2026 Coaches
We're currenlty hiring the 2026 staff.
If you are interested in the head coach position, please review the Mesa head coach job description, which includes compensation and application details.
The application deadline for this this position is January 9, 2026.
2025 Coaches
Laurie Johnson: Head Coach and 15-18s
Email: [email protected]
Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
What age did you start swimming?: I am not sure as I don't remember a time when I couldn't swim.
What was your youth swimming experience? I swam in the summers CARA at Scott Carpenter Pool until I was 12, then I went year-round and swam for the Boulder Poseidons - I basically lived at Scott Carpenter (and Spruce) from age 13 on. I swam at Fairview High School as well. My parents did not know about BVSSL.
Where do/did you attend university? Cornell College
What sports/activities did you do in college?: Swimming
What is your coaching experience? I have been coaching since I was 17, when I was asked to be an assistant coach for the City of Boulder's new team BuRST (Boulder Rec Swim Team). That team is now some form of the Barracudas. I became the head coach of that team a year later. After graduating from college, I also coached at Green Mountain High School. When I moved to Kentucky for a job opportunity in healthcare, I also coached club swimming in Lexington. Then when I moved back I started coaching with Mesa in 2001.
What is your favorite swimming event?: In college, my favorite event was 200 Butterfly.
Which Olympian swimmer would you like to hang out with?: Michael Phelps - because of his promotion of mental health - which is currently my field of work.
What's your favorite food to refuel after swim practice?: I am not picky.
If you lived in the water, what sea creature would you be?: A Manatee
What do you like about coaching?: I love seeing a swimmer take on a personal challenge by trying something new or differently. Swim team is the best place to take risks, and learn from failure and success.
What are you looking forward to for the summer season?: I am looking forward to working with the 15-18 age group. As I have raised my kids on Mesa swimming, I have also watched the kids in this age group grow up.
Avery Johnson: 13-14s
Email: [email protected]
Hometown: Longmont, Colorado
What age did you start swimming? I can't remember a time when I could not swim. So I may as well have been born in the water.
What was your youth swimming experience? I started swimming for Mesa when I was 6 before pre team existed. From there on I participated in all sorts of different year round clinics but never wanted to not be able to swim for Mesa. I also trained with Rally Sport and Elevation Athletics during the school year as well as swimming for my high school team.
Where do/did you attend university? I attended the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma Washington and am currently looking to continue my education in Colorado while maintaining a full time job.
What sports/activities did you do in college? I had the opportunity to swim for the University of Puget Sound and did my freshman year but after that decided not to in order to focus on my education.
What is your coaching experience? Both of my parents are coaches so I grew up in an environment that inspired me to become one as well. I have taught swim lessons, worked with swimmers on Silver Creek High Schools men's and women's teams, was a student PARA and started coaching for Mesa In 2021.
What is your favorite swimming event? 100IM and 200IM
Which Olympian swimmer would you like to hang out with? Amy Van Dyken
What's your favorite food to refuel after swim practice? Pasta and bread carbo load
If you lived in the water, what sea creature would you be? A Sea turtle
What do you like about coaching? Watching a swimmer learn to do something they have never even attempted to do before. Whether that is crushing a time they never thought was possible or learning a brand new stroke.
What are you looking forward to for the summer season? This Summer I look forward to taking on the 13-14's considering I coached a lot of them when they were 9-10's and have known most of them for a long time considering how long they have all been on the team.
Jamie Canino: 11-12s
Email: [email protected]
Hometown: Monument, CO
What age did you start swimming? Started really swimming at age 8
What was your youth swimming experience? Started at age 8, went year-around/competitive at age 11 through high school
Where do/did you attend university? Middlebury College, VT / Graduate school Duke University, NC
What sports/activities did you do in college? 4 year varsity swimmer, also did club triathlon team and skied
What is your coaching experience? I started coaching swim lessons and summer swim teams in high school. I coached through college and graduate school including group and private lessons for adults and kids; Special Olympics swim team in college; and Masters swim programs.
What is your favorite swimming event?: 50,100,200 Free
Which Olympian swimmer would you like to hang out with? Caleb Dressel or Dara Torres
What's your favorite food to refuel after swim practice? After AM practice I love scrambled eggs, avocado, arugula, and black beans and a Matcha green tea with oat milk. PM practice, Tacos with chips and guacamole!
If you lived in the water, what sea creature would you be? An otter
What do you like about coaching? I really enjoy watching someone who has a love for swimming better themselves both physically, but also mentally and emotionally. I embrace the chance to share the joy and excitement of a swimmer who accomplishes their goal(s), no matter the size. To see hard work and dedication pay off, even in small dividends, can build mountains of confidence! Not to mention the amazing friendships and comradery we gain along the way!
What are you looking forward to for the summer season? Helping swimmers build confidence, embrace trying new things, watching hard work pay off, and sharing smiles and laughs with coaches and swimmers
Allyson Friday: 11-12s
Email: [email protected]
Hometown: New Orleans, LA
What age did you start swimming?: age 5
What was your youth swimming experience? Club Team from age 5-18 for Dick Bower's swim club, the Bolts
Where do/did you attend university? Columbia University in NYC, NY
What sports/activities did you do in college?: Division I Swimming
What is your coaching experience? Taught swimming lessons age 15-25 to 10&U, Coached Master's teams in NYC and Boulder age 22 - 32
What is your favorite swimming event?: 200 IM
Which Olympian swimmer would you like to hang out with?: Summer Sanders
What's your favorite food to refuel after swim practice?: Bacon and Eggs after morning practice! And a warm coffee :)
If you lived in the water, what sea creature would you be?: Dolphin, no doubt.
What do you like about coaching?: Just about everything - teaching stroke, discipline, dedication. Watching kids grow, and success - finding things easy that once seemed impossible (like swimming a 100 or a 50), joy, laughter.
What are you looking forward to for the summer season?: Helping my 11&12's grow in skill, confidence, and feeling a love of the sport.
Melinda Platt: 9-10s
Email: [email protected]
Hometown: Seymour CT
What age did you start swimming? I started swimming as part of the Water Babies program at a month and a half old and loved it from the very beginning.
What was your youth swimming experience? I took swimming lessons each summer and eventually joined our local swim club. From here I started helping with clinics and camps, teaching swimming, lifeguarding, and became a coach and unified partner for Connecticut State Special Olympics Swimming.
Where do/did you attend university? I moved to England to attend university where I did a Bsc (hons) Psychology at the University of Bedfordshire and an MA in Education at the Nottingham University.
What sports/activities did you do in college? I tried swimming in England but it was very different. We trained in a 33.3 meter pool, which was very interesting but a hard transition. I decided to try something new and joined the university rugby team where I played right wing. It was exciting to try something so different and gave me a real cultural experience. On top of that, our team came in second in nationals!
What is your coaching experience? I have taught swimming for almost all age groups and a wide range of abilities. My coaching has been predominantly focused on high school swimming, with the exception of helping run clinics for club swimming.
What is your favorite swimming event? Definitely a toss up between the 100 butterfly and the 200 IM
Which Olympian swimmer would you like to hang out with? If you asked a younger version of me, she definitely would have said Summer Sanders.
What's your favorite food to refuel after swim practice? After? Hmmmm, after practice that’s tough. Maybe pizza?
If you lived in the water, what sea creature would you be? A stingray! Because I’m a very go with the flow kind of person, or so I’ve been told.
What do you like about coaching? I absolutely love helping swimmers refine their strokes and strategize their races. The growth that can be seen is just one season is amazingly rewarding.
What are you looking forward to for the summer season? Summer swimming is really something special. There is a focus on fun and team work but also plenty of room for individual goals. And let’s not forget, summer and swimming just belong together!
Isabel Fisher: 8 & unders
Email: [email protected]
Hometown: Boulder CO
What age did you start swimming? 6 years old
What was your youth swimming experience? I swam for the Boulder Barracudas for 1 year before I started swimming for Mesa Swim Team. I swam on Mesa for 11 years
Where do/did you attend university? I am an upcoming sophomore at University of Colorado Boulder
What sports/activities did you do in college? I swim for the CU Swim Team, and I have a radio show for the CU radio station
What is your coaching experience? I have been a pre-team coach for Mesa for the past 4 years
What is your favorite swimming event? 50 or 100 fly
Which Olympian swimmer would you like to hang out with? Ooh I would love to hang out with Torri Husk
What's your favorite food to refuel after swim practice? I am a big fan of chocolate milk after practice
If you lived in the water, what sea creature would you be? I would be a otter
What do you like about coaching? I love being able to take the experience and lessons that i've learned from swimming throughout my life to help others achieve their goals. I want to give back to the community and team that has given me so much over the years.
What are you looking forward to for the summer season? I am so excited to be coaching for Mesa this summer! I hope to make swim practices and meets a fun and safe environment for everyone :)
Pre-team
TBD
Jason Nordgren: Assistant/Floating
Email: [email protected]
Hometown: Bainbridge Island, Washington
What age did you start swimming? I started swimming at the age of 4.
What was your youth swimming experience? My youth swimming experience was extremely back and forth as I struggled for a long time to enjoy the sport. It wasn’t until high school where this passed, and I decided to pursue swimming as intently as I could.
Where do/did you attend university? I currently attend the University of Colorado Boulder as a sophomore, where I swim for the
school team.
What sports/activities did you do in college? Most of my spare time is spent snowboarding or backpacking in the Rockies.
What is your coaching experience? I spent two years teaching the 8-12 age group for my hometown water polo team, and a similar amount of time unoicially coaching the same age group for my club swim team. These experiences were a blast for me and I’m looking forward to picking up where I left off here with MESA.
What is your favorite swimming event? My favorite event to swim is the 100 freestyle, with the 50 free coming in at a close second.
Which Olympian swimmer would you like to hang out with? One Olympian I’d love to hang out with would be Jordan Crooks. I think I could learn a lot about sprinting from him.
What's your favorite food to refuel after swim practice? My absolute favorite food to eat after a tough practice is whatever they are serving at my favorite dining hall on campus! Usually quite a lot of pizza and burritos.
If you lived in the water, what sea creature would you be? If I were a sea creature, I’d like to be a dolphin, mostly because of the speed they can swim at.
What do you like about coaching? What I like about coaching is to be able to pass on any knowledge that I can and hopefully get the chance to see it help my swimmers. I love watching kids learn and grow and achieve their goals, and I want to be part of it.
What are you looking forward to for the summer season? This summer, I am looking forward to the opportunity to stay engaged in my sport and my community, and to give back to the sport that has given me so much through my whole life.
Board
- President: Susan Einberger
- VP/Webmaster: Dan Moore
- Treasurer: Yu Li
- Registrar/Secretary: Jill Beary
- Meet Coordinator: Sara Pratt
- Social Coordinator: Carol Schwendener
- Parent-Coach Liason: Anna Matzke
