Rick Benner

JRAC
\r\nHead Coach/General Manager

Coach Rick Benner brings over 23 years of coaching experience, combined with 27 years of parenting, and 12 years of competitive swimming experience to the QDD Swim Team.  Rick believes in providing a healthy and safe environment that instills a work ethic and a sense of commitment and accountability.  This, coupled with personal and social responsibility, fosters growth and maturation, and ultimately leads to success.

Coach Benner, a current US National Team Coach, has developed and trained athletes that have reached the highest levels of success in swimming.  In 2000, Benner led Megan Quann to two Gold Medals in the Sydney Olympics.  Benner also coached swimmers to 5 American Records, 14 USA Swimming Senior National Championships, a  2003 Pan-Am Gold Medalist (Jamie Reid), and numerous Olympic Trial Qualifiers in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Benner\'s swimmers have gone on to succeed at the collegiate level at Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, University of Georgia, University of Texas, Texas A&M, University of Florida, Auburn, University of North Carolina, University of Arkansas, USNA, West Point, USAFA, George Washington University, Virginia Tech, West Virginia University, and many more.

Married for 26 years to his high school sweetheart, Rick is the proud father of four children.  Rick\'s two daughters (Megan and Bridget) were both scholar athletes for their swim teams in the Atlantic-10 Conference, University of Richmond and Xavier University.  Rick\'s Son Peter is a scholar athlete for his swim team at the University of Georgia, where he was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2009.

Email Rick: qddswimcoachrick@comcast.net

Jay Thorpe

JRAC/Freedom Aquatic Center
\r\nAssistant Head Coach

Coach Jay Thorpe has been around the swimming pool all of his life. He grew up in Akron, Ohio and started swimming at the age of 6. He began swimming summers in a country club league and moved to year round swimming at the age of 8. He swam AAU and YMCA for several different teams. Coach Jay was a high school All-American and six time collegiate All-American. He is currently an ASCA level 2 Coach and has been coaching local club teams for the last six years. Coach Jay also coached Special Olympics for three years, which he found extremely rewarding. Jay is currently the Head Coach at Battlefield High School.  He is married and has two children.

Email Jay: qddswimcoachjay@comcast.net

Christy Croasdell

Freedom Aquatic Center
\r\nHead Site Coach

Coach Christy is a long-time competitive swimmer and mother of five swimmers. She spent most of her competetive years with Chinook Aquatic Club in Seattle under Jack Ridley. She has coached for various programs in Washington State, Colorado and Virginia for all ages. She was most recently the head coach of the Red Division Champions, Kingsbrooke Swim Team in Gainesville. Christy is also a triathlete and enjoys time with her family.

Email Christy: qddswimcoachchristy@comcast.net

Keith Barrett

Stafford Program

Head Site Coach

Coach Keith Barrett; a former competitive swimmer turned coach; is entering his third season with QDD Swim Team. Coach Barrett is responsible for the rapid growth at the Stafford sites. He is also a certified Water Safety Instructor for the American Red Cross and many of the successful Stafford swimmers have had Keith as their swim lesson instructor. Since joining the Devil Dolphins\' coaching staff, Keith has coached all levels of athletes from beginning age group swimmers all the way up to national championship qualifiers. Coach Keith is also the former head coach of the Curtis Park Sea Hawks RSL summer league team. Under his coaching, he helped lead the team to a championship season. Additionally, Keith is a co-head coach to the Mountain View High School swim team also swimming out of Stafford.
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Outside of swimming, Keith was formerly a music major at the University of Mary Washington. Specializing in classical music and opera, Keith has performed on grand stages such as The Kennedy Center and has even been invited to sing at the Presidential Inauguration.

Email Keith: keithswims@gmail.com

Georgia Rathje

Stafford
\r\nAssistant Coach

Coach Georgia has many years of coaching experience. Before graduating high school she was a top swimmer in Iowa. Since leaving the competitive swimming world as an athlete, Coach Georgia has served as the Brooke Point High School coach where she coaches an AAA state champion. She is currently the Co-Head Coach for the championship winning Austin Ridge Rapids in the RSL as well as the Co-Head Coach for the Colonial Forge Eagles in the Virginia High School League.

Email Georgia: georgia82@gmail.com

Megan Smickley

Stafford
\r\nAssistant Coach

Megan is a new coach to the team, but not new to swimming. Megan has been swimming most of her life and most recently swam at Mansfield University where she earned her degree in Secondary Mathematics. Prior to coming to QDD, Megan coached Pocono Summer Swim League in Pennsylvania. Megan is a math teacher at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford and will also be coaching the swim team

Email Megan: smick120@gmail.com

Alicia Cheripka

JRAC
\r\nHomeschool Program

Coach Alicia Cheripka has been swimming competitively for over 11 years. She started swimming year round for the Ft. Meade Dolphins in Maryland. When she moved to Virginia in 2001, she swam for the PWSC(Amberjax). After a one year military move to Ft. Leavenworth KS, where she swam for the Lancers, she returned to the Virginia area and the Amberjax. During her sophmore year of High School, Alicia switched to Oqqocuan Swim Team. While on OCCS, she went her lifetime best of 57.50 in the 100yd Backstorke at NCSA Junior Nationals. After that meet, Alicia begen expiriencing pain in her right shoulder, caused by a torn bicep tendon, which lead her to miss swimming her junior year. Last year, her senior year, was Alicia\'s first year swimming with QDD and has enjoyed swimming for such a great team. QDD has helped her recover and excel once again in her swimming career. Over the summer, Alicia qualified for Junior Nationals in the 100 LCM Backstroke. this year she is pursuing her Olympic Trial Cuts for the summer of 2012. She is looking forward to a year filled with hard work and fun times, and is extremely excitied to have the opportunity to be part of the wonderful QDD coaching staff

Email Alicia: swimmyfrog23@aol.com