Coaches and Directors
Coach Jay Dodson
Email: jay@staraquatics.net
Cell: (336) 337-0169
Head Coach and Administrator of STAR Aquatics
Coach Jay grew up in Jamestown and started swimming when he was five years old. He was a breaststroker who swam with both Swim GSA and High Point Swim Cub. Jay started coaching his senior year of high school at Sedgefield Swim & Racket Club (now Grandover), where he coached all through college. After college, Jay had a variety of roles including banking, commercial real estate, dock door sales and as a residential advisor. He finally ended up teaching math and social studies at Kernersville Middle School. It was there that a friend approached him about helping coach Oak Ridge Swim Club during the summer. After several years coaching at Oak Ridge and realizing there was a need for more teaching-based club in the Triad, Jay and Chris Compton started Star Aquatics in 2002. Coach Jay says he wants his swimmers to enjoy the sport. He loves seeing them grow up and mature as people, learning life lessons through swimming. His favorite part of coaching is the relationships he develops with his swimmers. As a coach, Jay believes that accountability is critical, saying, “We can coach &; teach but the athlete must take ownership and apply that to their swimming if they’re going to succeed. Taking ownership in what they do is something they’ll use for the rest of their lives.” Jay has been married to his wife, Lori, for twenty-five years and they have three children. In his personal life, Jay enjoys Orange Theory fitness, being outdoors, cooking, golfing and playing with his dogs.
Taylor Mitchell
GAC Senior
Email: taylor@staraquatics.net
Cell 336-549-4682
Coach Taylor grew up in Greensboro and began swimming summer league for Grandover when he was six. He swam year round for Swim GSA, smecializing in butterfly and sprint free. Taylor has a degree in business management from ECU. While he was in college, Grandover called and offered him a coaching role, which he did for three years before moving to Star to coach the Senior 1 and 2 groups. Coach Taylor describes his coaching philosophy as swimmer-first: "Meet them where they are and take them where they want to go." He believes that the actual coaching is only a small part of what he does. "For me, it's a lot more about the swimmer, getting to know them, forming a personal connection and learning how to motivate them." Outside of swimming, Taylor is a Crossfit enthusiast and a self-described sports fanatic, rooting for the Panthers and Tarheels basketball.
Coach Ed Gomez
GAC Junior and Super Novas
Email: ed@staraquatics.net
Cell 336-508-8055
Coach Ed was born in Mexico City and started swimming there when he was five. His favorite stroke was breaststroke but at age thirteen, he switched to playing football. Ed first visited Greensboro in 1995 but went back to Mexico to finish college, finally moving here permanently in 2000. Ed started teaching swim lessons and coaching in Mexico City and his first coaching role in Greensboro was at Friendly Pool in 2001. After a stint at Swim GSA, Ed joined Star Aquatics in 2012 and has been here ever since. Coach Ed says that he enjoys coaching because of the connection between the coach and the athlete which allows the swimmer to develop to their full potential. He adds that he gets to do the things he liked as a swimmer with his kids now and changes what he didn’t enjoy. Ed believes that swimmers need to have a really good understanding of technique if they’re going to excel in the pool. He also tries to help them be positive to achieve their goals. Ed says, “Every athlete is different so I need to get to know the person in order to help them succeed.” When he’s not coaching swimming, you can find Ed in the pool, participating in other sports or watching TV and movies.
Coach Charles Bauserman
GAC Solar Flares and Seniors
Email: Charles@staraquatics.net
Cell: 336-706-7070
Charles was born and raised in Greensboro, NC. He started swimming competitively when he was 7 years old and swam with Star from 2007 until 2014. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama in 2019 and is a paralegal at a law firm in Burlington. In his free time he likes to hike, play guitar and work out.
Coach Jake Ennis
GAC Solar Flares and Seniors
Email: Jake@staraqutics.net
Cell: 336-430-2379
Jake lives in Greensboro with his wife and their two-year-old daughter. He works as a sales rep for a furniture manufacturer and was recently given a NC based territory that allowed his family to move back home. He began his competitive swimming career at Star and concluded it by swimming 100 breaststroke, 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle at Gardner-Webb University. He is excited to return to Star as a coach and looks forward to a great season!
Coach Madison Crandall
GAC Solar Flares and SwimFit
Email: Madison@staraquatics.net
Cell: 336-279-6681
Madison grew up in Greensboro and learned to swim out on Belews Lake. She got introduced to the swimming world when she joined a local summer league. She swam and coached for summer leagues throughout middle and high school. Madison stepped away from athletics post high-school and into ministry; after completing her associates degree at GTCC she moved overseas working in a small indigenous community in the jungle. Now back in Greensboro, she is excited to be joining the STAR Aquatics team. In her free time Madison loves cooking, camping, painting, hiking, and any water related activity.
Coach Steven Laflamme
GAC Seniors
Email: Steven@staraquatics.net
Cell: (918) 257-2811
Steven is a current student at Elon University for Physical Therapy. He was a competitive swimmer at Nitro Swimming and completed 4 years of swimming at Gardner-Webb. He is a butterfly specialist. He loves the connections with the kids and hopes to have a great season!
Coach Jessica Sawyers
GAC Solar Flares
Email: Jessica@staraquatics.net
Cell: 336-287-2974
Jessica is from Mount Airy, North Carolina. She is studying Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has always enjoyed swimming, and is excited to share her love for the sport with the kids!
Coach Helena Teague
GAC Super Novas
Email: Helena@staraquatics.net
Cell: 864-526-0293
The second oldest of seven children, Helena swam competitively in Savannah, Georgia before joining Star when her family moved to Greensboro in 2016. She coached a summer league team in Greensboro, has taught a plethora of swim lessons, and qualified for Futures in 2021. Her favorite stroke is butterfly. She graduated from high school a year early, and now attends UNCG, where she is majoring in biology. She aspires to attend medical school and pursue a career as a dermatologist. In her free time, Helena likes to read and not go outside.
Coach Nikolai Teague
GAC Super Novas
Email: Nikolai@staraquatics.net
Cell: 864-526-0292
Nikolai graduated from Northern High School in 2021; he was a multisport athlete, playing on the JV and varsity baseball teams, as well as serving as captain of the swim team. He is a former Star swimmer. He graduates from UNCG in December of 2024 with a BA in political science and plans on attending law school the following year. He has taught many children how to swim, as well as coaching for Star and managing a large pool over the summer months. Nikolai is the oldest of seven children, so he has exemplary crisis negotiation skills.
Coach Christy Teague
GAC Rising STARs
Email: Christy@staraquatics.net
Cell: 864-918-2226
Christy is the mother of seven children and has been teaching swim lessons since she was fifteen. Prior to earning an MA in International Studies from the University of South Carolina, she was a double English and Spanish major at Winthrop University. She was a high school teacher as well as high school and summer league swim coach and lifeguard in Greenville, South Carolina. Away from the pool, her hobbies include spending time with her family, reading, taking naps, and not trying new foods.
Coach Matt Hawn
Wesleyan
Email: matt@staraquatics.net
Cell 336-880-6175
Matt grew up swimming for Star and this will be his four year coaching for the team. He has also coached a summer league team at Grandover, as well as two summers with the High Point Elks, where he also swam growing up. He has been Star’s swim lessons coordinator for three years and loves teaching kids water safety; he enjoys coaching swimmers as they progress to the competitive level as well.
Coach Aleshia Rucker
Wesleyan
Email: Aleshia@staraquatics.net
Cell: (336) 508-4070
Coach Aleshia grew up in Conyers, GA, and started swimming when she was five years old. She trained year-round with Swim Atlanta, the Rockdale Riptides and for her neighborhood summer league team. Aleshia started coaching when she was 16 years old and started a new neighborhood team, the Meadowbrook Marlins. Even after leaving for Auburn University, she returned home every summer to coach. After college, Aleshia moved to Marietta, GA, where she worked as a rehabilitation assistant, director of disability services, and a special education teacher. She also continued teaching swim lessons in her neighborhood pool. Later, Aleshia got married and moved to North Carolina with her husband and two children, While in North Carolina, she resumed swim lessons at First Christian Church. As her children grew older, they swam at the Oak Ridge Swim Club, and Aleshia naturally found herself teaching swimming lessons, managing the pool, and coaching the swim team. After a few years, the children decided that they did not want to swim, and now, with both children in school, she went back to teaching special education in Stokes County and Guilford County and took a step away from Oak Ridge Swim Club. Currently, Aleshia is a high school teacher at Noble Academy in Greensboro. She feels very blessed that she has the opportunity to coach with Star Aquatics. She was at the right place at the right time and is thrilled to return to coaching. Her goal is to help her swimmers discover their love for swimming and to develop the confidence and enjoyment that swimming has brought her throughout the years. Aleshia has been married to her husband, Kris, for twenty-six years, and they have two children. Their oldest is a Junior at East Carolina University, and their youngest is a Senior at Northwest High School.
Coach Austin Wood
Reeves Community Center
Email: austin@staraquatics.net
Cell: (336) 493-1485
Austin is from from Mount Airy, North Carolina where he is the Aquatics Director at Reeves Community Center. Aa a breaststroker, he swam for STAR during his high school years and has been the head site coach for STAR at Reeves since 2015. Austin has been involved in local swimming at all levels including summer swimming, high school and middle school and enjoyshelping swimmers of all levels develop and improve.
Coach Will Rives
Reeves Community Center
Email: Will@staraquatics.net
Cell: 336-374-8132
Born and raised in Mount Airy, Will is thrilled to return to his roots as a Swim Coach at STAR Aquatics. A former swimmer at both Mount Airy High School and STAR Aquatics, Will has a deep connection to the community and the sport. With a strong foundation in competitive swimming, he is eager to contribute to the development of swimmers and help them achieve their goals. Will's coaching approach focuses on personalized training, positive reinforcement, and building a supportive team environment. He is excited to join the STAR Aquatics team and share his enthusiasm for swimming with the next generation of athletes.
