Coach Mike started with the Fort Collins Area Swim Team in October of 2013 as the Head Age Group Coach. During which time FAST Athletes have achieved new levels of success including State, Sectional, and Junior National first place finishes.  Athletes on FAST have broken National Age Group records, numerous Colorado Swimming State Records, and a Pan Pac Pacific Record.  While serving as the Head Age Group Coach FAST achieved it’s first Silver Medal, and Gold Medal club excellence status.

Prior to coming to FAST Mike served as the Head Coach at Castle Rock Swimming for the past 6 and a half years.  While at ROCK the team achieved new levels of success from an athletic and business standpoint.  The team produced it’s first pair of Jr National qualifiers in over 10 years as well sending a sizable team to sectionals that continued to grow each season.  While at ROCK Mike coached multiple swimmers that have gone on to swim competitively in college in each division.

Before moving to Colorado Mike coached in Tempe, Arizona for Sun Devil Aquatics and worked with Arizona State University as a graduate assistant.  During his tenure at SDA Mike coached several state Champions, Junior National Qualifiers, Top 16 Qualifiers, and one Olympic Trial Qualifier.  Additionally his swimmers contributed to 2 National Age Group Relay Records and 2 Junior National Women’s Team first place finishes.  While in his role as a Grad Assistant at ASU Mike had the opportunity to work with multiple NCAA qualifiers, Pac 10 Champions, and a National Record Holder.

Mike got his start coaching while in High School at the Glendale/Peoria YMCA in 1998 and later the Tempe YMCA in 2000.  At Tempe Mike assisted the organization in moving into the competitive ranks of USA Swimming as well as coaching the teams the first State Champion and Western Zone Qualifiers.

Eric joined FAST in the spring of 2015 and his swimming background encompasses collegiate water polo, masters swimming and over 100 triathlons.  For the past 30+ years, Eric has coached athletes for open water, triathlon and pool competition.  He is currently the head coach at FAST Masters and owner of a multisport coaching business Train Smart Race Race Fast   He is the 2016 Colorado Masters Coach of the Year and 2019 recipient of the United States Masters Swimming (USMS) Kerry O'brien coaching award.

Eric has coached both USMS and USA club programs and multiple masters national and world record holders. He is a 3x Ironman Hawaii World Championship finisher, 8x Boston Marathon Qualifier and Masters Swimming All-American.

Joined FAST: 2010

Education Interior Design Colorado State University

MacKenzie is the longest active coach at FAST and has had many roles since joining the club. In her current position she is the lead coach for Ascend. Her most recent role on FAST was substitute coach when the team needed group coverage and assistance.

Prior to her return as lead group coach at FAST, she was the Assistant Women Swim Coach at Colorado State University. During her time at CSU the team moved up 5 places in the Mountain West Conference, earned 11 consecutive Scholar All American Awards, posted their best dual meet records in over a decade, was recognized for having the MWC Swimmer of the Year, Senior of the Year, and was the lead coach for athletes earning over 20 school records and over 30 NCAA cuts. She currently serves as the RAMS Alumni Athletes Association President.

MacKenzie swam for Colorado State University on an athletic scholarship. She graduated in 2008 and received the Leadership Award from the College of Applied Human Sciences. Additionally, she was the recipient of the 2011 Doc Counsilman Award given by the American Swimming Coaches Association for creative and innovative workouts. She has represented Colorado Swimming at the age gourd zone level, and was selected to be a member of the USA Swimming Women’s Leadership Summit in 2015 and 2017.

MacKenzie coaching philosophy is centered around creating a positive environment for athletes to challenge themselves in while exploring their own personal expectations and goals. She utilizes key learning styles including visual, auditory and kinesthetic to reach a range of athletes. Athletes in Ascend will be shown the importance of building world class character through excellence in swimming on a daily basis.

Coach Ann’s love of the water began before she can even remember growing up swimming in the lakes of northern Minnesota where she grew up. She began competitive swimming at the age of 10 and was hooked! While in high school, Ann was an understudy to the boys swim coach where she learned the importance of refining proper stroke technique. After swimming in high school, she continued her swimming career at Gustavus Adolphus College. Here Ann majored in elementary education and sociology/anthropology and minored in coaching. After graduation in 2001, Ann began her coaching career, head and assistant coaching girls high school swimming in Minnesota. After moving to Lander, WY in 2004, she continued her career as assistant and head coach of the Lander Swim Club. Both of her daughters began competitive swimming at the ages of 4 and 6 and now share her passion for swimming. After taking a step back from coaching and teaching to be a stay at home mom, she eventually became roped into becoming a USA Swimming certified official. Since then, Ann has continued to find her path leading back to her coaching swimming and has coached at Lander Middle School, Capital City Athletics in Cheyenne, and is now excited to join the coaching staff at FAST. Ann has either taught swimming lessons, coached swimming, coached strength and conditioning and endurance athletes including triathletes, or coached nutrition in some capacity for over 27 years. She also has 14 years of experience teaching elementary school in all grades first through sixth.

Doug Stone

Hammerhead, Tiger Shark, Rise and Shine

Joined FAST:  2015

Education:  B.S. in Political Science, Willamette University

Coach Doug began coaching with Salem Aquatic Club (Salem, OR) while still completing his Bachelor’s Degree and college swimming career.  He started as the 8&U coach and advanced to Head Age Group Coach during his seven years with Salem Aquatic Club.  During his time in Oregon, Coach Doug worked with numerous age group state champions and received an Oregon Age Group Coach of the Year Award.

After moving to Colorado, Coach Doug was the Head Coach at Greeley Swim Club for two years.  During his time with GSC. the team had its first Senior National Qualifier since 1986 and had multiple athletes win individual state titles at both the USA swimming and High School Swimming Championships.

Prior to joining FAST,  Coach Doug also spent 16 years as the Head Coach at the Eaton Red Waves.  After starting with a club of almost thirty athletes and only Silver State Qualifiers, he successfully increased both the size of the team and the levels at which its athletes compete.  Coach Doug developed over a dozen Zone Qualifiers, as well as all of the All Star Selections and Sectional Qualifiers in Eaton Red Waves history.

Coach Doug also has eighteen years of High School coaching experience with both boys and girls.  He has worked with student athletes at Greeley Central, Eaton High School and just this past two years the Fossil Ridge Boys Swimming and Diving Team.  His highlights include multiple individual state titles in individual events and relays at both the 4A and 5A levels, two 4A state records, and an overall team title.

Sarah’s love for swimming began in 2008 after a collegiate running injury quite literally knocked her off her feet.  She began coaching high school swimmers in the winter of 2011, and found her calling.  Over the years, she has been involved with several high school programs including Skyline High School, Fort Collins High School, Loveland High School, and Fossil Ridge High School.  Sarah has also coached at the club level, working with high school, middle, and elementary aged athletes. In 2021 Sarah was made Assistant Masters Coach at FAST and continues to grow the Masters program alongside Coach Eric.

Sarah’s credentials include: USA Triathlon certified Level I coach, USA Swimming certified coach, 200 Hour Registered Yoga Instructor. She has a strong understanding of anatomy and injury prevention. In her time off the pool deck, she’s a competitive swimrunner, distance runner, cyclist, and long distance backpacker. 

Lead Coach Ascend

Erin has been swimming competitively for 14 years. She grew up racing for local USA swimming teams in Boulder, Colorado. During her age group years she qualified for and raced at multiple State Championships, Senior Zones, and Sectionals meets. She went to Fairview High School, where she swam varsity and made state all four years, earning her the Academic All American award. Her favorite meets were the BOCO Invite and HS State. Now she swims competitively with CSU's Swim & Dive Club and FAST Masters, while working towards her double bachelor's in both Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering.

While Erin was in high school she began teaching lessons for the YMCA and fell in love with coaching kids. She enjoyed helping them learn water safety skills and grow their confidence with beginner strokes. During the summer she coached a small pre-team program to help kids before they joined the summer club team. After moving to Fort Collins for college, Erin began working as a coach for the women's team at Liberty Common High School. During her first season with Liberty she also became a coach at FAST. The following year she also coached the men's team at Poudre High School. Erin likes working with swimmers of all abilities and observing how the work they put in during practice makes incredible changes in their performace by the end of the season.

Looking back on her own swimming career, Erin believes that athletes develop and unique set of skills that are not easily found in other parts of their lives. While inspiring and leading a group of athletes to success is the main focus, her coaching philosophy also revolves around teaching athletes skills that are applicable both inside and outside of their swimming career. In addition, Erin knows that a supportive team is a successful team. Each day she sees the benefits of teamwork and strives to teach her athletes that together we can accomplish more than we can alone. The bond that she creates with her athletes is not solely build on their success, it's built on the process - the struggles and triumphs they have on their way to a goal. 

Erin is looking forward to this next season with FAST! :)

Roz started swimming when she was 3 years old and has barely stepped away from the pool deck since. Roz swam Division I at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay (UWGB) on athletic scholarship, where she was a two-time captain and record holder for the 200 freestyle. She graduated in 2020 with majors in Psychology, Business Administration, and a Certificate in Athletic Coaching. Roz started coaching in 2013 as a volunteer coach for the Green Bay United high school boys swim team, and has since coached high school girls, the Green Bay Swim Club, and was a volunteer coach in her fifth year for the UWGB swim team. Roz is currently attending Colorado State University to get her PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology. In her spare time, she likes to go hiking, camping, and bike rides on the Poudre Trail.

Coach Kaitlyn started swimming at the age of five and still swims today. She is a member of the Colorado State University Swim Club and is studying Environmental Engineering at CSU. Kaitlyn in the past has taught swim lessons for ages 5-13, volunteered at free swim clinics and now stepped into the role as a coach for FAST. Kaitlyn’s favorite part of swimming is the people she has met, and the everlasting community that she gets to take part in. 

Joined FAST: 2015

Kirk's first role with FAST was as the lead Senior and High School coach for 5 years.  He has coached Nova, Discovery, Ascend, and Arete.  In August 2019, he stepped down as a lead coach and is now a happy assistant to all groups at FAST.   

Kirk is also our resident PSD high school coach.  He is currently the head coach of both the girls and boys at Fort Collins High School.  There, he has had the privilege of coaching-   

2 state High School Champions  

12 All-Conference Champions 
10+ All- Americans  

With FAST he has helped coach multiple Zone, Sectional, Junior National, and Olympic Trial swimmers.  

Kirk has been part of the Colorado All-Stars staff (USA Swimming)  

Chsaa’s 5a coach of the year twice  

4-time coach of the year for the Front Range League (boys)  

3-time coach of the year Front Range League (girls)  

Won the 2023 "Sonny Lubick Coach of Character Award" from CHAMP Fort Collins

From when it all started in 1996 to the present, Kirk's coaching philosophy has always been based on positive reinforcement, teaching proper technique, getting to know his athletes, and, of course, having a little fun!