JEFF COMMINGS — SWIMMING AND RACING SPECIALIST
MASTERS HEAD COACH
- U.S. Masters Swimming Certified Adult Learn-To-Swim Instructor
- U.S. Masters Swimming Certified Level 3 Coach
- U.S. Olympic Trials Competitor: 1992, 1996, 2012 (100 breaststroke)
- United States Masters Swimming (USMS) National & Masters World Record Holder
- USMS All-Star, International All-Time Top Ten Masters World Rankings & World Champion
- Pan-American Games Bronze Medalist
- Former USA National Team Member
- High School, USA-Swimming, NCAA & USMS All-American
- Specializes in Sprinting, Breaststroke, Backstroke & I.M.
Jeff Commings began his swimming career in St. Louis when he was 4 years old, where he was literally thrown into the water at a local Boys’ Club. After his initial floundering, Jeff took to the water with ease and joined the Boys’ Club team. A year after his introduction to swimming, he signed up for his first meet.
Jeff improved, winning his first trophy at 6 for the 25 fly. Later, as he grew, Jeff found a natural talent for the breaststroke. After rising in the local ranks, he made a name for himself on the national scene with a Top 16 ranking among 11- and 12-year-olds in the 50-meter breast. 1991 came as a breakout year. He was 3rd in the 100-meter breast at the national championships, earning a berth on the Pan-American team traveling to Cuba, where he won the bronze medal in the 100-meter breaststroke. Jeff is the first African-American to earn an individual medal in swimming at a major international competition.
Jeff attended the University of Texas – Austin on a full scholarship under the tutelage of Olympic Coach Eddie Reese. His highest placing at the NCAA championships was third in the 100 breast his sophomore year. He would end his college career an eight-time All-American, USA Swimming National Team member and four-time conference champion in the Southwest Conference.
Jeff competed in three U.S. Olympic Trials, in 1992, 1996 and 2012. After the 1996 Trials, Jeff moved to Colorado Springs to train under renowned coach and former world record holder Jonty Skinner and then retired in 1998.
In 1999, Jeff discovered Masters Swimming and initially used the workouts as a way to stay in shape, vowing to never compete in another high-stress meet. That vow didn’t last long. At the 2003 Masters National Championships, Jeff won five events and set his first national record in the 100 breast. The following summer, Jeff set a Masters World Record in the 100-meter Individual Medley. More national records and world records followed.
Jeff continues to train in preparation for Masters swimming competitions. He is Co-Founder of Dolphins of the Desert Swimming Academy and has served as the head coach for Dolphins of the Desert Masters since 2016.
Geoff Glaser — OPEN WATER / LONG-DISTANCE SWIMMING SPECIALIST
- United States Masters Swimming (USMS): Former national record holder; Relay & Individual All-American; and National Champion
- Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA): Former relay world record holder; Top Ten World Rankings in Freestyle, multiple years
- English Channel Swimmer: Garnet-Martin Trophy, The Channel Swimming Association (1987) — First Coloradoan to successfully swim across English Channel
- Specializes in Marathon, Open Water, and Long Distance Freestyle as well as Butterfly
- More than 40 years teaching and coaching experience, including working with the disabled
Geoff Glaser learned how to swim at the YWCA in Bloomington, Ill when he was just five. He did not immediately take to the water, and it took a couple of tries to pass Beginners. His stumbling block was the course requirement that the swimmer make one length of freestyle, all the way to the other side, without stopping.
After Beginners, he continued to work his way through the Y’s learn-to-swim program. He liked swimming and continued to learn as much as he could. When he was eight, a friend invited him to try out for the local swim team, the Bloomington Normal Swim Club, an AAU-Swimming club in central Illinois. He barely made the 25 yard freestyle cut; multiple lengths felt colossal. Nevertheless the coach, a former Pan-American backstroke champion and Brazilian swim star, let him onto the team.
Geoff devoted himself to swimming, and he loved it. By the time he was ten, he won high-point. Still, the swimming practices seemed long. Over time as he became stronger workouts became more tolerable. He competed on a regular basis in AAU Swimming and summer league swimming. By the time Geoff graduated from high school, he was All-Conference, and All-State. He excelled in the 50 and 100 freestyle events and managed to swim a good 50, 100 and 200 fly as well.
While in college, Geoff swam for recreation. But after graduation, he took up swimming again, this time as an open water / marathon swimmer. In 1987, he swam the English Channel by relay and won the Garnet-Martin Relay Trophy from the Channel Swimming Association. He continued other ocean swimming events through his mid-twenties. Then in his mid-thirties, he took up Masters Swimming, this time with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and vigor. Competing in world masters swimming events, he earned several FINA Top Ten World rankings in sprint, mid-distance and long-distance freestyle events.
Geoff began teaching and coaching more than three decades ago and continues to coach and teach individuals, groups, and teams. He is a Co-Founder of Dolphins of the Desert Swimming Academy. He is passionate about community service and launched the Learn To Swim program for inner-city youth at Imago Dei Middle School in 2008.
Julien Mathias – HEAD AGE GROUP COACH
Julien Mathias was born in France and started swimming at 8 years old. He started as a breaststroker, but at 11 a shoulder injury forced him out of the water for nine months. He really wanted to go to the Franck Esposito (national age group championship), with just two months to qualify. With conviction and motivation, he qualified, starting his long-term swimming journey.
After that, he perfected his freestyle and became a long-distance swimmer. He qualified for the age group
championship in the 400 freestyle. In 2015, at the age of 20, he swam 4:02 in the 400-meter freestyle, and qualified for the French championship. He also completed a five-kilometer swim in one hour and 1 minute.
Julien is inspired by a great coach from Vichy Val d’Allier Natation, Renaud Laurent. He decided to follow his
passion and try to do the same work to inspire people to swim. He started training swimmers at the same
club where he swam. Then, he moved to Chamaliere Mont-Ferrand to study, coach, and swim for
the club team for 2 years. He came back to Vichy working for the club team, while also competing.
In September 2020 he obtained his green card, and moved to the United States in Florida, where he coached
20 swimmers. The best athlete was Nick Fabian, who qualified for the USA Swimming Futures Championship.
From April to July 2023, he coached the Tucson summer team Highland Vista, which finished second in the SAAA championship.