bryn began her competitive swimming career at four years old. Since then, she has competed on several USA Swimming teams and was a senior swimmer on TIDE from 2015 to 2018. She has qualified and competed in the Virginia Senior Championship Meet multiple times. Bryn graduated from Hickory High School in 2018, exceeding a 4.0 GPA throughout all four years of school and ranking within the top 5% of her class. Bryn is a recent graduate of the International Honors Joint Degree Programme at the College of William and Mary and the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. Bryn attends Regent University Law School on a full-tuition scholarship. In her free time, Bryn likes to swim outdoors at the Princess Anne YMCA, read Jane Austen novels, and bake desserts! Coach Bryn started coaching for TIDE in August 2017. She loves working with TIDE's young swimmers and sharing her passion for the sport!
CHLOE DEWBERRYCoach Chloe joined the Swim School staff in August 2021. She began swimming when she was 6 years old in Chesapeake, Virginia. In high school, Chloe was in National Honor Society, Willet club, and was a member of the varsity swim team all four years. She represented her high school at states during her junior and senior years. After graduating with a GPA exceeding 4.0, she went on to Virginia Wesleyan University where she has continued her swimming career. She holds seven records at college. Along with swimming in college, Chloe represents the swim team in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. This committee focuses on enhancing student-athlete experiences. When not in the pool, Chloe maintains a high GPA in the D. Henry Watts School of Professional Studies while studying accounting and finance. Coach Chloe can't wait to teach students how to swim and share her love for swimming!
ANNA EBERLECoach Anna joined TIDE as a swimmer in 2016 and began coaching in 2022. She currently trains in the Senior Gold group at the Princess Anne YMCA with Coach Scott. She specializes in long distance freestyle events and events over 200 meters/yards. Anna is a student at First Colonial High School in the Legal Studies Academy and is always challenging herself academically. She is in multiple AP classes and her hobbies include reading, being a part of SCA, and many different clubs at First Colonial High School! Anna's favorite food is anything from Trader Joe's (specifically avocados and peanut butter) and her favorite games are anagrams. Anna enjoys being a TIDE swimmer because it gives her a chance to interact with so many different people everyday and learn how to be a good teammate and leader. She loves swimming competitively and is excited to share her passion with younger swimmers.
LUCIA FRANCO"I've been swimming for Tide since 2018 and am currently in the Senior Gold group at the Great Bridge site. My favorite events are the 100 Breaststroke and 200 IM. I am a junior at Grassfield High School and love science. My favorite food is Wendy's french fries, but don't tell my coach! I am excited to be coaching this year and to be able to share my love for swimming with younger swimmers. Tide has had such an amazing impact on my life and I am grateful for this opportunity to pay it forward!"
JACLYN GRINERCoach Jaclyn joined TIDE in 2019 and currently swims in the Senior Gold group at the Great Bridge YMCA. She joined our team of swim school instructors in 2022. When she's not at the pool or second-hand shopping, she's spending time with her dog Henry, whom her family refers to as her brother since she is an only child. Jaclyn has been a year-round swimmer for almost five years and currently has the 200 breast senior champs cut with hopes of achieving more! She has a deep passion for working with kids and likes forming personal connections with them in order to understand what teaching style works best for them. She is so thrilled to be working with them at Tide Swim School this summer!
DAHMON HARMONDahmon joined TIDE in 2020 and currently swims in the Senior Gold group at the Great Bridge YMCA. He joined our team of swim school instructors in 2022 and he says, "Swimming has always been such a big influence in my life and has brought about so many great opportunities." Some of Dahmon's favorite hobbies are traveling and cooking. He has been swimming since he was eight years old and can't wait to share his love of swimming to the next generation of athletes.
MADDY HARTLEYCoach Maddy joined Tide Swim School in 2022, the year she graduated from high school. Maddy has finished her freshman year at Arkansas. She enjoys surfing, reading, painting, and anything to do with the outdoors. Her favorite food is past, but she is always trying new food. A fun fact about Maddy is that she lived in Japan for 2 years! She enjoyed being a TIDE swimmer because of all the amazing friends, opportunities, and community TIDE has! She's most excited to teach little kids the fun that swim can be and how to have fun in the water!
GLADY JENKINS"Hello everyone! My name is Glady Jenkins and swimming is my happy place! Some of my favorite things are going to the beach, Bible study, and spending time with family and friends. I am currently a social work major at Liberty University. Swimming has always been and will always be my passion, thus sharing this great love with others is such an honor and so rewarding. I believe it is vital for everyone to have solid swimming skills, not only for the essence of safety but also for the lifelong joy it is guaranteed to bring whether that means swimming competitively or not. I'm so excited to see the impact that my second summer of instructing at TIDE Swim School will have upon so many eager young swimmers!"
SOFIA KOHLERSofia joined TIDE in 2021 and this is her second year training in the national group at the Princess Anne YMCA. Sofia has swum for almost her entire life! She is currently a student at Norfolk Academy. "Some of my favorite things to do are going to the beach, playing with my dogs, and hanging out with my friends! I enjoy teaching and playing with kids as well as swimming! I am so excited to start Tide Swim School because I can give back to my team and the sport of swimming."
PEYTON MURPHYCoach Peyton joined the Tide Swim School staff in the summer of 2021. She began swimming on her summer league team at age five and then went on to swim competitively for a local club team. She has grown up in the Tidewater community and graduated from Norfolk Collegiate School. Peyton is currently a rising senior at Sweet Briar College and captain of the swim team. When she is home for the summer, she loves to continue swimming with Tide Masters, watch the gorgeous sunsets on the beach, and hang with friends. Peyton is most excited to teach swim again to share her love of the sport with the kids!
JASON RODRIGUEZCoach Jason joined TIDE swimming in January 2017. Beautiful Virginia Beach has been his home since graduating from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to coaching ICS and Tide Masters, Jason is also an active US Masters competitive swimmer for TIDE, where he primarily specializes in middle and long distance freestyle events, as well as long distance open-water races. When not swimming, he loves to surf and spend time out on the water.
JAMES ROSSCoach James joined the Tide Swim School staff in 2022. He's been swimming competitively for over 10 years now, and he's so excited to be able to share his love of swimming by being a part of Tide Swim School! James is a current member of Tide Swim Team so he spends a lot of his time in the water because he also works as a lifeguard. James recently graduated from high school, is active in his church, and spends time with friends and family. According to James, "Swimming and the community around the sport have had such an amazing impact on my life in ways I can't even begin to describe, and so I'm beyond excited to be a part of the experience for younger swimmers diving into the world of swimming."
BRODY SALPETERCoach Brody is a swimmer on our team who loves swimming and surfing! When he isn't by or in the water, he is probably asleep or eating. He is a second year coach for Tide Swim School, and the photo shows him competing for us in the annual Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service's Open Water 1 mile swim at the Virginia Beach oceanfront.
REILLY SCHINDLERCoach Reilly joined TIDE in the spring of 2020. Reilly has lived in Hampton roads her whole life and swam on a local USA Swimming club team for eight years until she graduated from Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School. In addition to swimming she has been doing triathlons since 2014 and was on the Queens University of Charlotte Triathlon team. Queens is her 3rd college as she started her freshman year at Saint Marys College of California on a rowing scholarship. She then transferred to the University of South Carolina and competed on their club triathlon team for the fall 2019 semester before transferring to Queens. At Queens Reilly was a member of the team that won first place overall at Collegiate Club Nationals.
BRITTANY WARRENBrittany graduated from Ferrum College in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Studies. "My favorite part about being a swim coach is watching the transformation of swimmers as they build their confidence in swimming! When I'm not at Swim School I love to be home with my pets! I have 4 leopard geckos, a scorpion, and a chinchilla!"