Coaching Background :
Nick started out volunteering for the club he swam for Caldwell Cyclones - working with age group one and two swimmers. Nick moved to college to Swim at the University of Scranton as a D3 athlete and enjoyed the balance of life and sport and was able to continue coaching where he got into the Senior levels of swimming at the Abington Gator Swim Club and in summer seasons was the Head Coach of Verona Waves Swimming. Upon college graduation in 2016, Nick began to coach more intently with Caldwell Cyclones Senior A program and controlled part of the dryland schedule alongside the other coaches on staff. In 2018 spring, Nick took the opportunity to join the Cougar staff and started as an assistant coach for senior Prep and quickly worked his way up to be coaching the Senior A program alongside coach Rich. This is Nicks 4th season running his specialized group of mid distance-distance male swimmers and sprint -mid distance women swimmers. Nick has also had recent opportunity to join the NJIT (an NCAA D1 team’s) coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach, helping with small group trainings (IM/mid distance fr) and general injury based recommendations for recovery and longevity purposes. Nicks ultimate goal is push the boundaries of what the sport can offer and has dreams of one day running an elite program at the highest level of swimming (NCAA D1/professional).
Education background :
Nick got his BS in exercise science and sport from U of S with a concentration in sport nutritional sciences (2016). Nick went on to get his doctorate at Rutgers in (2019) as a Physical Therapist. After completion, Nick continued at Temple University for his post doctoral residency in Orthopedic Physical Therapy to become a clinical specialist in the space of orthopedic care - completed in (2021). Nick also has received his CSCS designation which stands for certified strength and conditioning specialist thru the NSCA - the gold standard of S&C programs thru out the NCAA and professional levels (certified since 2018). Nick has studied under numerous top level physiologists and conditioning coaches to advance his knowledge in physiology as much as possible and has specializations from those studies in conditioning, corrective exercise, & speed and agility.
Professional background :
Nick has worked with athletes of all ages and abilities - from your middle school athlete trying it all to the college athlete in Big 10/ ACC/SEC to the professional level in NFL and MLS/international professionals in soccer. His experience spans in both the physical therapist and strength & conditioning spaces and has allowed him to understand the ins and outs of the athlete culture, demands, and obligations they all have. Nicks currently working out of his own office - Welded Warrior Performance Therapy, teaming up with Adrenaline Fitness to provide a hybrid performance standard between PT and strength/conditioning to deliver a rare product that is both personalized and fun for athletes across all walks of life to experience. Teams across NJ swim have utilized Nick in this regard, helping swimmers with injury recovery and performance in both the Y system and USA system, along with NCAA D3 - D1 swimmers.
Philosophy :
They always say the more you know the more you don’t know and I firmly believe this. Over the years I have experimented and pushed the limits of my knowledge and fundamental understanding on how to enhance athlete performance in the water. I never got there by being comfortable. I believe that you have to create and inspire to get anywhere in a sport that tends to be “bland”. Creating a novel stimulus in a kids eye while driving the same adaptations day to day to create a building block of success is how I view my job. Every practice is a fresh way to try something and push a limit on an adaptation for the swimmers. I believe the best coaches in the world are the ones that can deliver the stimulus 4x50s can provide in 100 different ways. This in turn drives the same physiological adaptation while being challenging and fresh for the athlete. The challenge is not necessarily in the concept of having an athlete succeed, the challenge lies in having them genuinely enjoy the process to achieve their success and to never loose sight of the big picture during the highs and lows life will continue to deliver.
I love coaching - it’s who I am, not what I do. And on this program and with me as your kid’s coach - you will see this shine thru and watch them grow as athletes and as people.
