2006 Ohio Zone Team Coaches

Todd Saltus salty717@aol.com Club Affiliation: UASC Years Coaching:

Bio: Todd Saltus, Ohio Swimming Coach of the Year in 2001, is in his tenth year with Upper Arlington Swim Club, seven of them as Head Coach.  In the past, Todd has served as an assistant swimming coach at Swim and Racquet Club, UA High School, and DePauw University and as head of the UA High School men's water polo team.  Todd is a 1991 graduate of UA High School, where he served as captain of the swimming and water polo teams and earned All-America honors.  Todd received his BA in Communications from DePauw University in 1995. Todd served as a coach of the Ohio Zone Team in 2002 for the meet in Wichita, KS.

Tammi Karn tammikarn@netzero.net Club Affiliation:  CM Years Coaching: 10

Bio: Coach Tammi is currently the Outreach Chairman for Ohio Swimming. This is a position that was meant for her, as she has a great repertoire with kids and believes that children, no matter what their environment, can become extremely productive citizens when someone shows them the trust and nurturing. Tammi loves the sport of swimming, and comes to us with a many years of coaching experience. Tammi is 28 years old, and is married to Matt Morris. They are both dog lovers and have 4 pooches at home. Tammi started coaching at 18 years of age during the summers after having been involved in age group and a high school swimming. She started coaching year round as a 19 year old during that following winter season. Her coaching resume includes time spent with Oak Hills Swim Team, The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati and with the Cincinnati Recreation Commission. She has coached in the summers for Deer Run Country Club and Woodhaven Swim Club, as well as with Taylor High School, Holmes High School and Holy Cross High School on the high school level . While coaching at the Boys and Girls Club of Cincinnati Tammi's club at was one of a very few in the United States that competed with at least 90% of the team being outreach swimmers.

Theresa Fightmaster tfightmaster@columbus.rr.com Club Affiliation:  NAAC Years Coaching: 15

Bio: Teresa Fightmaster, a 2-Time Ohio High School State Champion and Runner-up in the 100 breaststroke earning a Full-Athletic Scholarship to The Ohio State University. Highlights include: 5 time NCAA All-American, 3 time Individual Big Ten Champion, 4 year All- Big Ten selection, Big Ten record Holder 50 Yard Breaststroke, Co-Captain, 1984 Olympic Trial qualifier, and National Team member at the World Student Games in 1983. Teresa has a BS in Psychology as well as a Master’s in the Psychological Sociological Aspects of Sport. In 2002 she was inducted into The Ohio State University’s Athletic Hall of Fame and her High School Alma Mater, Newark High School, in 2004 as only the 2nd female ever to have received such award. Theresa serves as the Head Age Group coach for the New Albany Aquatics Club, New Albany Middle School Boys & Girls Swimming Coach, Impact Swimming Lessons Supervisor for the Elementary School, and the New Albany Country Club swimming coach. Teresa’s coaching credentials include Age group, Middle School, High School, Master’s, as well as Assistant Swimming Coach for the Men’s & Women’s programs at Texas A & M University and Assistant Women’s coach at The University of Illinois. She also spent a year teaching at The United States Coast Guard Academy.

Manoj Abeysinghe mabeysin@hotmail.com Club Affiliation:  DR Years Coaching: 17

Bio: Coach Manoj began coaching in Dayton during the summer of 2004. He is currently the Assistant Senior Coach with the Dayton Raiders and is responsible for the second senior group. Manoj has swum competitively for 13 years: first at Royal College Sri Lanka for 9 years and at Otters Aquatic Club for 4 years until 1989. His coaching career started at The Otters Aquatic Club where he coached the senior team from 1989-1991. Prior to Dayton, his coaching assignment was at the Miami County YMCA north of Dayton, where he was an assistant coach for the Marlins Swim Team. In 2005 he was the visiting head coach of the Rainbow Aquatic Club in Sri Lanka and led them to 2 National Championships, 5 National Records and many National Champions in the summer of 2005. He has coached National Swimmers, National Top 16 Swimmers, State Record Holders, State Champions, Sri Lankan National Record Holders and Age Group Champions during his career. In addition to swimming, Coach Manoj has played Rugby Football, Track and Field and Cricket at national and international level competition. He took part in the Rugby 7s World Cup held in Hong Kong in 1987.  Coach Manoj and wife Laura have 4 children Andrew, Matthew, Dillon and Kyle. Andrew, Matthew and Dillon are currently competitive swimmers and Kyle just began with the Raiders this past winter. He enjoys cycling and canoeing in his spare time: whenever that happens.

Brent Peaden - Coordinator Coach bpeaden@woh.rr.com Club Affiliation: DR Years Coaching: 17

Bio:  Brent Peaden became the Dayton Raiders Head Age Group Coach in September 1999 after three years as the Raiders Senior Assistant. From 1989-1996, Brent was the Head Age Group Coach for the Wright-Patterson Flying Fish at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. Bret began his swimming career in San Pedro (CA) and later in the European Forces League in Madrid, Spain. Brent has coached National Junior Qualifiers, National Age Group Top 16 swimmers, state record holders, Zone Qualifiers and record holders, and Ohio Junior Olympic State Champions. Brent has coached swimmers to more than 100 National "Top 16" rankings and 30 National "Top 3" rankings. Brent was awarded Ohio Age Group Coach of the Year in 1999 by the Ohio Coaches Association.  His Dayton Raider Age Group program won the 2004 long course and 2006 short course Ohio State Championships, a first-ever achievement for a non-Cincinnati program since the meet's inception in the 1960's.  Coach Brent and his wife, Ann, had their first child, Connor Thomas, just 3 days after the conclusion of the 2003 "Mega" Zone meet in Indianapolis - which makes him real accurate with a stopwatch.  Brent's hobbies are shore and off-shore fishing in the gulf - his favorite is chasing the "Big Reds"!

Additional Coaches on-Site: Chris Millen (NAC), Julie Long (DUST)
Parent Chaperones: Karen Long, Dave Listerman, Celeste Mackenzie