BRST Coaches

Coach Charles will be entering his 6^th season as Coach for Beckett Ridge in 2010, 2^nd year as the Head Coach. Charles began swimming for the Barracudas as a 7-year-old, one season prior to the start of 15 consecutive Tri-County Swim League Championships. Other swimming stops included the Fairfield YMCA Flippers and Blue Ash YMCA BASH. As a Barracuda, Charles helped set a team and league record in the Boy’s 15-18 200 Freestyle Relay. At St. Xavier High School, Charles competed for the Aquabombers, earning 2^nd team All-GCL honors in one event as a junior and 1^st team All-GCL honors in two events as a senior, including a meet-record in the 200 Freestyle relay. At his senior award banquet, he received St. Xavier’s inaugural "X-Emplar Award" for leadership and serving as a role model for teammates and others to follow.

Charles began his coaching career during his last season as an eligible swimmer for the Barracudas. He has coached Barracudas to numerous individual and relay championships, as well as team and league records. He has also been a certified USA Swimming coach for the past 5 years with the Mason Manta Rays. As the primary coach of their three youngest groups (Pups, Green, and Blue), Charles helped the Manta Rays improve their rank at the Ohio Junior Olympic and State Age Group Championships in each of his first three seasons. As an assistant with the Platinum group, he has helped high school swimmers qualify for the Southwest District Championships and OHSAA State Meet. At the 2008 Megazone meet in Indianapolis, Charles served as an assistant for Team Ohio, helping the team to a 3^rd place finish out of 15 teams throughout the Midwest. He has coached Manta Rays that have gone on to earn numerous Junior Olympic, Zone, and Sectional cuts in individual and relay events. In 6 years of existence, the Manta Rays have become the highest ranked USA Swimming club in the country without access to a 50-meter pool.

Besides swimming, Charles has also played soccer since he was 7, including four years at St. Xavier and four years with Xavier University’s club team. Coach Charles recently graduated from Xavier University with a BA in English and minor in Business.

The Barracudas were looking for a coach to take them to the next level and found this in Coach Tom McTernan. During his interview with the Board, Tom was informed the Barracudas had won the Championship 11 years in a row----no pressure at all for this Coach!

This year, Coach Tom is back in high gear preparing the Barracudas for the 2010 Championship. Actively coaching the team since 2004, Tom is a natural magnet attracting all levels of swimmers.

Locally, he has coached Clark Montessori Junior and Senior Swim Teams. Swimming at Walnut Hills, these teams compete against teams within the Miami Valley Conference. He held the Cincinnati District 2^nd place in the 50 and 100 free and competed in State in his Junior and Senior year. In addition to meet records such as the record holder for the YMCA Nationals Thousand Yard Freestyle, Coach Tom remains an avid Masters swimmer and a formidable competitor today.

Coach Tom continues to be extensively involved in Special Olympics-- for 15 years now. One of the most important factors in coaching athletes is that all athletes—no matter their speed of learning--- are individuals. Coach Tom feels each child brings unique talents, challenges, interests and abilities to the team. When not coaching the Barracudas, Coach Tom works in the Cincinnati Public School System working with autistic children as well as working as a personal provider for the MRDD.

He grew up in White Plains, New York and moved to Cincinnati during High School and further graduated from Villa Nova University. As an Industrial Sales Rep, he was transferred back and forth from the east and west coast---finally landing back in Cincinnati. Coach Tom is married to wife Carol and has 4 girls and 8 grandchildren---all here in Cincinnati!

Coach Tom fondly recalls last year’s Championship as one of the most memorable moments throughout his years of swimming and coaching---as he states with a smile "…no pun intended, but swimming floats my boat!"

Coach McCullough loves children and enjoys observing them grow up. She has attended numerous weddings, graduation parties and other celebratory events of her former swimmers with great pleasure. Coach McCullough strongly believes that "doing your best is more important than being the best."

As a graduate from Michigan State University with a degree in elementary education, she has been teaching and guiding youth since 1964. She taught three years – two in Moreland Hills, OH (Orange Local School District near Cleveland) and one year in Okinawa for the Department of Defense.

She remembers her first race (second place) at Geauga Lake in northern Ohio but probably making a national team is her best memory. The most bittersweet moment comes when she just missed the Olympic team in 1960.

Coach McCullough was All-America in 1957, and excelled at 100 yard backstroke for AAU Swimming (now USA Swimming). As a member of the 1959 Pan American Swim Team, she took third in the 100 meter backstroke at the games in Chicago. Coach McCullough held the American Record for 100 meter backstroke for a short period of time. In addition, she has held national age group and masters swimming records.

Coach McCullough has served as a recognized member of ASCA, American Swim Coaches Association, In addition, she has also served as President of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter Wild Ones, a native plant advocacy group; board member of the OIPC, Ohio Invasive Plants Council; board member of the GCMGA, Greater Cincinnati Master Gardener Association. Her passion for teaching youth also led her to being an Origami teacher for PAGE, Parent Association for Gifted Education.

She has been coaching swimmers at Beckett Ridge since 1978. Other coaching experiences include the Eastgate Garland Gators in Garland, Texas, and the Lakota High School swim team for 10 years ’89 to ’99. Coach McCullough started the swim team in 1978 with the help of Ginger Hemsworth and established the Tri-County Swim League in 1979 with the assistance of Claudia Multer of Hamilton.

The groups mentioned above keep Coach McCullough busy during the off season. This past winter she developed numerous power point presentations about native plants, removing invasive honeysuckle, butterfly and bird gardening. She has given 10 or so presentations this winter for various groups – garden clubs, master gardeners, and homeowners. Hobbies include extensive gardening knitting and sewing.

She is married to Gordon McCullough for 40 years and has two children, Patrick and Shannon (who swim on the BRST) and three grandchildren, Ryan (almost 9), Kyra (6), and Anya (3 ½). She also has two dogs….Cinco --a 110 lb. monster, and Gretta.

Coach Miriam has coached the Beckett Ridge Barracudas Swim Team for the previous eleven seasons, leading them to win their 15th consecutive Tri-County Swim League Championship. She began her tenure with the GMVY Flippers in 1999. The 2008-2009 season marks her 10th year as Assistant Coach with the team and has led many 6 & unders, 7-8 and 9-10 year olds to multiple league AA Championship meets in addition to many 9-10 swimmers to the Great Lakes Zone Invitational. Prior to joining the Flippers and moving to Cincinnati, Miriam also coached various youth swim teams in Pennsylvania.

Miriam holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and is currently focusing on a career in marketing and event management at EyeMed Vision Care, a division of Luxottica Retail. While at Shippensburg, she was a member of the varsity swim team and achieved 7 All American honors from the NCAA Division II for her swimming achievements. She can still be found on the SU's Top 10 Times list for the women's team in both the 100 and 200 backstroke events. Miriam also currently competes in various United States Masters Swimming invitationals.

Coach Matt Heinsen, Assistant Coach

Coach Matt is entering his 2nd year as a coach for the Beckett Ridge Barracudas in 2010. In fact, Matt began his swimming career eleven years ago as a Barracuda, at the age of 9, after his family had moved from Florida to Ohio. From the ages of 9-12, Matt was a devoted Barracuda. At the ages of 11 and 12, Matt won consecutive Outstanding Male Swimmer of the Year Awards as a Barracuda. He also shared the honor with his sister, Ashley, in 2002. Matt and Ashley remain one of the few brother and sister duos to ever win the Outstanding Swimmer of the Year Award in the same year. Matt used to possess the team record in the Male 11-12 50 meter freestyle. Matt took a six year break from summer swimming until he returned to the Barracudas in his final year of eligibility in 2008. During that year, Matt accompanied his friends in breaking the team record in the Male 15-18 200 meter Freestyle Relay.

Throughout the Cincinnati area, Matt has made numerous visits to different swim teams over the years. He qualified for Zones in his only year at the Fairfield YMCA. Thereafter, he joined the Sycamore Flying Fish. From the ages of 10-12, Matt was a consistent qualifier for the USA Swimming AA Championships for Junior swimmers. After three years at Sycamore, Matt swam for the Cincinnati Marlins and Princeton Aquatic Club. At St. Xavier High School, Matt swam in the GCL meet for 3 years and qualified for Sectionals and Districts his Senior year. During his time at St. Xavier as a member of the swim team, Matt is most proud of being recognized as an Academic All-American and earning the Scholar Athlete Award.

Matt is studying to become a pharmacist at Butler University in Indianapolis, where he just completed his sophomore year of college. Besides swimming, Matt likes to golf, bowl, hang out with friends, walk his dog, Cody, drink Pepsi, eat candy, cheer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Rays, and discuss politics (just kidding!). Matt is looking forward to a fast and fun-filled season with the Barracudas this summer.

Coach Whitney Grabarz, Assistant Coach

As a baby, Whitney learned how to swim at Beckett Ridge and hasn't left since. She life-guarded at BRST for the past 3 years and has been a Barracuda since 1993. Although she didn't always know what her times were or when warm-ups started, Whitney rarely missed a social event and thoroughly enjoyed her 15 years on the team where she specialized in butterfly, backstroke and dolphin-dives. She could not be happier to be back coaching for the first time this year.

Whitney also swam for Sycamore, the Fairfield YMCA, and Lakota West High School. Above High-points, Coaches awards and breaking a few records, Whitney is more proud of winning King Kicker at several 4th of July practices, being presented the one and only Smurf Award in 2004 (the most painted person at championships) and the Spirit awards she received during her time as a competitive swimmer.

Some of her favorite memories include playing Sharks and Minnows on Fun Fridays, dead-heading mums for hours on end with other Barracudas and Coach McCullough at the ATP, eating at McDonald's or B-Dubs after every swim meet, parading into Lakota Hills and overnights at the pool. Whitney still sleeps on the pillowcase she made at
Tie-dye Day in 1997.

Whitney just finished her first year at the University of Cincinnati and plans to major in education. Aside from swimming, Whitney enjoys running, playing lacrosse, skiing, traveling, and hanging out with friends and family. Along with all other graduates, Whitney has been proclaimed a "Barracuda For Life" by Mr. Galvin and Mr. Kieback during the Barracuda Graduation Ceremony and sincerely hopes her swimmers will too!

Coach Hannah Anderson, Assistant Coach

Hannah Anderson is a second year assistant coach for the Beckett Ridge Barracudas this season. She started her swimming career when she was four years old in Houston, Texas. Hannah swam on the Woodland Hills Wahoos swim team for eight years. She moved to West Chester and continued swimming for the Barracudas for six years. Coach Hannah also swam for Lakota West High School all four years. Hannah has three older brothers, Johnny, Andy, and Dustin, who were swimmers on the Barracuda swim team as well. Coach Hannah is attending Wilmington College where she studies environmental science and is continuing her swimming career.

Hannah is twenty years old and has always been into sports. She has done swim team, soccer, softball and rugby. Now in college, she has started practicing mixed martial arts. But swimming is definitely still her favorite.

Beckett Ridge Barracuda Swim Team