Coaching Staff
Since he first swam in a pool at an early age coach Thomas Clavier has always had a love for the sport of swimming. A long time resident of the state of Louisiana, Thomas started his swimming career with the Hurricane Swim Club out of Slidell, Louisiana.
After winning multiple State titles and being named both captain of his club and high school team, Thomas went on to swim at the University of Tennessee. After spending two years at Tennessee, Thomas transferred universities and finished up his collegiate swimming career at Indiana University.
At Indiana, Thomas was chosen to be one of the team co-captains and helped lead Indiana to its first Big Ten championship in over 21 years. Thomas was also on a relay that set a Big Ten conference record and became an All-American that same year.
At the conclusion of his swimming career at Indiana, Thomas became a certified personal trainer and worked with people of all ages and abilities. One year after graduating from college, Thomas made a move back to Tennessee where he volunteered his time with the men’s university swim team. While at Tennessee, Thomas worked with some of the best athletes in the world.
Thomas helped personally train European Gold medalist and Olympian Jonas Person and worked with Olympians Octavio Alesi and Andrew Bree. Aside from training both collegiate and Olympic athletes, Thomas was also one of the coaches for the university’s Master swimming program.
In the summer of 2008 at Tennessee, Thomas coached a local summer swim team named the Robindale Racers where his swimmers had a 100% increase in personal best times. Now he has his eyes set on a new goal. That goal is to make Crawfish Aquatics the best in the state of Louisiana.
Coach Lyndsey D’Augereau was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. Lyndsey started swimming her freshman year of high school for Lafayette Swim Team with Mike Gurzi. Although she got started late, by the end of Lyndsey’s senior year, she had received numerous state titles, a few Junior Nationals times, and a full college scholarship. Lyndsey swam for Coach John Pittington at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
After college, Lyndsey moved to Tennessee and was Head Coach at Lambuth University and Asst. Age Group Coach for the Union University Swim Team in Jackson, TN. After moving home to Lafayette, Lyndsey became a Licensed Massage Therapist. She now has found a home Crawfish Aquatics. She helps out by coaching all of the swim groups.
Since Lyndsey swam I.M. and Butterfly, she uses her insight to help younger swimmers develop better technique and race strategy. One of those swimmers is her own five year-old daughter. Lyndsey brings a great attitude and a smile to workouts that just would not be the same without her.
Since a young age, Susan Savoie has had a love for the sport of swimming. Born in Monroe, Michigan, Susan swam competitively from the age of four through her senior year at Grand Blanc High School. Soon after graduating she began teaching swimming lessons and water aerobics and also coached a swim team in Novi, Michigan, for a Jewish Community Center.
Susan moved to Louisiana in 1982 and began working her magic in the Lafayette Area. Since moving to Lafayette, Susan has coached swimming at Lafayette High School, since 1997 to present, coached Comeaux High for 6 years, and worked her way up to Head Coach of Lafayette Swim Team where she coached for 14 years.
In 2003 Susan bought Susan Street Aquatics and operated her business for the past five years. Susan ran many water related programs at her pools including Senior Water Aerobics, Swimming Lessons, Swim Team, and Life Guard Training.
Susan is married to Pat Savoie and the couple have FIVE SONS and two grand daughters!
Susan brings years of experience and a genuine love for the sport. We are all very excited to have Susan join the Crawfish family!
Dr. Steven Ripple, a New Orleans native, graduated from Jesuit High School, LSU, LSU School of Dentistry and a residency program in Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Kentucky.
While at LSU School of Dentistry, Dr. Ripple was recognized as the most outstanding student in Operative and Pediatric Dentistry, in addition to serving as student body president for two years.
He has spent the past 25 years not only practicing pediatric dentistry, but has also incorporated lessons learned through his personal athletic and academic endeavors into coaching and mentoring others in the area of fulfillment of potential and service through personal sacrifice.
Training his wife Jan, an exceptional collegiate athlete (swimming) in her own right, proved to be the beginning and driving force into his passionate development in the profession of coaching. Jan, under Steve’s tutelage, achieved national and international recognition as one of the top triathletes in the world. Competing in over twenty countries spanning five continents, Jan held title of U.S. Triathlete of the year, World and National Champion; with over forty-five professional victories over eight years of competition, the foundation for coaching multisport, functional, dynamic performance was developed.
Following Jan’s professional career, Dr. Ripple served as his daughter Shelly’s strength and conditioning coach as she burst on the national and international elite swimming scene. Shelly’s development of functional strength, under her father’s coaching, contributed to her achieving four national age group records , U.S. senior national champion, American record holder, World Champion, NCAA champion and 24-time NCAA All American at Stanford University.
Volunteering to coach numerous local high school athletes along with his son Kyle and daughter Kate, Dr. Ripple continued to develop champions. His teams at Parkview Baptist High School combined to win six state titles in swimming, six titles in cross country and one state title in track and field. His son Kyle continued his athletic career in collegiate basketball, while Kate excelled at the collegiate soccer level, signing with Texas A & M, and completing her stellar career at LSU as team captain and leading scorer.
Dr. Ripple’s pursuit of positively impacting the youth of today through lessons learned in athletics continued with his opening and development of Crawfish Aquatics in 1998. An athletic performance facility, CAP Elite, was opened in 2005 and in 2008 was renamed “Exerfit”, a family oriented recreational fitness facility in association with Crawfish Aquatics. Under his guidance and leadership Crawfish Aquatics of Lafayette opened in 2010. These companies all emphasize health, fitness, overall development of mind, body and fulfillment of potential; each with an individual niche of community service. With such areas as Exerkids, Extreme youth camps, swimming lessons and overall aquatic fitness, these programs and many others are making huge strides in the community to combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity. Keeping children active and healthy while instilling lifelong values of success is a passion of Dr. Ripple’s and is apparent through his outreach.
Presently, Dr. Ripple has continued to be involved with the development and pursuit of excellence at the elite level. Since 2005, he has served as the voluntary strength and conditioning coach for the Stanford Men’s swim team. Under his tutelage and guidance in this area Stanford athletes continue to achieve national and international recognition individually and collectively. Exerfit and Crawfish Aquatics continue to serve as host and site for the Stanford Men’s swim team fall training camp every September.
Dr. Ripple and his wife, the former Jan Meador of Baton Rouge, are the parents of three children and proud grandparents of eight grandchildren.
Jan has had a lifelong involvement in the swimming community not only in the local area but also the national and international community. Jan competed in the Olympic Trials prior to signing an Athletic Scholarship with Louisiana State University. After having three children, Jan moved into the Professional Triathlon Circuit for 11 years. A few of Jan's career highlights are World Champion Triathlete, United States National Champion, United States Duathlon Champion, and 1989 World Triathlete of the Year. She was also named SAAU Female athlete of the year.
Jan has a passion for teaching children of all ages the benefits and lifelong lessons that come with the sport of swimming. She established the Capital City Swim League as the governing body of swimming for the Baton Rouge area and as the Parkview Baptist Eagles Head Coach she led the team to six state champion titles. With over 25 years experience in teaching swim lessons, she has established the Crawfish Aquatics Swimming Lessons program as the leader in professional swimming instruction in our area. "It is my passion that every child has the opportunity to learn how to swim,” she says. “I am privileged to be able to do something I love that benefits the children in our community."
She is married to Dr. Steve Ripple, pediatric dentist and they have three children: Shelly Ripple Johnston, Kyle Edward Ripple and Kate Ripple Cramer.
Shelly is a native of Baton Rouge. She swam in high school for Parkview Baptist and then went on to represent Stanford University from 1998-2002. Upon leaving Stanford, Shelly returned to Louisiana to train for the 2004 Olympic games as a professional. In 2006, Shelly's husband, Dr. Barrett Johnston, accepted an Anesthesiology residency at Harvard in Boston. The Johnston family returned to Baton Rouge in the fall of 2011, and Shelly assumed the role of CEO of Crawfish Aquatics. Barrett and Shelly have 4 children: Abram, Faith, Ella Kate & Samantha.
-Presbyterian Church Nursery School Board. Served as Secretary of the Board for 3 years.
-Newton Presbyterian Parents Day Out. Served on the Board for 1 year.
-Newton Presbyterian Church Vacation Bible School. Served as the Director for 3 years.
-Brookwood Media. Acted as an e-Learning editor for 2 years.
Athletic Career:
-24-time All-American
-Currently ranked on Stanford’s All-Time Top 10 list in 5 different events
USA SWIMMING / INTERNATIONALSWIMMING
-World Championship Gold Medalist
-Goodwill Games Gold Medalist
LOUISIANA HIGH SCHOOL / CLUB SWIMMING
-Holder of over 60 Louisiana State Records
-4-Time All American
-Academic All-American
-Previous National High School Record Holder in the 100 yd Backstroke
Former Olympic Head Coach Richard Quick on Ripple: "Shelly has really been awesome at Stanford. She'll swim just about any event you ask of her. She is someone that you can absolutely count on all the time and you can't count her out of anything. If you tell her the team needs it, she will get it done. She's going to give you 100% every time out and the only thing we ever have to ask Shelly to do is to slow down now and then to stay healthy. She is a strong and smart swimmer, a multi-talented and extremely versatile swimmer. She is expected to lead the team and has a terrific competitive spirit, loves to race and possesses an extremely high level of determination. She is extremely strong and flexible with good core strength.”
A native of New Orleans, Coach Newport attended Jesuit High School and graduated from the University of New Orleans with a Bachelors degree in education. He has been an active USA Swimming Coach since 1979. As a 12 & under coach swimmers under his care achieved over forty Top 16 National listings and several state records. He was named Age Group Coach of the Year twice, once for Southeastern Swimming and once for Louisiana Swimming.
Coach Billy has been coaching the 13 & over age groups for the past 10 years. Within that time period the swimmers he has trained have participated in the United States Olympic Trials, Senior Nationals, and Junior Nationals.
Coach Billy has been the Head Coach of Crawfish Aquatics since 2005. The team has been Louisiana state champions six times since his arrival.
Jayme grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio were his love for swimming was born and his passion blossomed as a team member for the ME Lyons YMCA and famous St. Xavier High School. He attended Stanford University and in 2005 continued his swimming career as a professional athlete where he also served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Stanford University Men’s Swim Team. After swimming at Stanford and finishing his degree, a BA in Economics, he moved to Baton Rouge and represented Crawfish Aquatics while training for the 2008 US Olympic Trials. While swimming as a professional, Jayme conducted clinics all over the country including two at the ASCA World Clinic.
Jayme returns to an official position at Crawfish Aquatics after spending over three years at Traina & Associates and will oversee Elite Athlete Development. He will also be responsible for the day-to-day operations and financial management of Crawfish Aquatics.
Jayme married Kate Ripple in 2006 and they have lived in Baton Rouge ever since. Kate is a former professional triathlete representing the USA National Team at the 2007 World University Games and is currently a Pre-Kindergarten teacher and Head High School Swim Coach at her alma mater, Parkview Baptist School. They have three children: Lucy Grace, Molly, and Leland. .
Athletic Career Accolades:
USA/International:
USA Swimming National Team Member 2001 to 2008
World Championships Gold, Silver and Bronze Medalist
Pan American Games Gold and Bronze Medal
Goodwill Games Bronze Medal
National Junior Team Member 2000
NCAA:
2-Time NCAA Champion
20-Time NCAA All American
2-Time Stanford University Team Captain
High School and Club: (St. Xavier H.S./ ME Lyons YMCA - Cincinnati, OH)
Swimming World Magazine National High School Swimmer of the Year 2001
6 Individual/Relay High School National Championships
3 Team State Titles and 10 Individual/Relay State Championships
30 YMCA National Titles and 16 YMCA National Records
Coach Courtney grew up in Mandeville swimming at Franco’s Fins and Mandeville High School. As a senior swimmer she also served as an assistant age group coach under Charlie Hoolihan and Billy Newport, gaining valuable coaching and leadership experience with both USA Swimming and summer league clubs along with a passion for teaching beginning to advanced technical skills. She has a degree from LSU in Psychology with graduate level work completed for counseling.
In 2003 Coach Courtney joined Crawfish full time as the first Head Age Group Coach in Crawfish Aquatics' history, spearheading the 12 & under swimmer contribution to the first team State Title. Since 2003 the age group program has more than doubled in size, boasting over 200 swimmers ages 5-13 years old and has had numerous State Champions along with Top Sixteen National Times. She served as a Zone Coach and the Team Coordinator for Louisiana Swimming 2005-2008. Coach Courtney was named Louisiana Swimming Age Group Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2011.
Coach Courtney is married to Jeff Roedel and they have 2 children, Riley and Harrison.
A Lake Charles, La. native, Nan graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in Education in 1980. Nan was on the Louisiana State University Swim Team from 1975-1976 and has been coaching and teaching swimming since 1973.
Coach Nan joined the Crawfish Aquatics staff full time in 2006 with a focus on developing the Masters Swim Program, which currently boasts over 130 adult swimmers of all fitness levels and swimming experience. As Associate Director of Swimming Lessons she oversees the daily operations of the Swimming Lesson program.
Additionally, Coach Nan serves as the coach for Christian Life Academy, Parkview Baptist, and Walker High School swim teams. She was voted Female Team High School Coach of the Year for the Capital City Swim League in 2005 and again in 2008.
Nan, her husband Randy, and daughters Katie and Chavanne, lived in Kemerovo, Siberia for eight years doing missionary work. Her family continues to do missionary work in Siberia, Africa, and Mexico.
Coach Shepard has nearly 50 years of coaching experience including working with teams in California, Texas, Louisiana (Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Houma) and North Carolina. He has even coached teams in Guatemala and ran a twelve-week Coaches College at the University of Physical Education in Tehran, Iran.
While coaching in Iran, their National Team broke 26 records. Frank has trained numerous national and junior national qualifiers and medalists in addition to countless high school all-Americans. Many swimmers have gone on to successful college swimming careers receiving full and partial scholarships.
He began Bayou Barracudas, a year round swim team for the youth of Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. Mary and surrounding parishes, in 1984. During its time, it had great success and had tremendous respect throughout the state of Louisiana. In January 2013, Coach Shepard merged his team with Crawfish Aquatics opening a satellite location at Nicholls State University to serve the existing areas served by the former Baryou Barracudas.
