Coaches and Directors
Coach Steve started working with our developmental swimmers in 2009. As he describes it, “New and welcome challenges arrived when I began developing the Age Group Preparation program in 2012 and the Age Group/Senior program in 2017. Working with the Dolphin Swim Team not only afforded me more quality time with my daughter, Hannah, an age group/senior group swimmer herself, but it also gave me a chance to give back to the sport that helped make me who I am today.”
As for his coaching philosophy, Coach Steve says, “My goal is to help young athletes achieve their training goals, of course. I also want to help parents ensure that their kids develop strength, resiliency and great character so that they can achieve anything they want, including being future leaders of society.”
Coach Steve achieves this by taking the time to understand each swimmer’s athletic, educational and personal goals and looks forward to knowing parents and siblings.
Additionally, his passion for the sport of swimming is evident in his relentless study of it. He loves increasing his knowledge because it directly impacts the success and growth of his athletes.
Coach Steve has trained with all levels of swimmers from State Qualifiers, Zones Qualifiers, Region 8 (Sectionals), NCSA, Futures, Junior Nationals, Senior Nationals, and Olympic Trials qualifiers to Pan-American Swim Champions.
A certified USA Swimming Coach, he has personally coached state champions, high school state champions, Zone champions, AAU National champions, Sectional qualifiers, NCSA qualifiers, Futures qualifiers, Winter Juniors qualifiers, Junior National qualifiers, ASI swimmers of the year, Scholastic All Americans and NISCA Swimming All-Americans.
Born and raised in North Little Rock, Coach Steve attended Northeast High School before going on to be awarded a Henderson State University’s Men's Swimming scholarship. He started his career swimming for the Indian Hills Sting Rays Summer League, which led to swimming year-round for the North Little Rock Boys Club Marlins, then to Central Arkansas Swim Team Seals (CAST), and finally ended up on the Dolphin Swim Team (LRRC). In 1985, Steve became a swim coach for the West Optimist Club under the mentorship of legendary swim coach Paul Blair. In the summer of 1992, he took on the Head Coach position for the Lakewood Wave Swim Team.
Without a doubt, Coach Steve finds great joy and fulfilment passing on his swimming knowledge to kids of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
His personal awards and accomplishments include Arkansas State Age Group 1st Place (100 Fly & 200 Fly), Top 8 at Zones 100 Fly & 1st Place 200 IM Relay and Junior Nationals. Qualifier for Arkansas State Age Group 1982 - 1989, Arkansas Zones Team, Region 8 "Sectionals" 1984 -1989, and USA Junior Nationals Qualifier 1988-1989.
Other athletic accomplishments include Age Group Triathlete Awards 1981 – 1985 and Track & Field City Meet first team 1982 -1984.
Coach Steve served on the ASI Board as technical chair in 2014 and was named 2019 Age Group Coach of the Year.
Coach Keith is a Little Rock native and began his swimming career at age 6 as a member of the Millers Swim Gym. He joined the Little Rock Racquet Club Dolphins swim team in 1972. As an age group swimmer, he held several state records and was selected as team captain for the Dolphins his senior year. While at swimming Hendrix College, he not only served as Team Captain but, received the prestigious Carl Babcock Award for Outstanding Leadership in Athletics.
White attending Hendrix College, he coached the Hendrix Aquakids from 1983-1986. He has taught hundreds of children how to swim as an instructor at the Little Rock Racquet Club.. He was active in the development of the West Little Rock Optimist Summer Swim League and coached five of the competing teams over a four- year period. In 2003, in addition to his Dolphin coaching duties, he took over the coaching of the struggling Sherwood Sharks Swim Team, which is part of the Central Arkansas Swim League. Through his direction, he took this summer program to the top of the league with four straight undefeated seasons and is one of the largest in the state.
He has been involved in many aspects of Arkansas Swimming, Inc. He has volunteered his time by serving as Equipment Chair and Awards Chair. He has been the Meet Director for many ASI Age Group Champs meets. He has been instrumental in the Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame, serving on the committee since 1987. He was awarded the highly coveted Conoco Phillips 66 Volunteer of the Year in 2000 and Arkansas Swimming Coach of The Year in 2013.
Born and raised in Little Rock, Braden Gentry grew up in the Arkansas Swimming community. Braden began his coaching career as an Assistant Age Group coach on the Arkansas Dolphins in the summer of 2019. He then joined the coaching staff for the Razorback Aquatic Club Aquahawgs where he was the Assistant Age Group and Senior Group coach during their 2019-2020 season. Braden was hired at the Aquakids in 2020 where he spent time as the Head Age Group and Assistant Senior Group coach during the 2020-2021 season, Head Satellite coach in Little Rock during the 2021 season, and Interim Head Coach during the 2021-2022 season. During his time coaching for the Aquakids, there were over 50 team records broken on multiple occasions.
Braden has coached swimmers of all ages including Developmental, Age Group, Senior, College, and Masters who have qualified for 14 & Under State, Senior State, KMSC Pro-Am & AESC Elite Meets, Zones, Sectionals, Futures Championships, NCSA Jr. Nationals, the IMX Games, Speedo Winter Jr. Nationals, Speedo Summer Jr. Nationals, and Toyota US Open.
Braden has had the opportunity to coach swimmers who have repeatedly broken both high school and club team records, become top finishers at Sectionals and NCSA Summer Champs, AESC Elite Meet Champions, State Champions, Scholastic All-Americans, and NCAA Division 1, 2, & 3 scholarship athletes.
Braden began his 14 year long swimming career at the age of 5. During his career swimming for the Arkansas Dolphins and Catholic High School, he was a multiple-time Arkansas State and Region VIII Sectional meet qualifier, four-time All-District, and three-time All-State athlete. Braden has had multiple top 3 and top 5 individual finishes at 7A High School State and Senior State. He has also been a key contributor to multiple State champion relay teams, and helped Catholic High defend their 3-year consecutive Conference titles and 2-year consecutive State Runner-Up titles.
After high school, Braden continued his swimming career at Henderson State University on an athletic scholarship where he specialized in sprint freestyle and butterfly.
Coach Calvin began his swimming career at the age of five with the South Carroll Swim Club in Maryland. He represented several Ohio USA-S clubs as an age grouper and then competed for the Blue Ash YMCA of Cincinnati in high school, where he was a multi-year National Qualifier. After graduating from college as a four-year student-athlete, he moved to Little Rock where he married his college sweetheart while continuing to swim competitively for the Arkansas Dolphins and Little Rock Masters, representing both at the Sectional and National level. Coach Calvin has coached swimmers at all levels for both USA-S and YMCA clubs, as well as collegiately for the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. He is excited for the opportunity to coach and give back to the team he has represented as an athlete for so many years.
Coach Jay began his swim career late at the age of 13 by joining his local summer league team the Sherwood Sharks. While being a multi-sport athlete, he quickly fell in love with the sport and joined the Dolphins. The following year, he became an assistant coach under the tutelage of Keith McAfee for the Sherwood Sharks. At the age of 19, Jay became a Dolphins developmental coach in Cabot. While in Cabot, he has spent time coaching and running their swim lesson programs, summer league team, and all levels for the Dolphins including a USA Masters Swimming Program. He continues to be a multi-sport athlete competing as a kickboxer and swimming for the Little Rock Masters.
Hannah has completed her Bachelors in Interpersonal Communications and Psychology at the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse. She was a former collegiate athlete participating and winning 3 consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships.
In her years post swimming, she has coached beginner to elite level
athletes for the J-Hawk Aquatic Club and Dolphin Swim Team. Hannah
also participates and coaches all levels of CrossFit athletes.
Coach Jenna coaches at the Little Rock Athletic Club. Her competitive swimming career began at age 10 as a member of the Fort Smith Tideriders. While an age group swimmer, she qualified and competed at State, Zones, Sectionals, and Junior and Senior Nationals. She holds LSC records, zone records, top 16 times, and was awarded ASI Age Group Swimmer of the Year, as well as being an NISCA High School Scholastic All American. Jenna continued her swimming career as a scholarship athlete for Texas A&M University (Whoop!) where her accomplishments include Big 12 Champion in the 200 Butterfly, NCAA qualifier, and being named to the First Team Big XII All-Academic team. While at Texas A&M Jenna served as a student coach for the Aggies during the 2006-2007 season, as well as multiple sessions as a swim camp instructor for Aggie Swim Camps. After graduation from A&M in 2007, she worked for Ashland Chemical before joining the Aquatics Office at the Little Rock Athletic Club in 2013.
