MEET THE COACHES
Head Coach
Coach Taylor
Having spent the better part of his life in and around the sport, Coach Taylor brings to the GATORS nearly 40 years of combined experience as a coach and a competitive swimmer. His resume includes the 2006 New Mexico Age Group Coach of the Year and an extensive background in ultra-distance swimming, including over 350 swims of 10 miles or further. Many of Coach Taylor's former swimmers have competed at the highest levels: Olympic Trials, NCAA All-Americans, Grand Prix & Sectional Finals, various State High School Championships, dozens of USS Championship event victories and High Point Awards.
Coach Taylor attributes this success to the fun-oriented and comprehensive nature of his training program, with variety, progression, recovery, attention to detail and goal-setting underscored as key components.
A member coach of USA Swimming & the American Swim Coaches Association, Coach Taylor welcomes any and all swimmers to our GATORS program who would like to work hard and move up in the sport.
Email: [email protected]
Assistant Coaches
Michelle Ahler-Johnson
Michelle grew up in Minneapolis. She started competitively swimming in 6th grade at Sandburg Middle School, swam through high school for Robbinsdale Cooper High School, and swam off season for the New Hope YMCA Aquaforce. Michelle swam the 100 Butterfly, and the 200 IM.
After graduating High School Michelle continued to work with the Aquaforce swim team as an assistant coach and became a lead staff for the Aquatics Department with a focus on swim lessons and swim team. In 2019, Michelle moved to St. Cloud and started as an assistant coach in 2020.
Email: [email protected]
