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Head Coach In 2001 I reluctantly took on the head coach position for the Baraboo T-Birds Girls Swim Team. Ironically that has become my passion. We started that year with 12 girls. At the spring swim sign up meeting I had over 30 girls interested! That is the reason why you will see so many talented swimmers in the upper age groups. We keep our swimmers all the way through due to the potential for high school swimming as well as the spirit of the Riptide. Swimming is a sport that requires dedication and hard work. In addition to coaching I have had other jobs over the years. I taught music at St. Joseph Elementary School for nine years. That was a great place to find swimmers! Now I have renewed my nursing license and have been working as a per diem RN at Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital for the last four years . It has been quite a challenge to start over after all these years but I believe I’m getting used to the idea. This summer I only have one daughter left on the Riptide. Shannon is 18. It is rather sad for me not to have my other three children around the pool anymore but there are 170 swimmers to watch so life is good. My son Nathan was captain of the University of Iowa swim team located in Iowa City. Marlie, who coached for the Riptide, swam for Lacrosse the last 2 years. Max is at the UW Madison and is no longer swimming. The Riptide will always be near and dear to their hearts. Many people have asked how long I’m going to keep coaching. I know I will be around until Shannon graduates but after that...who knows!! My hope is that a wonderful , positive person will take over the Head Coach position of the Riptide and keep the positive atmosphere going. I will probably keep the T-Bird position as long as there are lots of interested swimmers. I really enjoy watching the kids grow over the years and develop into beautiful swimmers and spirits as well. Thanks for all the parent dedication to getting your kids to the practices and the meets. Great parents and assistant coaches are the real reason behind the Riptide success. SEE YOU ALL AT THE MEETS!! SWIM FAST! Coaches 8 & Under Coaches
Older Age Groups
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Lynn
Keeling This is my 13th year
as the head coach of the Baraboo Riptide. 3 years prior to that
I was a “Ripples” coach and than an 8 & under coach. What fun it has
been! Julie Litscher was my assistant coach for many years. I remember
us setting a lofty goal to take 4th place at conference. Our first trophy
for 3rd place was quite a thrill. In 2000 we won the conference championship
for the first time and haven’t stopped since. As a coach my main goal
was to teach everyone all the strokes, have fun and start winning some
meets. Mission accomplished. In addition to Riptide I coached the 8 &
Unders for the Badger Dolphins in Madison which became the Badger Aquatics
Club (BAC) after that. My own 4 children were quite involved in the USA
swim club for many years. I credit most of my coaching knowledge to the
excellent coaches out of Madison who I observed many hours as I was a
parent spectator in the bleachers watching my kids practice. They
finally got me involved. Kathy gave me many workouts from her 10 &
under bunch that helped me get started in having organized swim practices.
Sarah
Wise I swam for the Riptide for 11 years and also for 4
years on the high school girls team. This is my third year of coaching
for the Riptide. I've coached the 8 and Unders the past two years and
loved every minute of it! This year I'll be coaching some 8 and Unders
and some 9-10s. Currently I'm a junior studying psychology at UW-Madison.
When I'm not coaching I'll be lifeguarding and teaching lessons at the
outdoor pool. I'm looking forward to watching the little kids improve
and having a ton of fun!
Raegen
Trimmer I have been a part of the
Riptide program for 13 years, and was a varsity swimmer for
BHS for 4 years. This is my first summer coaching and I am excited
about being a part of a different aspect of the team. Along
with coaching, I will also be swimming. I am a 2009 graduate and plan
on attending UW-LaCrosse in the fall. In my free time, I enjoy
playing softball, fishing, and hanging out with friends. I am looking
forward to another great season with another great Riptide team!
Jill
Trotter I have been around the pool for a good portion
of my life. Besides working as a lifeguard and teaching some swim lessons,
I have been a part of the Riptide swim team as well as a couple of other
swim teams and clubs. Coaching the kids and seeing them improve is one
of the best parts of having all these years of swimming behind me. I am
a student at UW Madison during the school year.
Clay
Sabourin I've been coaching Riptide for 5 years.
I also coach the Baraboo Adult Swim Club and do personal training for
triathletes from short distance to Ironman distance races. I've been swimming
since 1999 and as a self taught triathlete/swimmer, I needed to learn
technique thoroughly since I had 2 other sports to train in. I feel this
has been a great asset to me and my swimmers by constantly focusing on
proper technique. Currently I'm finishing a few pre-requisites at M.A.T.C.
Reedsburg and I'm enrolling in the nursing program. I also have a degree
Respiratory Therapy but gave up practicing in 1996 to become an at home
Dad. Some other experiences which help me as a coach are teaching martial
arts in Milwaukee, Impact self defense in Chicago, Minneapolis and a few
other cities and being a certified spinning (bicycling) coach. I was also
a Marine a long time ago and I'm not sure how this helps , maybe it's
making the kids do push ups? I'm looking forward to watching the kids
grow as swimmers and mature as people. 
Noah
Christiansen Swimming has been a huge part of my
life. I started to swim at age 9 and continued until I started college.
I have been coaching a wide variety of age groups for 5 years and really
enjoy the interaction with the swimmers. Currently I am a senior
at UW Whitewater where I am studying Dentistry. In the summer I
work at the Oral Surgery Center of Baraboo. In my free time I enjoy
hanging out with friends, working out, skateboarding, and playing video
games.
Andrew
Mering 
Kimm
Mering This will be my fifth summer coaching the
Riptide and my fourteenth year with the team. I’ve been swimming
with the Riptide since I was eight as well as four years with BHS and
after a year off I just couldn’t stay away from Baraboo swimming! I just
graduated from Notre Dame with a major in theatre and will spend the summer
as the Scenic Designer for Summerset Theatre when I’m not at the pool
coaching. I’m looking forward to another summer of hard work and
tons of fun!