Coaches and Directors
Coaches and Directors
Coaching Staff
Spanning four decades,
Cliff Murray has been at the forefront of coaching swimming in
Alaska. Across all ages, he has a consistent track record of
success, at the highest levels of our sport.
Cliff is the Head
Coach and owner of Northern Lights Swim Club, and has been the head
coach of NLSC since August of 1998. In that time he has seen
the club nearly double in size and has coached the club to dozens
of state championships. Coach Cliff is the 5 time winner
of Alaska Swimming's Senior Coach of the Year award and the
2018 time winner of Alaska Swimming's Age Group Coach of the
Year award. Cliff is the primary coach of the Gold and Silver
groups in Anchorage. He works daily with the Bronze group as
well.
Cliff was born in
Fairbanks, Alaska in 1970. In 1977 he began swimming
competitively on the Eielson Flyers near his mother's job as a
teacher on Eielson Air Force Base. At 12 he moved to the
North Pole Aquatics Club which was closer to his North Pole
home. During his 8th grade year he began swimming on the
Fairbanks Arctic Swim Team. Cliff competed for North Pole
High School all four years of high school and was captain for the
last three. Cliff retired from swimming after the Alaska
Junior Olympics his senior year in 1988; the first year Bartlett
Pool held the event.
Cliff began coaching in
Fairbanks in 1991. His first coaching job was as assistant
coach at West Valley High School. In November of 1991 he
became the assistant coach of Midnight Sun Swim Team in
Fairbanks. In August of 1993 he became the Head Coach for
both West Valley and Midnight Sun Swim Team.
Since becoming NLSC's
head coach, Cliff has also served as the Head Coach of East
Anchorage High School Swim/Dive team (2007-2012), and South
Anchorage High School Swim/Dive (2015-2020). While coaching
at East Anchorage, the East High Thunderbirds won their first
men's state title in fall of 2007.
While coaching MSST the
team earned a pair of AK Sr Champ titles and coached 4 different
swimmers to Jr National finals. Three of his age group
swimmers became nationally ranked with one, Hunter
McCallister, achieving two number one rankings in 1996, and
second, Maria Reeves, qualifying for Nationals 1998, and David
Zeman. Reeves went on to compete at the 2000 Olympic
Trials.
Since coaching at NLSC
the team has earned numerous state titles, has been a top the
Virtual Club Championship for Alaska Swimming, and seen 3 of his
alumni compete Olympic Trials qualifiers. Micha Burden - 2008
(NLSC Class of 1999), Samantha Wicks – 2016 (NLSC Class of
2012), Lydia Jacoby (NLSC/STSC Class of 2022).
Jerry Godden is the
Mat-Su Gold Coach. Coach Godden has been with NLSC since May of
2017. He started out with the Bronze group for 2 years and moved to
the Gold group in January of 2019.
Jerry began coaching
youth soccer in 2001 when his oldest daughters U8 team needed a
coach. He continued this annual volunteer soccer coaching until
Fall of 2009 and his middle daughter joined Palmer High School Swim
and Dive team. At this time Palmer high school was in need of a
diving coach; having been a swimmer and diver in high school
himself he volunteered to coach their dive team. In from 2011 thru
2020 he was co/head coach for Palmer High School and from
2016 thru 2020 he was the Region III Swim and dive coaches
representative for ASAA.
After watching the 1984
Olympics Jerry decided to join the Palmer High School swim and dive
team to try out diving. To be able to Dive, the coach required him
to swim also. He competed in diving, freestyle and fly events and
eventually came to enjoy swimming. His swimming and diving career
ended for a while after he graduated High school in 1988 until 2009
when he started coaching at Palmer High School.
Jerry was raised in
Lowell, Michigan until age 13 when he moved to Palmer, Alaska. He
graduated from Palmer High school and traveled around the east
coast returning to Palmer in 1990. He met his wife, Carrie, in 1991
and they were married in October of 1993. They proceeded to have
three children Taneisha, Katarina, and Reed. Katarina and Reed both
swam for Palmer High School. In the Godden’s spare time they
enjoy the great Alaska outdoor experience of hunting, fishing,
camping. He is active as the Region III coaches representative for
the ASAA.
Coach Jeorge was born in 2000 and raised
primarily in Palmer, Alaska. Jeorge moved to Gulf Port, Mississippi
in 2006 and joined the local SURF swim team in 2007, before
returning to Alaska in 2008 and Joining NLSC in 2009. Jeorge worked
his way up through the groups before joining the Gold group in
2014. Jeorge was primarily focused on his education during high
school and did not compete consistently apart from his time with
the Palmer Swim Team in 2015. From 2017-2022, Jeorge worked at the
Palmer Pool as a Lifeguard and Swim Lesson
Instructor.
From 2018-2022, Jeorge attended Collage at UAA
(University of Alaska Anchorage) and graduated with a bachelor's
degree in Biology in December 2022. Jeorge is not certain what he
wants to do with his degree, (whether it be in the biological
field, law enforcement, EMS, etc..) but he knows that he wants to
help and protect people.
Apart from swimming, Jeorge enjoys being
outside, spending time with people, all things cars/motorsports,
building Legos, and playing/writing
music.
Coach Greer Ethridge
joined the Northern Lights Swim Club (NLSC) in 2023 as the Bronze
Level Age Group Coach, bringing years of coaching experience in
Alaska to the team. A native of Memphis, TN, Greer began her
swimming journey at a young age, first competing in Summer Swim
League. She quickly developed a passion for the sport, which led
her to coach at the junior level. By high school, Greer was not
only a year-round swimmer but also served as the Captain and
Assistant Coach of her high school team.
After graduating high school, Greer stepped back from competitive swimming to pursue a degree in History at the University of Tennessee. Following college, she moved to Alaska to be closer to her sister and watch her nephew grow up. After living and teaching in Girdwood, Greer rediscovered her love of swimming and decided to return to coaching. She purchased a live-aboard sailboat in Seward and joined the Seward Tsunami Swim Club as the Dolphin Coach. Over the years, Greer advanced through the club, eventually becoming the Head Age Group Coach.
Greer initiated her first summer camp while in Seward for Age Group swimmers to bridge the gap between the club's seasonal schedule. She also created a Gold+ Level summer group to keep high school age swimmers, along with those returning from the University of Michigan and Olympics, in peak condition during the off-season.
In the summer of 2023, Greer moved to Anchorage and joined NLSC as the Bronze Group Coach. In her first season, she played a key role in growing the Bronze group to more than 80 swimmers through the learn to swim program and helped lead the 10 & Under athletes to their first Top 3 finish in the State Championship postal meet since 2019.
Building on the success of her summer camps in Seward, Greer launched the NLSC Summer Swim Camp series in 2024. This program, designed for swimmers aged 12 and under, provides a fun yet educational environment where young athletes can improve their swimming skills while enjoying time both in and out of the pool. After a successful inaugural season, the Summer Swim Camp series is set to continue as a valuable resource for swimmers of all levels.
Greer is passionate about helping young swimmers develop their skills and find a love for the sport. "It is such a thrill to watch these kids discover their passion for swimming and progress to the next level," she says. "I love working with this age group because they are eager to learn, have fun, and grow in the water."
After graduating high school, Greer stepped back from competitive swimming to pursue a degree in History at the University of Tennessee. Following college, she moved to Alaska to be closer to her sister and watch her nephew grow up. After living and teaching in Girdwood, Greer rediscovered her love of swimming and decided to return to coaching. She purchased a live-aboard sailboat in Seward and joined the Seward Tsunami Swim Club as the Dolphin Coach. Over the years, Greer advanced through the club, eventually becoming the Head Age Group Coach.
Greer initiated her first summer camp while in Seward for Age Group swimmers to bridge the gap between the club's seasonal schedule. She also created a Gold+ Level summer group to keep high school age swimmers, along with those returning from the University of Michigan and Olympics, in peak condition during the off-season.
In the summer of 2023, Greer moved to Anchorage and joined NLSC as the Bronze Group Coach. In her first season, she played a key role in growing the Bronze group to more than 80 swimmers through the learn to swim program and helped lead the 10 & Under athletes to their first Top 3 finish in the State Championship postal meet since 2019.
Building on the success of her summer camps in Seward, Greer launched the NLSC Summer Swim Camp series in 2024. This program, designed for swimmers aged 12 and under, provides a fun yet educational environment where young athletes can improve their swimming skills while enjoying time both in and out of the pool. After a successful inaugural season, the Summer Swim Camp series is set to continue as a valuable resource for swimmers of all levels.
Greer is passionate about helping young swimmers develop their skills and find a love for the sport. "It is such a thrill to watch these kids discover their passion for swimming and progress to the next level," she says. "I love working with this age group because they are eager to learn, have fun, and grow in the water."
My name is Aidan
Richardson. I have lived in Alaska for nearly all of my life and
have been around the water since birth. I have worked for NLSC
since September 2023. As an Alaskans and father
of three, it is invaluable to teach our children how to be
comfortable in and around the water. It is my honor to be able to
teach those skills to your children.
I grew up on Resurrection
Bay and the surrounding waters. My grandparents started
charter fishing in Seward in 1962 until 2004. My first experience
on the water was at 6 months old and then when I was eleven
years old, I was volun-told to deckhand on my grandparents'
boat. I have been working
on charter boats for over twenty-three years have been captaining
for past three years.
Over the last year I have
been teaching kids to swim and enjoying every
moment! On or in the water, I
just can’t stay away
Board of Directors
