GP FROGS - COACHES PAD

Tony Lisa
Head Coach

Experience:

Coach Lisa has coached two years at ARMY, thirty years at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. and twenty-four years at Tri-County.

Highlights:

Coached 3 NCAA Champions and over 100 All-Americans at Rowan University

In 2003, Lisa was named the 12th recipient of the prestigious Richard E. Steadman Award from the College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), conferred annually to a swimming or diving coach in high school, club or university ranks who, in the opinion of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the CSCAA Forum, has done the most to spread joy and happiness in swimming and diving. He also served on the CSCAA board of directors for several years and was the president from 1998-2001.

In 2001, Lisa was an assistant coach for the silver-medal winning World All-Star squad at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia where he coached several world-class swimmers including three-time Olympic Champion and world record holder Pieter van den Hoogenband from the Europe team, as well as two-time Olympic gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima from Japan and also on my team was Roland Schoeman of Soth Africa - NCAA Champion in the 50 free and World Record holder in the 100 free.

   He was also the assistant coach for the World All-Stars at the 2001 World Sprint Cup.

   After graduating from Glassboro State (later renamed Rowan) in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education, Lisa was hired as a graduate assistant in the athletics department for one year, before spending the following year at A.P. Schalick High School in Pittsgrove, N.J. teaching physical education and working in the athletics department. He returned to his alma mater in 1977 to teach physical education and coach swimming while also completing a master’s degree in 1978. During his undergraduate days, he was the goalkeeper on the Prof soccer team for three years.

   Tony Lisa and his wife, Connie, have two children, Bryan and Suzanne, and four year old grandson, Charlie and one year old Cate. He will be the men’s recruiting coordinator and while assuming a variety of other responsibilities with the team.

A WORD FROM THE LORD OF THE FROGS

Dear Greenwood Park Swimmers and Parents:

What a summer we’ve had. It has been more that we should hope for. We learned more drills, swam some strange and yet challenging sets and workouts and swam absolutely fast when it counted the most. What more could we hope for ?

As a coach, I couldn’t expect to coach a nicer group of boys and girls. Our FROGS have demonstrated respect for the coaches and their opponents. They have been dedicated and loyal to their teammates. The Frogs have been mindful of the rich tradition of the pursuit of excellence at Greenwood Park They have embraced the theory that we can work hard and have fun at the same time and that we can swim faster times by doing drills as we search for the “perfect stroke”. The Frogs did all that I asked. This Frog team will be successful in the very near future.

A huge thank you to the parents of Greenwood Park - You are the reason that I came back. You have done a wonderful job with your children. You work very hard to make great memories for them and it appears that you are diligent in teaching respect, loyalty and kindness. It has been my honor to have coached them.

Shannon Clancy is the real deal. She can coach em up! Thanks Shannon. Elise and Billy are wonderful assistants with bright futures. We wouldn’t have had our great swims without them. It has been fun coaching with these fine young people.

     The Summer of 09 has been fantastic. The best is yet to come!

                               Respectfully,
                               Tony Lisa
                               Greenwood Park Swim Coach

All About.....

Assistant Coach Shannon Clancy

Shannon started swimming at the age of 5 at Greenwood Park under the coaching of Tony Lisa, and graduated swimming in 1998 from Greenwood Park under Tony Lisa as well. As an older swimmer, prior to graduation of Greenwood Park, She helped out the younger practices as an assistant coach. This was my first job coaching swimming.

As well as summer league, She swam varsity all four years of high school and continued swimming for two more years at Towson University, a Division I college. It was not until 2006 that I started coaching swimming again.

Shannon was an assistant coach at Ocean City High School, aiding in not only swimming but head coach of diving as well. For the last two years, She has been the head coach of the Gloucester City High School swim team. Shannon is extremely excited to be back at Greenwood Park, the site of where it all began and we are so glad she has returned.

All About.....

Assistant Coach Elise Blaschke

Elise has been a frog since 2000 under the direction of Tony Lisa. After two years swimming Suburban for the previous Wedgewood Swim Club she joined the Tri County Swim League and at nine years old competed the Tri County and Gloucester County Champs placing first in the 50 freestyle. In the summers of 2007 and 2008 Elise took time off from being a Frog to become more serious with US swimming. She back at Greenwood Park this summer not only as an assistant to Tony Lisa, but one of his Frogs.

In 2000 I became involved in US swimming. Elise began GCIT swimming and swam with coaches Rob Smith, Ryan Sprang, and later Matt Sprang. In 2005 she relocated myself to the Jersey Wahoos Swim Club in Mt. Laurel, NJ under direction of John Carroll and Brad Bowser.

Elise has recently graduated Bishop Eustace where she also swam for 4 years and was MVP for my sophomore, junior and senior years; also a member of the All South Jersey Team this past year after placing 5th in the 100 freestyle in the NJ state finals. Elise has been committed to the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), a Division I college, after being offered a full scholarship in November 2008.

Elise is thrilled to be back at Greenwood Park for my graduating year and is happy that she can swiim for Coach Tony Lisa once more in addition to coaching with him on the pool deck.