Coach Travis Sandifer has 25+ years of swim coaching experience and is an ASCA level 4 coach. He has spent most of his coaching career in the GULF with USA Swimming Clubs, 20 years with KATY Aquatics as both Head Age Group and Head Coach. He has also coached at Aquastar and Pearland Aquatics. During his coaching tenure, Coach Travis has developed swimmers that have competed and excelled at many levels ranging from local age group meets, TAGS Champions, Junior National and US Open Finalist to competing at Canadian and USA Swimming Olympic Trials.

• As the Head Coach of KATY Aquatics, his team placed in the top 100 out of 2400+ USA Swimming Club teams in the Virtual Club Championship rankings for 8 straight seasons from LC 2004 to SC 2006/07.
• His swimmers have placed in USA Swimming’s National rankings (Top-16) over 60 times.
• He has coached swimmers that received 40+ USA Scholastic All-American Awards.
• He has been awarded Gulf Swimming Coach of the year award 4 times, twice as Age Group Coach of the Year (1996 and 1997) and twice as the Senior Coach of the Year (2001 and 2005).

Coach Travis has stayed actively involved in swimming governance holding various positions on USA Swimming Committee’s and the Gulf LSC Board of Directors. He currently serves on the Gulf board as Operational Risk Coordinator.

• Gulf General Chair (2017-2019)
• Gulf Swimming Safety Chairman (2016-2017)
• Gulf Swimming Safe Sport Coordinator (2013-2017)
• Gulf Swimming Board of Directors (1998-2007 and 2010-present)
• Gulf Swimming Open Water Coordinator (2003-2007)
• USA Swimming Domestic Open Water Committee (2003-2006)
• Gulf Swimming - Senior Vice-Chairman (2000-2002)
• Gulf Swimming Age Group Vice-Chairman (1998-2000)

Coach Travis has a degree in Economics from the University of Houston. He enjoys fishing, kayaking and camping in his spare time. He has a daughter Paige, who recently graduated from Texas A&M University and has continued to live and work in College Station, Texas.

Office Hours: Mon - Fri 9:00AM-5:00PM

Angela began coaching in 1995 as an Assistant Coach for the Cimarron Swim Team for three years, and then continued as their Head Coach for five more years. While attending the University of Houston, Angela coached at Katy Aquatics and Alief Aquatics in the late 90's. In 2010, Angela returned to Katy Aquatics as a competitive Coach. Then in 2013, she began a new chapter with Katy Aquatics as their Team Administrator.

Angela grew up in the Katy area where she participated on the Cimarron Swim Team for 13 years.  She was also a member of the Katy High School Swim Team where she gained the love for swimming with all of the challenges and excellence of being an athlete. She has enjoyed watching the growth of swimming in the Katy area, and looks forward to the future with Katy Aquatics.

Office Hours:  Mon - Fri  9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Coach Bailey has been coaching in the Gulf for over 25 years.  He has served as both Head Age Group and Head Coach for several of the teams in the area and received the honor of Gulf Age Group Coach of the year in 2003 & 2004.  Coach Bailey began his swimming career in 1984 with First Colony Swim Team, qualifying and finaling at Junior Nationals.  He went on to swim at Henderson State University.  He has two boys ages 8 and 12.

Tanja Avant is an ASCA Level 3;5 Education certified swim coach whose passion for swimming has been a lifelong journey. Having spent nearly every summer in her youth in a pool, she discovered her love for competitive swimming in high school where she swam for her team in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, excelling in sprint events. Her journey in aquatics began at age 15 and has included roles as a lifeguard, swim instructor, and coach, each deepening her dedication to developing young athletes and fostering a love of the sport.

A graduate of the University of Iowa, Tanja built a 25-yer career with the University, serving first at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (home of "The Wave") and then with University of Iowa Recreational Services for the Iowa Flyers Swim Club. As Head Age-Group Coach for IFLY, she developed swimmers who achieved success at every level of competition – including LSC Championships, Central Zones, NCSA Age Group Championships, Sectionals, Junior Nationals, and Olympic Trials. Many of her athletes have gone on to swim collegiately, competing at the national and international levels.

Joining Katy Aquatics in Spring of 2021 marked an exciting new chapter in Tanja’s coaching journey. She brought with her an unwavering passion for swimming and a commitment to helping every athlete grow both in and out of the pool. Known for fostering confidence, resilience, grace, and community, Tanja continues to inspire swimmers to achieve excellence in competition and in life.

Tanja’s leadership extends beyond the club level, with extensive service to Iowa Swimming, Gulf Swimming, and USA Swimming. Some of her contributions include:

· Southern Zones Safe Sport Chair, USA Swimming (2023)
· Gulf Swimming Board of Directors – Safe Sport Chair (2022, 2025)
· Club Development Chair, Gulf Swimming (2021–2022)
· Iowa Swimming Board of Directors – Age Group Vice-Chair (2017, 2019)
· Swimposium Committee Chair, Iowa Swimming (2018)
· Nominating Committee Chair, Iowa Swimming (2016–2017)

Tanja has also been selected to coach at numerous regional events including:

· Southern Zones Open Water Championship (2025)
· Duel in the Pool – Age Group Coach (2022) and Head Women’s Coach (2024) 
· Central Zones (2016, 2018)
· Multi-Cultural Zones – Head Coach (2017)
· Mega Zones (2016)
· Midwest All-Stars (2014, 2017)

Outside the pool, Tanja and her husband enjoy exploring all Texas has to offer alongside their dog, Brewsky. With five grown children, they embrace their role as active empty-nesters.

Christian began his coaching career with TXLA and has been a swimmer and coach in Texas since the early 90s. Coach Christian’s swimmers have achieved cuts at the TAGS, Sectional, Futures and Junior level.  Most importantly, Coach Christian wants those he coaches to improve while enjoying their swimming experience!

Prior to joining the coaching world, Coach Christian earned All American honors swimming for the University of Texas and represented Mexico at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.  While earning a degree in Kinesiology at UT, Christian competed in the World University Games in 2003 and the Pan American Games in 2007. As a professional swimmer, Coach Christian competed in both the 2012 and 2013 World Championships.  

Valerie began her coaching career in San Antonio in 1990, for the Alamo Area Aquatics Association under the former Head Coach, George Block. In 1996 she moved to Houston and started coaching with Clayton Cagle for the Cy-Fair Swim Club for eight years. During this time Valerie coached the Cy-Falls and Cy-Creek High Schools. She then began with Sienna Plantation Aquatics before joining the Katy Aquatics Swim Team. Valerie has been coaching as an Assistant Coach with Katy Aquatics since 2010.

Valerie was raised in San Antonio, where she swam and played water polo for Tom C. Clark High School. Each year during her high school career she qualified for State. She then went on to be a collegiate swimmer for two years at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. Valerie was on the Women’s US Water Polo Nation Team for six years, and played in the 1984 Olympics.

Coach Phil has been involved in all levels of coaching, including Head Coach, Head Age Group Coach, Masters Swim Coach, Team Developments and Private Instructor and the Aquatics Director at VillaSport (Woodlands). He most recently was a Lead Coach at SSAN since 2020 and previously Head Age Group Coach for ECS, where he led them to a TOP 100 Age Group Programs in the US (2020) as well as coached multiple TAGS Qualifiers/Champions, AG Champs Qualifiers/Champions.  Phil is excited to join Katy Aquatics and help us on our mission to continue to build the best swimmers in and out of the pool. 

Coach Phil is a Level 3 in both Masters and Age Group Swimming.

Coach Adam was born and raised in Abilene Texas.  He moved to Houston with his family in the early 90s. He found a love for swimming in summer league swimming and eventually joined his high school swim team at Alief Elsik high school.  He has taught swim lessons for several years and has coached/taught many swimmers of all ages and abilities.

Coach Nik began his journey at Katy Aquatics in 2017 as a Learn to Swim Instructor in the Katy Aquatics SwimAmerica program. He worked with swimmers of all ages and abilities and helped them learn how to swim. He was promoted to a Learn to Swim Supervisor is 2021 and worked for 2 years in that position helping manage staff and swimmers while providing feedback and encouragement to every swimmer at the pool.

In 2024, he started his competitive coaching career at the Intro level for Katy Aquatics. He currently coaches Intro to Age Group and Future Stars. He enjoys getting the swimmers to really love the sport and always is excited to see swimmers continue their journey into their own swimming career.

Coach Nik lives in the Katy area with his wife, a dog named Honey, and a cat named Benny. In his free time, he loves to draw and make art!

Coach Jake swam for Katy Aquatics from 2002-2010. He started coaching with Swim America in 2008. In 2010, Coach Jake started coaching with Delta Aquatic Club in Mississippi. There he coached many MS state qualifiers as a Head Age Group Coach. While coaching in Mississippi, he attended and swam for Delta State University.  He was on the All-Conference Team and All-Academic Team.  Coach Jake graduated with a BS in Exercise Science and a MS in Sports and Human Performance.

He joined Katy Aquatics in December of 2016.  Coach Jake loves working with 12&Unders.  He looks forward to continuing the development of athletes in and out of the water.  He is excited to work with your athletes while continuing to make a positive impact on the community of Katy, Texas.

Born in Mexico City, I have been passionate about aquatics since the age of eight. I proudly represented Mexico at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, ranking 19th world place  in the 200-meter butterfly. For over 35 years, I’ve dedicated my life to coaching swimmers of all ages — from babies and young children to adults and senior athletes — guiding many from their first strokes all the way to college-level competition.

As a certified aquatic therapist, I specialize in shoulder, knee, and back rehabilitation,  I am also a Montessori guide with 37 years of experience, In my work as a transpersonal and regression therapist, I support individuals on their journeys of personal and spiritual growth.

In Mexico, I spent eight years as a sports commentator and television host ,  also participated in various sports radio programs. More recently, I hosted a holistic podcast in Houston where I explored topics of alternative medicine and wellness.

In March 2025 I was honored by Mayor Sylvester Turner with the “Women of Success in Texas 2025” recognition, reflecting my dedication to community empowerment ,holistic growth, and sport development.