CAC Coaches

 

Head Coach Ed Cullen mail

Lead Senior Group & Age Group Coach

Coaching Experience and Highlights
 
  • Developed 30 Winter Junior National Athletes, 3 Summer Junior National Athletes, 1 Future Olympian (Age Group Coach for Kieran Smith at Ridgefield Aquatic Club)
  • Developed 3 Zone Open Water Qualifiers (1 x Top 5) and 2 National Open Water Qualifiers
  • Developed Multiple YMCA National Swimmers
  • Developed 3 swimmers who ranked top 10 in the YMCA program nationally.
  • Developed top overall point scorers at the New England Swimming 12 and Under Championships, South Carolina Age Group and Senior Championships, and North Carolina Senior Championships.
  • Directed group of Senior Championship, Sectional, Futures, and Winter Juniors qualifiers between the ages of 14-19
  • Directed group of senior and age group qualifiers between the ages of 12-15
  • Directed group of regional and age group qualifiers between the ages of 13-16
  • Directed and assisted in the pre-competitive program that focuses on stroke fundamentals
  • Directed and assisted in beginning a competitive program focusing on stroke refinement and beginning to understand competitive swimming
  • Assisted in the development of Olympic trial, JR National, Sectional, YMCA National, and Zone swimmers
  • Assisted with multiple USA Swimming National Ranked swimmers
  • Development and execution of a season plan for multiple levels of swimmers
 
Ed Cullen originally hails from Wilton, Connecticut, but he and his wife have lived in the Charlotte area since 2016. He has over 15 years of coaching experience and has coached for Ridgefield Aquatic Club, the Greenwich YMCA, the YMCA of the NorthShore, Crimson Aquatics, SwimMAC Carolina, and the YMCA of Upper Palmetto. He now joins Calvert Aquatics Club as Head Coach. He is an ASCA-certified Level 3 coach and is working on his Level 4. Ed has served on the Junior National Select Camp coaching staff.  
 
Along with being around pools, he also has a passion for open-water swimming. As a young adult, he swam multiple events on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. He has also coached multiple Open Water National qualifiers.  
 
Coach Ed has worked with various ages and ability levels throughout his career including current Olympian Kieran Smith as an age group swimmer. He hopes to instill in his athletes a respect for hard work and discipline in the water.  He sums up his philosophy with a quote from Vince Lombardi that says, “Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”  Coach Ed often says, “Honor your teammates and yourself with your effort.”  
 
Two fun facts about Coach Ed are that he also met his spouse at the Y in Massachusetts.  Coach Ed also has an outside niche for Professional Wrestling.
 

Associate Head Coach Leslie Broussardmail

Lead Technique & Fitness/Junior Group Coach 

Leslie Broussard found her way to competitive swimming as an adult, swimming with the masters of the Mildenhall Sharks and Newmarket and District Swim Club in England. During the five years she was a masters swimmer, she medaled at Suffolk County Champs and East Region Masters. She started her coaching career with Newmarket, coaching their Skills and Junior squads, as well as coaching for the RAF Lakenheath Barracudas, competing throughout Europe with the European Forces Swim League.

Swimming masters started a fitness journey, prompting Leslie to become certified as an AFAA Group Fitness Instructor, NASM Personal Trainer, NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist, and NASM Nutrition Coach. A native of Louisiana, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Southeastern Louisiana University and a Bachelor’s of Studio Art from University of Nebraska at Omaha.

 

Michael Trotter: mail

Lead Discovery Coach 

Coach Michael is an alumnus of Calvert Aquatics and has been coaching with CAC since 2020. Michael helped coach the Novice and Age Groups to new hights the past few seasons. Coach Michael will continue to assist the Novice groups and Age Group for the 2022-2023 season.  

 

Coach Kandy Spainmail

CAC Senior Silver and Junior Silver Coach 2015 - 2020 before retiring from full-time coaching. Head Coach, Kings Landing Summer Swim Team 2012 to 2017. 1 year, Novice Coach for Naval Academy Aquatic Club. 3 years, Silver Coach for Southern Maryland Aquatic Club. 18 years Head Coach, Northern High School Swim Team. 3 years Head Coach, Huntingtown High School Swim Team. WSI Instructor for over 40+ years. Member of Masters Swim Program for 3 years. Graduated from Bloomsburg State University, Bloomsburg, PA - BS Communication: Speech, English. Master’s in Education Bowie State University, Bowie. MD. Media Specialist Certification, College of Notre Dame, Baltimore, MD. Retired, Teacher for 33 years  - Northern Middle School and Northern High School