Coaches and Directors

Cuda Coaches

Coaching Staff
George Heidinger Head Coach
Shelly Drozda Head Age Group Coach, Gray Coach

Shelly grew up swimming for the Front Range Barracudas in Thornton, CO ever since 2006. She was a dual athlete in high school, competing both in track and swimming at the state level. She is excited to be back on the team she grew up swimming and competing for! During her time with Cuda’s, she was a National Top 10 ranked swimmer, National Select Camp attendee, 6 time high school All-American, and a 2016 Olympic Trials qualifier. In college, she competed at Indiana University for two years where she was a Big10 Distinguished Scholar; gaining Academic All-American Honorable Mention status. After Indiana, she completed her swimming career at Florida State University earning The Golden Torch Award and the 1A FAR Academic Excellence Award for her studies in Sport Management. During her time at Florida State, she accumulated several all-time top 10 times for the program before finishing her college career in 2019. 

 

Shelly is excited to help grow the Cuda community by providing foundational training for age group swimmers and by bringing an upbeat attitude every day at practice! Her experience working summer swim camps, coaching for Mountain Range and Thornton Master’s- along with her swimming career- has given her a diverse background working with swimmers of all ages & abilities. She is ecstatic to give back to the team that helped shape her as an athlete and into the person she is today!  

Nick Foster Lead Site Coach BCC Silver/White Coach
Nick has been swimming since the age 7. Growing up in Leawood Kansas, Nick was a member of the Rockhurst High School Aquahawks and Kansas City Blazers. In his high school years,   he helped bring home 4 high school state championships, qualify for Jr. Nationals, and become a Sectional Champ. Nick went on to swim at Xavier University where he continued to find success in and out of the pool, becoming a school record holder, conference champion, conference MVP, and the Xavier University Male Scholar Athlete of the year in 2016. Nick Graduated with a degree in Economics but couldn't stay away from the pool. He is excited to be a part of the Front Range Barracudas and coach the next generation of swimmers.
 
Chad White Red Group Coach

Chad has coached for close to two decades - he is an incredible addition to our team!. During his first tenure Chad coached everything from Developmental group up to Seniors, including being interim Head Coach. Chad has coached kids of all ages and abilities, including adults, and athletes for triathlons. The team went from 25 swimmers to over 200 in a few short years. Coach Chad has had swimmers go on to swim at some of the highest levels, including Olympic Trials, and All Americans.

Chad swam on the Broomfield Barracudas as a age group swimmer. Through his leadership, the kids not only learn correct stroke technique, but also develop a lasting love for the sport. Chad places great emphasis on the development of proper swim technique.

Married since 2003, living in Broomfield, he enjoys spending time with his two boys and wife camping and RC racing.

Perri Otto Developmental, Adv Dev and Maroon Coach

Perri is thrilled to have been a coach with the CUDAS since 2018. A Colorado native, she began her swimming career at just four years old with a local team and went on to compete as a member of the Legacy High School girls varsity swim team. Alongside her swimming career, Perri discovered her passion for coaching early, beginning as an assistant coach with the Westminster Flippers at age 15 and later serving as head coach for five years, growing the program to over 150 swimmers and seven coaches. 

Perri holds bachelor’s degrees in Speech Communication and Political Science, as well as a master’s degree in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management. Outside of the pool, she is a middle school history teacher. In her free time, she enjoys paddleboarding, traveling, playing volleyball and spending time with her rescue dog, Eddie. 

Coach Perri strongly believes that the coach–swimmer relationship is an equal partnership. She challenges her swimmers to approach every stroke, set, and meet with purpose while working together to become the best versions of themselves—both in and out of the water.

Clint Dierking Gold Coach
Clint has been coaching for over 10 years, this is his second stint with the team. He coached for the Cudas from 2012-2018 working as an assistant to all of the VMAC Coaches. He also swam with the Cudas, back when they were the Broomfield Barracudas from 2007-2011. After he graduated he attended Adams State University to swim on scholarship. He decided to move back home and started coaching for Cudas soon after. He also lived in Arizona, and spent 5 years as the Head Coach of Life Time Tempe. He worked with athletes of all levels, from learning to swim, to Futures qualifiers. He also helped grow the team from 50 swimmers when he started to nearly 90 when he moved back to Colorado. He is excited to be back with the Cudas, and to continue to help grow and develop the team. Away from the pool, Clint enjoys spending time with his wife Katie, and their daughter Emma.
Austin Fowler Black Coach
Alex Henderson Assistant Coach

Alex grew up swimming for Vortex Swim Club in Fort Collins, CO. After four years swimming for Whitworth University up in Washington he is happy to be back home and surrounded by the swimming community he spent so much time in. Breaststroke and Distance were his main events, consistently placing top three in the Pacific Northwest Conference throughout College in the 200 Breast. Alex loved investing in his team as a swimmer and looks forward to giving the same commitment as a coach.

Swimming has been a very formative part of his life and his main goal at Cuda is to foster the same love for swimming while helping the swimmers to reach their goals. He believes all sports teams should focus on making great people, not just great athletes.