Scott Bliss
Head Administrative Coach
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Originally from the Kansas
City area, Scott joined the Blazers staff in August of 2008.
After his college days in Lawrence, Kansas, Scott purchased a
local downtown business and started coaching. Realizing that
coaching was his love, he decided to make it his full time
career. Having spent a decade coaching high school and the
Lawrence Aquahawks, Scott has returned to Kansas City. During
his career, Scott has had the privilege of developing and working
with excellent age group and elite level athletes. Among his
accomplishments:
Coached numerous Top 16 individuals and relays, Central Zone
record holders, Junior and Senior Nationals qualifiers
Coached multiple league and state champions at the high school
level
Named 2004 Missouri Valley Age Group of the Year
Head Coach for Missouri Valley LSC Zone Team 2004, 2005, 2006 and
2008
ASCA Level 4
Maggie Kroemer
Elite Assistant Coach
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Maggie joined the Blazer staff in May of 2009. She is originally from Milwaukee, where she swam
for the Schroeder YMCA swim team.
Kroemer also swam at Valparaiso University. While at Valpo,
she earned academic all conference honors and was a 6 time Mid
Continent Conference finalist.
Prior to coaching at the Blazers, she was the graduate
assistant coach at the University of Texas of the Permian
Basin. While at UTPB, she helped coach
her swimmers to 31 new school records and 5 swimmers to NCAA
Division II B cuts. She has also
coached for both the Schroeder YMCA Swim Team and Nicolet High
School in Milwaukee, WI.
Kroemer received her BS in education from Valparaiso in 2005, and
her MS in kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise physiology from
UTPB in 2009.
Mike Lewellyn
Head East Side Coach
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KC Blazers East Head Coach, Mike Lewellyn, is from
Milwaukee, WI where he swam for the Milwaukee Central YMCA and the
Wauwatosa Swim Club. He attended Evangel College in
Springfield, MO where he swam for the Springfield Swim Club
under Coach Jack Steck and the University of
Wisconsin at Milwaukee where he swam for Coach Paul
Bergen. Some of Coach Mike’s many accomplishments and
positions include:
·
KC Blazers East Head Coach, 2001 to
Present
·
Missouri Valley Age Group Chair
2008-2009
Missouri Valley Senior Swimmer Vice-Chair,
1989-1998, 2002-2008
·
USA Swimming, Sport Development
Coordinator, Colorado Springs, CO,
2001-2002 Representative
to Central Zone Clubs
·
Liaison to Education and Age Group
Planning Committees
·
Development Team Level 1 Coach
Education Program
·
Author of articles in Splash Magazine
and Coaches Quarterly
·
Mission Viejo Nadadores, Head Age Group
Coach, Mission Viego, CA,
1998-2000. Responsible for new coach education and facility
coordination of all events
·
Presenter - 1998 National Age Group
Coaches Conference
·
Committee Chairman - Southern
California Swimming Age Group
·
Coaches Representative - Orange
Section of Southern California Swimming
·
Kansas City Blazers, Head Age Group
Coach, Shawnee Mission, KS, 1987-1998
·
North East Texas Swimmers, Head Coach
& General Manager, Tyler, TX,1985-1987
·
Space City Aquatics, Head Age Group
Coach, 1983-1985 and Assistant Age Group Coach, 1981-1983, Clear
Lake, TX, 1981-1985.
·
Kenosha Youth Foundation, Head Coach,
Kenosha, WI, 1977-1979
·
Cudahy Swim Club, Head Coach, Cudahy,
WI, 1976-1977
·
Florissant Aquatic Swim Team, Head
Coach, Florissant, MO, 1974-1975
·
West Allis Swim Club, Head Coach, West
Allis, WI, 1972-1973
Henry Morrow
Head Site Coach Shawnee Mission North
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Coach Henry Morrow was
award the "Outstanding Leadership in Coaching" award by COMVAC and
JCPRD. He was nominated by one of his swimmer’s parents. Here
is the letter below that explain why Henry is so great:
"My son has only been on
the Kansas City Blazers Gold Team for a few months, but the
improvement I have seen in him mentally and physically have been
incredible. Coach Henry made my son feel welcome and a part of the
team from the first day he came to try out. He encouraged the kids
who were already a part of the team by his actions and personal
leadership to welcome my son into the group. Coach Henry
intentionally creates an atmosphere in which growth of the
individual and growth of the team as a whole occurs on many
different levels simultaneously. This growth is accomplished by the
very positive manner in which he interacts and instructs each
swimmer under his care. You can tell by the natural actions and
reactions of his swimmers that they love being around Coach Henry.
He has earned the respect and loyalty of his swimmers through his
ability to inspire them to achieve more than they thought possible.
Interaction with the parents has been very positive as well. He is
always ready to discuss how we can help our kids improve their
swimming ability, including action items that can be accomplished
outside of their time at the pool."
Thank you Henry, for your outstanding leadership in coaching, and
congratulations on this award!!
Henry Morrow began his tenure as the North Head Site Coach in
September 2004. In addition to his energy and enthusiasm for
swimming, Henry will bring his 24 years of experience with
SwimAtlanta in Atlanta, Georgia and five years of experience
coaching in North Carolina.
In his career at SwimAtlanta, Henry helped develop four satellite
locations including the current Roswell and Sugarloaf sites and has
coached dozens of national Top 16 Age Group swimmers many of whom
have gone on to be National Finalists as Senior Swimmers. In 1983,
he was Age Group Chairman for Georgia swimming and helped develop a
regional swim meet in the southeast that has evolved into an Age
Group Sectional meet.
Henry holds two degrees, a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a
Masters in Physical Education - Physiology of Exercise, both from
East Carolina University.
Marjorie Sherard
Head Site Coach Blue Valley North
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Marjorie has been affiliated with the Blazers
since 1979 when she began swimming for the team. She has
continued her involvement with the team as a deck coach in the
1990s and again for the last 3 years at the Shawnee Mission North
site with Henry Morrow. Her children also swim for the
Blazers, so Marjorie has a unique perspective on the Blazers since
she has worn many hats as a
Blazer.
While her husband served in the United States
Marine Corps, Marjorie started coaching professionally in the San
Diego, California area where she spent 5 years with the Escondido
Swim Club. She has also coached several summer swim programs
in the Kansas City area, including the last 8 years at Homestead
Country Club. She has been a teacher for the last 8 years at
Notre Dame de Sion (lower school.) She has a degree in Early
Childhood Education from the University of Kansas. Coaching
with the Blazers full time now is an opportunity for her to give
back to a team that has meant so much to her.
Marjorie prides herself on having high
standards for the swimmers, putting an emphasis on the team, and
treating people with dignity and respect. She is thrilled to
be working with the swimmers and their
families!
Marjorie and her husband Jackson have been
married for 20 years and have 2 children, Spencer (18 years old)
and Dana (16 years old.)
Derek Shipp
Head Site Coach Blue Valley West
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Congratulations to Derek
Shipp for receiving the "Outstanding Leadership in Coaching" from
COMVAC/JCPRD. Derek was nominated by one his team parents; the
nominating letter read as follows:
"Derek is an enthusiastic coach and role model. Most know that
Derek has been battling illness for quite some time, but he has not
let this dampen his dedication to his team. He has been on deck at
times when perhaps he shouldn’t have been, but that is
because he truly loves what he does. My son has been involved with
two great organizations in the past five years – the Blazers
and the Boy Scouts. For all the value there is in scouting,
Derek’s rapport with the kids he coaches and the leadership
he has exhibited have helped my son mature more than any other
organization he has been a part of."
Thank you Derek, for your outstanding leadership in coaching, and
congratulations on this award!!
Derek Shipp was brought on board the Blazer staff as Head Site
Coach at Olathe and Head Coach of the KCB Masters team in December
2003. Derek is a 1990 graduate of the University of Georgia, where
he swam four years and finished as team captain. Five days after
his graduation he began his coaching career with SwimAtlanta, where
he coached on National Age Group Top 16 swimmer and was named
Fulton County Swim League Coach of the Year in 1993.
In 1994 Derek moved to Virginia Beach to assume the position of
Head Age Group Coach of the Old Dominion Aquatic Club, where he
coached to NAG Top 16 swimmers and two Top 16 relays. While in
Virginia he served on the Zone coaching staff four times, twice as
the Head Coach. He also served as Secretary of the Virginia Swim
Coaches Association, Camp Director and Head Coach of the USA
Swimming Red Camp, and various Age Group and Zone committees in
Virginia Swimming.
Derek and his family relocated to Kansas City in 2001, where he
worked with the Blazers as a deck coach while pursuing non-swimming
related employment. In 2002 he was the Meet Director of the Kansas
City Kid for Kids Meet to benefit Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation. He began coaching the KCB Master team on technician and
coach. Derek is a gifted video game player, an expert on music that
was popular before his time, and eerily accurate imitator of
sirens.
