Paul started his 9th year as the Co-Head Coach for the Hurricanes Swim Team. He started his addiction to USS coaching with the Voyagers Swim Team. Paul coached the Junior 1 group for eight years. This group was comprised of new swimmers and those with a need for mechanics concentration. A child was never turned away for lack of natural talent. While at Voyagers, Paul also coached the late night high school group and was an assistant for five years for the national team. Some of Paul's swimmers rose from the ranks of Junior 1-new swimmer to Junior National and Senior national qualifiers. He also coached a masters swimming and water polo team in Philadelphia for five years. Paul coached diving at West Chester University during the 1985-86 season.
Paul graduated from West Chester University with a B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration in 1985.
Paul began his swimming career at the late age of 13 with the Cedar Mar-Silver Ridge Swim Team in Toms River, NJ. He finished in the finals in the 100 free, 50 free, 100 back, 50 back, 200 IM, 200 free, and 100 fly from the ages of 13 to 18 at the Shore Conference Summer Championships, including first place finishes in the 200 free his last three years, and 50 back his last two years. Paul swam for Toms River High School South, competing in the 200 IM, 500 free, and 100 back. His 200 medley relay accomplished a third place at the NJ State Championships in 1979 and '80, while he competed in the finals in the 100 back and 200 IM in 1978-80. Paul continued swimming at West Chester University, competing in the 1650, 1000 and 500 free, 200 back, and 400 medley relay. He was a four-year varsity swimmer and co-captain his senior year. He also played water polo at WCU for four years and coached the water polo team his last year at WCU. Paul continues to compete in Masters meets, both nationally and internationally. He played water polo at the Masters level for six years at St. Joseph's University … until the Hurricane Swimming Bug took over!
When he is not at the pool, Paul works part time as an accountant and spends his spare time raising his two basenji's...Lucy, and Sam.
Carol continues her successful swimming career starting her 11th year as the Hurricanes Swim Team's Program Director and Co-Head Coach. She began her USS swimming aquatic journey at the Voyagers swim team leading the Mini-3 group as well as taught adults the fine art of swimming for the Cherry Hill Adult School Program. Tavistock Hills also had the pleasure of Carol's coaching during their 1990 & 1991 seasons. She served as an assistant coach for the Haddon Glen Swim Team for a period of 5 years ending in 1999 with the team ending the season 5-0 as Division "B" champions in the Tri-County Swimming Association.
Carol graduated from Gettysburg College in 1977 with a B.A. in the double major of Psychology and Spanish. She worked as an interpreter for the Migrant Health Department of Gloucester County followed by a five-year stint as a Camden County Probation Officer in the Domestic Relations and later Pre-Sentence Investigation Unit. Carol also completed her Masters degree in Public Policy Administration from Rutgers University in 1986. Continuing education includes attendance at numerous seminars and certification courses offered by the ASCA (American Swim Coaches Association).
Carol started her swimming career when she was six years old, swimming for the Raccoon Valley swim team in Mullica Hill. She swam for the Gloucester County YMCA's Gold Team while in high school. At Gettysburg College, Carol was a four-year varsity swimmer, and co-captain her senior year. She also was a Division III A.I.A.W. National Qualifier, and she continues to swim and earn her share of 1st place awards at Masters swim meets in the area.
Along with her husband, David, a financial consultant with Merrill Lynch, Carol also shares her home with her son Randy, 18, a senior at Moorestown Friends School who traded in his Speedo (after winning tri-county as a ten year old) for a lacrosse stick. Randy, a defensemen, plays lacrosse for Moorestown Friends Varsity Men's Team. The Varsity Swim Coach at MFS managed to convince Randy that swimming would be great cross-training for lacrosse season, so reluctantly, he put the swimsuit back on and began training once again. He was named team captain and received the "Coaches Award" at seasons end. Randy also achieved "All Friends League" status for his performance in Fly and Free.
Carol and David's oldest son Ryan, 22, a former Haddon Heights High School, Tri-County and Hurricanes Swimmer, graduated this past May from the United States Naval Academy. Ryan was a chemistry major who received the "Secretary of the Navy Distinguished Graduate Award" for ranking 15th out of 990 graduates. Ryan received numerous other academic and leadership awards and he was awarded one of fourteen highly competitive billets granted for service selection in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps. As a newly commissioned Ensign, Ryan is currently a first year medical student at USUHS, the medical school at Bethesda Naval Hospital. In his spare time, Ryan plans to trains with a local Masters team.
Matt Pilarz is returning to Hurricanes this year for his ninth season. Aside from his experience with Hurricanes, Matt has also coached 3 summers in Tri-County at Tavistock Hills Swim Club and continues to coach a masters swim team at The Sporting Club at the Bellevue in Philadelphia which he started 7 years ago.
Matt has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University, but after graduating he attended Rowan University where he obtained his certification to teach Chemistry. Matt is in his seventh year of teaching Chemistry at Eastern High School in Voorhees.
Currently, Matt is also a graduate student at University of Pennsylvania. He will be receiving his Master of Science in Chemistry Education in the spring. Although he is busy with work and school, Matt is extremely pleased to be part of the Hurricane Swimming staff once again.
Swimmer: Belleville YMCA, IL; Jersey Wahoos; Barclay Farm Barracudas & Cherry Hill East H.S.
Coach: Barclay Farm Masters; Voyagers Swimming; Hurricane Swimming…
Coach Gordon's introduction to the aquatic environment began at Crystal Lake in Haddon Township (when it really was a lake). His competitive intro began in So. Illinois at the age of nine competing for the Belleville YMCA. There he learned that sidestroke was not a racing stroke and began refining his techniques while being introduced to 5:30 AM morning workouts. When he started swimming, goggles were still in the development stage and he saw many a rainbow around the lights at the end of each practice. By the beginning of his sophomore year of high school, his family transferred to Cherry Hill where he continued his training with the Jersey Wahoos while competing for the Cougars of C.H.H.S. East (where he was a co-captain his senior year). In the summertime Gordon, as a Barracuda of the Barclay Farm Swim Club, was a consistent top twelve finisher at the annual Tri County Championships and a top three finisher at the Cherry Bowl Championships in the Butterfly.
Gordon's coaching career began during his summers at Barclay Farm Swim Club while volunteering to help any youngster or adult who expressed the desire to learn to swim. It was in helping others that Gordon discovered the Joy of coaching and the ability to teach any age paddler. To this day you can often hear him share one of his best tips learned from then 4-year old Becky Fried in describing the feel of the water, "you mean like pushing gushy marsh mellows under my belly"…"yes!" As luck would have it, Gordon's formal training began soon thereafter by introduction to Steve Floyd who took a chance and invited him to coach the youngest Voyager Swim Club group, the Micro-Minis. Coach Gordon is never shy in admitting that those three seasons left him with terrific memories of some 8 & under Tri County champions and other young swimmers who would eventually leave their marks in Summer Tri-County, New Jersey High School, Middle-Atlantic and USA national swimming. Several years later, Coach Paul and Carol, who knew Gordon from the earlier Voyager days, invited him back onto the deck. Now in his seventh season with the Hurricanes, Coach Gordon continues to enjoy creating many more terrific swim memories with Hurricane swimmers, parents, and fellow coaches.
Melissa joins the staff this year with Category 4. She began swimming competitively as a Freshman at Triton High School and earned 4 varsity letters in her swimming career at Triton. In 1994, Melissa joined Coaches Paul and Carol as a founding swimmer of the Hurricanes. There she worked with Paul Rowe to improve her mechanics and technique.
After graduating, Melissa attended the College of New Jersey and spent one year as a Division III distance swimmer. She graduated from The College of New Jersey with a degree in Special Education. She currently teaches Special Education in Central New Jersey.
Two time National Champion, Teri Hatcher, has been coaching swimming since 1993. Her coaching experience includes eight years with the Suburban League's Haddon Twp. Seahawks, and three years as Head Varsity Swim Coach at Camden Catholic HS. In addition, Teri was an assistant at Rowan's Technique and Training program from 1993-1997, and in other local programs as well. Teri swam at Rowan University for four years where she earned two NCAA National titles (100BR), and numerous All-America Honors. She was the Rowan women's team most valuable swimmer three years in a row where she still holds records in the 100 & 200 breastroke. This is Teri's fourth year coaching with the Hurricanes.
Jenn Knox is beginning her 7th year as coach and 1st year as team Exercise Physiologist.
Jenn began her swimming career as a Mini at the YMCA in Newark, Delaware and Oaklands Swim Club. At age 12, she moved to New Jersey, where she began her career at Greenwood Park. She swam for Greenwood Park until she was 18.
While she was a Freshman at Glassboro State College, Jenn began working as a swim instructor with the Voyagers Swim Team. It is there she met Coach Paul and Coach Carol.
In 1994, when Paul and Carol began the Hurricanes, Jenn helped out as a coach from time to time. The following year she began work with Category One. She worked her way through the ranks, and now coaches Elite and Category 4, where she finds some of the same kids she coached in Category 1 all those years ago!
Jenn also has a BS degree in Exercise Physiology from East Stroudsburg University and is starting her first year as Hurricanes Team Physiologist. Jenn is also a Certified Personal Trainer through American Council on Exercise and is currently preparing to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Special;ist through the NSCA. On top of all this Jenn is an American Red Cross certified Lifeguard and CPR instructor.
Updated July 15, 2005 MCP,
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