FAST Coaching Team
Head Coach Kinsey Brand
Kinsey Brand grew up swimming for Schroeder YMCA Swim Club in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. Her dad swam for University of Wisconsin and her sister swam for Northwestern. Kinsey attended Shorewood High School where she swam and was part of a State Championship winning team four years in a row. She won the 100 free (52.7) and placed third in the 200 free (1:53.8) at her Senior Year State Meet which ultimately garnered her a scholarship to swim for The University of South Carolina. She also ran Track and Cross Country in HS which developed into an opportunity to be a dual sport athlete in college. Halfway through her Sophomore year of college, she quit the Swim Team to focus solely on running. Post college, she has continued to be involved with Master’s Swimming, Triathlon, Cycling and Running. She loves the comradery of the athlete community and the opportunity to coach, encourage and lift up fellow swimmers. Her husband is John Brand who attended The Citadel, and she has a daughter Braelyn, who swims for FAST.
Coach Erin Powers
Coach Erin began coaching USA Swimming with Team Greenville where she coached for three years. She then coached for Clemson Aquatics for one year. She got back into coaching with FAST in the fall of 2013. She also has years of experience as a summer league coach and swim instructor. She swam for FAST growing up and swam for College of Charleston for two years before a shoulder injury. Her focus in college swimming was backstroke. Erin and her husband have three children, M.E., Russell, and Maggie, who all currently swim for FAST.
Coach Tim Shannon
Favorite Stroke: Butterfly
Least Favorite Stroke: Backstroke
What he loves about swimming: The best thing about the sport of swimming is the exercise that it provides and continues to provide as you get older. In addition, being a part of a swim team creates long-lasting bonds between teammates that go far beyond age group swimming. Finally, the sport provides a feeling of accomplishment even if you are not the fastest swimmer in the pool you can still best your time and get the sense that you have improved and feel good about that success.
Tim grew up swimming and now is a coach and also an official for USA swimming. He has two daughters who both swam for FAST growing up and his oldest daughter went on to swim for Columbia College and also coached for teams in the Coumbia area.
Into to Come: Coach Stephanie Tsalwa
