Coach Matt is currently an ASCA level 5:4 certified coach and a member of the International Swim Coach Association, who brings over 14 years of experience from several of the best clubs in the country to Blue Tide Aquatics. Coach Matt has sat on the Board of Directors for Gulf Swimming and has served as Head Coach for two All-Star teams for Gulf Swimming. He comes to Blue Tide Aquatics from The Woodlands Swim Team (TWST), where he served as Head Age Group Coach. Before his time at TWST, Coach Matt served as Head Coach at ESA since 2018. He has worked with swimmers who have achieved many levels of successes, including US Open, Juniors, Futures, Sectionals, Tags, and Age Group Champs cuts. He has also helped swimmers achieve their goal of swimming at all college levels, Divisions I, II, and III. Before his position at ESA, he was the Head Site Director / High-Performance Coach for Santa Clara Swim Club (SCSC) in California. As site director, Coach Matt handled the day-to-day operational tasks needed to run a large club effectively. While at SCSC, he coached every level, from learning to swim to Junior National swimmers and Olympic Trial Qualifiers. Coach Matt has helped numerous swimmers who have competed at NCAA Division 1 Championships, Olympic Trials, Nationals, and Junior Nationals; he was also a Lead Coach to a National Age Group Relay Record. Apprenticing under great coaches helped lead to a nomination for ASCA Age Group Coach of the Year. Before Santa Clara, Coach Matt served as an Age Group Coach with Dynamo Swim Club for three years; he was on staff for two Junior National titles as an Assistant Coach. While at Dynamo, he joined a Gold Medal Club that eventually put three athletes on the US Olympic Team in 2016. Coach Matt’s coaching philosophy is simple. He believes setting a high standard is the best way to help teach student-athletes. He thinks positive reinforcement about swimming technique, hard work, dedication, and dealing with success and failures is the best way to help athletes succeed. Coach Matt was born near Gulf Shores, Alabama, and then moved to Carroll County, Georgia. After graduating from Villa Rica High School, he played soccer at Atlanta Christian College. In addition to his time on deck, Coach Matt loves to spend time with his three Great Danes (Barkley, Sully, and Dee) and three cats (Aubie, Bo and Suni), all named after his favorite football team, Auburn University.

Frank DeMaria comes to us from Lakeside Aquatics Club in Dallas, where he served as their Assistant Senior Coach. At Lakeside, Frank played a key role in helping the team achieve Gold Medal status, solidifying their position as one of the top swim clubs in the country. Prior to his time at Lakeside, Frank was the Head Age Group Coach at Eagle Swimming Association. During his tenure at ESA, Frank guided the team to a 7th place finish at TAGS, where ESA received the Horizon Award for the most improved team. Between 2019 and 2022, Frank coached multiple athletes who finished in the top 10 in the country, including a relay that placed first nationally. His swimmers also broke numerous team records under his leadership. Before his time at ESA, Frank served as the Associate Head Coach of the Piranhas Swim Club and the Head Girls Coach for Pleasant Valley High School. He began his coaching career with six years on staff at the Michigan Swim Camp at the University of Michigan. His first coaching position was with Club Wolverine in Ann Arbor, MI, where he coached two high school teams and participated in the Michigan All-American Swim Camps from 2013 to 2017. Frank’s athletes have qualified for both Futures and Winter Junior Nationals. Many of his club and high school athletes have set team records, with several qualifying and finaling at their respective State Championships. Frank has guided numerous athletes to compete collegiately at all levels (Division I, II, & III). He swam collegiately at Eastern Michigan University, competing in distance events and was part of the MAC Conference Champions team in 2012 and 2013. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.B.A. in Finance & Human Resource Management.

Coach Colton hails from South Carolina, where he swam for Middle Tyger YMCA and became a Junior National Qualifier, playing a pivotal role in securing multiple YMCA national titles for his team. He continued his swimming career at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, a program renowned for its excellence. After college, Colton ventured into the business world, specializing in logistics and management across the Southeast. However, his passion for swimming drew him back to the pool deck, where he transitioned into coaching. He gained valuable experience coaching both summer league teams and leading age group and senior swimmers with Team Greenville. Coach Colton strongly advocates hard work, consistency, and maintaining a positive mindset, which he believes are essential for success in swimming. We are excited to have him bring his expertise and enthusiasm to Blue Tide Aquatics.

Coach Caleb has been involved in the world of swimming since the age of 5, he started swimming with his local summer league team (FMKP Waves) and continued with swimming on the High School team and soon after started swimming club with BTA. In High School he received All-American. He continued with his swimming career in college. After he continued being apart of the world of swimming by coaching summer league then onto BTA. Coach Caleb believes swimming teaches kids important values and skills like time management, the ability to swim, the value of hard work and that an swimmers are not defined solely by what they do in the pool.

Wesley Foltz is currently an assistant coach at Blue Tide Aquatics and has spent a lifetime at the pool. Wesley has been a part of competitive swimming since the age of five. He competed on the club level and on the varsity swim team at Kingwood Park High School where he was a part of the District, Region, and State team. After graduating from Kingwood Park, Wesley began his career by coaching for his alma mater and club team. Now, with 4 years of experience guiding, mentoring, and developing athletes, he has developed his own skills as an effective and passionate swim coach. For Wesley, swimming is a family affair. He currently has 2 siblings who swim for BTA and an older brother, Mario, who swam at Southwestern University. Wesley currently attends the University of Houston and is working to receive a B.A. in Teacher and Learning. He also currently works as a Pre-K teacher at Good Shepherd School. He plans on bringing his love of the sport to the team and sharing his knowledge of swimming. He is very enthusiastic about the future of his swimmers and the team.

Coach Earl joined BTA in late 2021 and has been working with the team’s Tidal wave and Orange groups. Swimming has been a part of his life since he started as an age grouper back in Manila (Philippines) at the age of 10 years old. Aside from being a bemedaled varsity member during his high school and collegiate days, he was also selected to be the Team Captain during his senior years both in high school and college. After graduating college, he pursued his love for the sport by making the training team of Philippine National Water Polo team and participating in age-group triathlon events which he continues to do at present. He is a USA Swimming certified coach and was the Stroke Development Program coach at the YMCA Lake Houston for all groups (i.e. Beginner, Intermediate and Advance) prior to the center’s closure due to Harvey and then again, prior to the start of the pandemic. In between, he took a coaching position with ESA where he worked with various age group levels. Coach Earl believes that it is important for swimmers at a young age to learn how to be more efficient in the water by teaching proper stroke technique and developing good habits while ensuring kids have fun at the same time.

Coach Kelly recently joined Blue Tide Aquatics (BTA) and brings over 4 years of club coaching experience and approximately 20 years of competitive swimming experience to BTA. She has participated in USA, YMCA, high school, Division 1 college and Masters swimming. As an age group swimmer, Kelly won numerous Illinois State Championships, broke countless team, pool, meet and state records, many of which still stand over 30+ years later. In addition, Kelly earned high point at Zones and made it onto the USA Swimming Top 10 list nine times. Furthermore, Kelly was awarded a full athletic scholarship to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago where she was named the Female Student Athlete of the Year in 1994. Kelly was a two-time conference champion in 1993 & 1994 and the conference record holder in the 200 Back. She also broke several university records during her tenure at UIC. When Kelly was not training and competing, she worked as a lifeguard and learn-to-swim instructor for young children in the Chicago area. Coach Kelly is a proud mother of four children who are BTA team members and also works as a hospital pharmacist. As a coach of the Bronze group, Coach Kelly believes that it is imperative to focus on proper stroke technique and mindfulness during swim practices in an effort to help the kids forge great habits and set them up for future success and longevity in the sport.

Coach Sara started swimming at the age of 9 in Buffalo, New York. She competed for Kenmore West High School and was a 12 time Niagara Frontier League Champion and helped her team to be NFL Team Champions her Junior and Senior years. Sara was an 8 time Sectional All Star and Sectional Champion in the 200 Freestyle. In 2005, she was inducted into her high school's Hall of Fame. After high school, she went on to compete for Ashland University in Ohio. There she was a member of the Penn-Ohio Conference team and an 11 time All American. Sara left the corporate world when she had her first son, and decided to come back to swimming in 2006 when she joined the coaching staff at NEHA. She coached for 3 years, and left after her 3rd son was born. Sara came back to coaching in 2012 when she joined the Blue Tide coaching staff, and has been coaching for 13 years now. Sara believes in developing swimmers both in the water and out. Preparing swimmers for life after their time in the pool is important to coach Sara. She loves to watch the swimmers achieve everything they set out to do. Sara is a firm believer that hard work will pay off! Sara lives in Kingwood with her husband, Mike, and homeschools her 3 sons; Jack(17) Evan (15), and Bret (13). When she’s not at a baseball field, you can find her helping the BTA staff.