Ann Peterson

Head Coach

Coach Ann transitioned into the head coach position during the 2023 Long Course Season, sharing the role with Coach Paul and is set to lead the team this fall.  

Ann grew up swimming at Wakonda Country Club and lettered her freshman year at Dowling.  After that season she realized her passion was not in competition but in teaching others to love the water.   Since then, she has taught all ages from baby and me classes to adult learn to swim with a few group exercise classes too.  She coached for the Manhattan Marlins in Kansas during college and coached Riptide from 2016-2018 returning in 2021.  Ann has also run the Dowling summer swimming lesson program in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2023.

Ann is always ready to hop in and work with kids, especially her own.  In addition to swimming she has coached her kids in volleyball and basketball.  She enjoys working to develop skills in young kids and watching the lightbulb turn on.  Her coaching style is loud and cheerleader-like, inspired by a Johann Wolfgang von Goethe quote, "Instruction does much, but encouragement does everything."         

Ann wants everyone she coaches to be a swimmer for life. She still swims as often as she can, teaches lifeguard classes, and also teaches lifeguard instructor classes.  Some of the high school aged swimmers may have been lifeguard certified by Ann or might have her husband Lance as their DCHS Spanish teacher.

 

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Coach Luke Halsch

Luke has been coaching and teaching swimming since 2008. In fact, his coaching career started here at Riptide, when the club was first established.  He is currently an assistant coach for both Dowling Catholic Girls and Boys high school teams.  During his coaching career he has worked with many wonderful athletes whose skills ranged from college level swimmers to kids that swim like rocks. From 6 months old to 68 years old and everywhere in between.  Luke enjoys the sport of swimming but loves to watch the development and confidence grow even more.  Coach Luke coaches all Riptide groups during the summer and non-high school groups during the school year.

Coach Arkady Lichinsky

Senior Athlete Development Coach

 

Arkady has been coaching in Des Moines since 1991, with DMSF, CIA, and Riptide.  He was the senior coach for Riptide from 2017-2021 when he decided to retire from coaching.  During his coaching career he has mentored swimmers who qualified for Sectionals, US Open, Nationals, and Olympic Trials.  He has been selected as a Team Iowa coach for multiple All-Star and Zone Championship meets.  We are so glad to have Arkady back where he belongs...the pool deck!

 

Coach Leo Duffy

 

Leo swam for Riptide in both middle school and highschool.  He also swam for the Dowling High School team and was a team captain his senior year.  Leo joined the Riptide coaching staff in 2020. He’s happy to be back at Dowling to help swimmers give 100% effort and accomplish their goals.  Leo coaches all the practice groups and enjoys working with kids of all levels.  When Leo isn't coaching he is a high school English teacher in Bondurant.  

Leo’s Favorite Events: 100 Butterfly and 50 Freestyle.

 

 

 

Coach Stephanie Tiefenthaler

 

Steph was a part of the Bett Swim Club from ages 5-18 and was a Varsity swimmer for Pleasant Valley High School as well as being a Captain her senior year. She was a swim teacher and lifeguard while attending the University of Iowa for Recreation Therapy.  After college she continued to teach swim lessons to adults and children and helped to coach the 8 and unders for Pleasant Valley Stingrays for a season. She loves swimming and her heart has always been a part of the swimming world.  You will find Coach Steph working with all age groups with most of her time coaching Level 1.

 

Coach Shannan Schoening

Shannan began swimming competitively at the age of 9 and trained with clubs in Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley, IA. She won four team high school state championships with the Bettendorf Bulldogs, earning All American honors. She swam for the Truman State Bulldogs for two years in college and earned bachelor degrees in biology, chemistry and nursing. Shannan now practices as a nurse anesthetist in the Des Moines metro area.  You will find Coach Shannan on deck assisting with all the groups in practice and at meets.

While typically sticking to 100 or 200 freestyle, Shannan’s greatest swimming accomplishment was completing a 5k swim race in the ocean in Miami. 

Shannan’s hobbies include running with her dog Dexter, traveling for destination half marathons, yoga, reading and gardening. She resides in Clive, IA.

 

 

Coach Justin Crouch

 

Coach Justin Crouch grew up in the Des Moines area and is son of former Dowling Catholic High School Swimming Coach Mark Crouch.  Justin grew up around swimming and participated in multiple sports in high school at Dowling Catholic.  Upon graduation from high school, Justin got involved with coaching at the club level as an assistant at the Des Moines Swim Federation and eventually assistant coaching high school swimming at Dowling Catholic.

 
In 2005, Justin became head coach of the Ottumwa High School Boys and Girls swim team.  He led the boys team to two top ten finishes at the High School State Meet in three season as head coach.  In 2008, Justin took over as head swimming coach of Ankeny High School.  As head coach at Ankeny, he led the team to consistent top five and ten finishes with a state championship in 2019. Justin was the Iowa High School state coach of the year in 2019.  He has coached multiple individual state champion athletes and relays as well as swimmers that have qualified for All-American status.  Justin resigned from high school coaching in Ankeny in 2023 to focus on family.
 
Coach Justin Crouch currently lives in Ankeny with supportive wife, Bethany.  They have three kids: Isabella, who will be a freshman on the Dowling Catholic High School swim team in the fall of 2023.  Ingrid, who will be in 5th grade in 2023 and will participate on the Riptide swim team.  Isaiah, who will also be in 5th grade, participates in football with the Greater Des Moines Catholic Football League.  We also love our Shih Tzu named Fluffy.
 

 

Coach Alyssa Jensen

 

Alyssa is excited to be joining Riptide this season and is looking forward to working with all of the swimmers!  Alyssa grew up swimming competitively in Illinois through her Junior year of High School. After a shoulder injury, Alyssa was no longer able to swim competitively herself but maintained her love of the sport. She transitioned into teaching and coaching and has been teaching swim lessons and coaching swimming since then. 

 

Alyssa previously coached for a high school Team in Illinois, a club team in Connecticut, and was the Head Coach for DSMY at Walnut Creek before moving to Riptide.  Alyssa loves working with all ages and ability levels. Her favorite part of coaching is watching the swimmers have that moment where it all “clicks”. Her biggest coaching focus is on proper technique to help swimmers stay injury free while becoming stronger and faster athletes. 

When Alyssa is not at the pool you can find her at the lake boating and tubing with her husband and two boys.

 

Coach Lance Peterson

Coach Lance joined the staff in during 2023 Long Course Season.  He is an exercise enthusiast with a passion for strength and conditioning.  Lance's primary coaching role is with the Riptide dryland program, focusing on injury prevention, agility, and power.  Lance has been part of the Dowling Boys Cross Country coaching staff for 2 years (State Chmpions both years!) and has been a Spanish teacher at Dowling since 2011.  Lance enjoys motivating kids to be the best athlete they can be and has also coached high school tennis, golf, baseball, basketball, and football along with middle school track and basketball.  He believes that a good coach knows the sport but a great coach knows the athlete.  

Lance's experience with water is usually in open water settings.  Lance grew up in the Okoboji area and spent most of his childhood in or on Big Spirit Lake.  As an athlete he has completed in Okoboji's Point to Point, Saylorville's Swim the Bridge, Boulder's full Ironman, Lawrence, KS half Ironman and many other triathlons.  His preferred method of transportation and exercise is by bicycle.  Students at Dowling are used to his ride being parked in the front of the classroom and always notice when he upgrades to a new bike.  A 2015 surgery ended his triathlon racing and he now enjoys bike racing both in the US and in Costa Rica.  

  

 

 

Paul Eure

Paul began coaching in 1983 as an Assistant coach to Lonny Kerman at the North Side Otters.  He has been coaching ever since at all levels of swimming: club for 30+ years, high school for 30+, college (2 years as head coach at Augustana College, Rock Island, IL), masters/triathlon 12 years.  Paul currently is the head high school coach at Dowling for both the gilrs and boys teams where he also teaches science.  

Paul's family includes a loving and supporting wife, Mary, 6 children, two who swam four years in college (Luke at MIT and Maria at Grinnell), one who is currently swimming in college (Maggie at Florida Tech), two who swam in high school (Andy at Valley, and Molly at Dowling), and Veronica-14 who swims with Riptide and plans to start with the DCHS team this fall.  

Paul graduated from DCHS, class of 1983, lives in West Des Moines and is a member of Sacred Heart Parrish.