FAST Coaching Staff: 

Our Coaching Staff is a group of experienced swimming professionals committed to helping our swimmers achieve their individual potential in a positive environment.

FAST Coaches are certified members of United States Swimming and have completed courses in CPR, First Aid, and Safety Training for Swim Coaches.

 Program Director and Head Coach Ron Forrest: 
Program Director and Head Coach Ron Forrest
coaches FAST's three Senior groups and the novice Marlins group. He has been the FAST Head Coach and Program Director since August, 1996.

Ron comes to Fort Worth from Ontario, Canada. He attended Texas Christian University and majored in psychology. He was a 4-year letterman on the TCU varsity swim team.

Ron's email address is coachron@charter.net

Coaching accomplishments:
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1 - US Olympic Team
1 - US Olympic Trials Qualifiers
2 - Pan-Am Games Qualifiers
2 - World Championships
1 - World University Games
2 - Commonwealth Games
1 - Goodwill Games
1 - National Championships Finalists
21 - US National Championship Qualifiers
20 - US Junior National Championship Qualifiers
1 - National Age Group Record Holders
19 - US Open Qualifiers
Numerous Top-16 Age Group finalists
NCAA Division I College Swimmers
39 - Texas High School State Qualifiers
 Awards and Recognition:

2005-2008 USA Swimming National Team Coach
2002, 2004 Texas Senior Coach of the Year
[Texas Senior Circuit/Texas Swimming Association]
2003 North Texas Senior Coach of the Year
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 ASCA Award of Excellence for Outstanding Coaching Achievement in the USA
2000 TISCA High School Regional Coach of the Year
[Ft Worth Arlington Heights HS]
1997, 1998, 2004 [boys] TISCA High School District Coach of the Year
[Ft Worth Arlington Heights HS]
1996, 1997 North Texas Zone Team Coach
 Swimming Accomplishments:

Canadian Olympic Trials Qualifier in 5 events
Canadian National Championships Finalist
2-time Canadian National Age Group Record Holder
FINA World Cup Finalist
2-time All-Southwest Conference Team
7-time TCU school record holder, still holds 2 records
14-year career as a competitive swimmer

 Head Age Group Coach Dave Gabriel: 
Head Age Group Coach Dave Gabriel
coaches our Gold and Barracuda group swimmers and assists the Head Coach in overseeing and guiding the Age Group program of FAST. Dave started with FAST in the summer of 2001.

He grew up in Hampton, Virginia and began his 15-year competitive swimming career at age 5. He graduated with a BS in Physical Education and minors in Coaching and Adaptive Education from James Madison University. Dave specialized in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events. He began coaching in 1989 and has been coaching USA Swimming teams since 1993, including 6 years with the St Andrews Aquatic Club in Boca Raton.

Dave is a physical science teacher at Paschal High School and is head coach for their swim team.

His email address is davegabriel@charter.net

 Developmental Coach Cathy Vollmer: 
Developmental Coach Cathy Vollmer
coaches our Blue and Bronze swimmers at FAST. Cathy joined the FAST coaching staff during the fall of 2005.

She started competitive swimming at age 5 and held several New England AAU records as an age group swimmer. She worked as a lifeguard and lessons instructor starting at age 16. She has been an assistant waterfront director at summer camp in Pennsylvania and was Head Coach and Assistant Aquatics Director for a YMCA in Liverpool, NY for five years. Cathy coached age group swimmers for 2 years for the USA Swimming team in Kelso, WA and after moving to Granbury, TX coached for the Granbury Seals summer league team 4 years. She has coached the Granbury High School swim team for 2 years.

Her two children are former FAST standout swimmers Dana and Nick Vollmer, now in college. Both received athletic scholarships for their swimming. Cathy still enjoys swimming for fitness when she finds time.

Cathy's email address is catherinevollmer@yahoo.com

 Developmental Coach Janet Steenberge: 
Developmental Coach Janet Steenberge
coaches our Silver and White group swimmers. She joined our FAST staff in June, 2001 with our lessons program and started coaching our youngest competitive swimmers in November, 2001.

Janet has coached swimming for 11 years as founder and head coach of a successful summer league team in Granbury, the Seals. She was the Granbury High School swim coach for two years and also coached GASP, a Masters team. Janet completed two sessions of training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and has attended the USA Swimming Zone Coaches College, Tom Landry Center Coaches Clinics, and the annual Speedo Swim Texas Coaches Clinic.

She and her husband, Patrick, are both Masters swimmers. They have three children, Georgia, Brier and Xela, all swimmers with our program over the years.

She may be emailed at jswim@hotmail.com.

 Developmental Coach Casey Pacheco: 
Developmental Coach Casey Pacheco
coaches our Makos and our Red groups. Casey joined the FAST coaching staff in February 2007.

He is from Hobbs, New Mexico. During his swimming career he swam with Caprock Swimming [USA Swimming club] and after moving to Abilene at age 13, swam for Abilene High School.

After high school, Casey attended McMurray University where he competed collegiately there for 4 years. Casey has coached at Big Spring High School and was the coach for the Big Spring YMCA team. Currently he is also the Granbury High School Swim Team Coach and teaches at Granbury High School.

Casey's email is pachecoswim@hotmail.com

 Developmental Coach Erin Wehrmann: 
Developmental Coach Erin Wehrmann
leads practices for our Marlins youngest swimmers, "Fish" groups, and provides supplemental lessons groups. She joined FAST in October, 2007.

Erin is a long time member of our program. She began with FAST as a 10-year-old and progressed through our ranks to become a Senior National qualifier, Texas State High School Champion, and earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Texas as a member of their elite team. She has graduated from college and has returned back to Fort Worth

Her email address is swimut02@aol.com

 Masters Coach Ric Nesbit: 
Masters Coach Ric Nesbit
directs practices for our High School group and Masters groups. He joined FAST in June, 2004.

Ric formerly coached swimming for Arlington Heights High School for 2 years, producing state qualifiers each season. His club coaching experience includes a stint as Head Coach at Panther Boys & Girls Club in Fort Worth, where he produced numerous TAGS individual and relay champions, a second place TAGS team finish, and an AAU National Championships qualifier.

He was a high school state champion and American Record holder, leading his team to victories at the state meet all 3 years. As a freshman at Texas A&M he set several NCAA freshman records and lowered his American Record in the 100 breast. After transferring to UTA, he won 5 NCAA Division II titles and 2 Division I titles and was one of the first swimmers to go sub-1:00 in the 100-yard breaststroke. He was a 2-time Olympic Trials qualifier and was selected for Collegiate All-American Swimmer honors 10 times in his last 2 years at UTA. Following a lengthy retirement, he resurfaced in US Masters competition, where he broke several World and American records prior to injury in an automobile accident.

Ric is a long-time resident of the area. He is presently a Fort Worth ISD faculty member at an alternative middle school.

His email address is ric.nesbit@gmail.com

 Assistant Coach Tony Tullbane: 
Assistant Coach Tony Tullbane
helps our coaching staff with a long span of dedicated service beginning most recently in November, 2007.

Presently he assists as a substitute by coaching to cover staffing issues and also by providing the mandatory USA Swimming certifications in CPR, First Aid, and Safety to our staff. During his previous years with FAST he was our Masters coach and also taught lessons. Tony also has decades of experience as a pool manager, High School swimming, and summer league.