Leanne Westerman - Head Coach
Leanne Westermann has been head coach of the Gaylord Gators for four years. She attended Abilene Christian University. Her major field of study was Physical Education, Health/Recreation, and English.
Leanne taught senior graduates swimming for three years while attending ACU, she also devoted volunteer hours in the Exercise Physiology Lab, both junior and senior years at ACU. She was also a member and the captain of the, Abilene Christian University, Wildcat Women’s Track team her freshman through senior years.
Through the years she has managed and maintained the Exercise Facility at Silver Creek Resort, in Colorado. She taught swimming, weight training, racquetball, dance aerobics, and water aerobics, at the resort, before moving to Michigan, in 1987. Leanne is also a homeschooling mother of two.
She has attended the Central States Coaches Swim Clinics in Chicago, Illinois, for 4 years, which featured Richard Quick, Bob Bowman, Milt Nelms, Mark Schubert, and Eddie Reese as main speakers.
Leanne Westermann's Coaching Philosophy
Tim O'Donnell - Assistant Coach
"Coach Tim" is the Director of Aquatics for the Otsego County Sportsplex. He moved to Gaylord in 2003, after leaving his position with the Southeastern Michigan chapter of the American Red Cross.
Tim swam competitively in high school and began coaching with the Jackson Sailfish Swim Club in 1993.
Coach Tim is an American Red Cross Instructor Trainer in Water Safety, Lifeguarding, and First Aid and CPR. He also holds certification as a Certified Pool Operator with the National Swimming Pool Foundation. In addition, Coach Tim was certified in 2006 as an instructor of water fitness with WaterART Fitness International, he is a registered swimming official for the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), and he was head coach of the Gaylord High School Boys' Swim Team during their last season of competition.
Coach Tim began coaching with the Gaylord Gators in October, 2007.
Kelly Lauster - Assistant Coach
Kelly Lauster has enjoyed coaching the Gaylord Gators since 2007. A life long swimmer, her more formal swimming career began when she joined the swim team at age eight. She swam competitively through high school and coached and taught through college.
With her degrees in Recreation Administration and Mass Communication she has worked as an Aquatics Director and Family Program Director at one of the ten largest YMCA's in the nation and then as the Recreation Program Coordinator for the City of Noblesville, Indiana. Prior to moving to Gaylord she was a lead instructor (3rd Dan) for North Indy Tae Kwo n Do.
Having coached and taught ages preschool through adults in everything from swimming to tae kwon do to tree care to computer networking, she has enjoyed bringing her skills to the Gaylord Gators. Kelly and her family have lived in Gaylord since 2005.