CONROE AREA
TEAM SWIMMERS
About Us
The dual team of Coaches Jeff and Jerrilyn have produced numerous state championship and nationally ranked swimmers from their original CATS team members over the 18 year span of the CATS’ existence.
Our coaches, as members of the American Swimming Coaches Association, have access to the most comprehensive training and certification program for youth coaches of any sport in the United States. Certified coaches in USA Swimming programs possess training and experience in the phsyiology and psychology of adolescent development. They provide assurances that the time children spend in swimming will be quality time. Our coaches are committed to consistently delivering outstanding coaching that builds the best strokes – efficient, flowing, and powerful.
With over 30 years of coaching together, Coach Jerrilyn and Coach Jeff provide CATS swimmers a degree of coaching consistency and continuity, which can be matched by no other Gulf area swimming team..
Jeff Helms
For over 30 years, Coach Helms' involvement and experiences in competitive swimming have been extensive as both a swimmer and a coach. During that time he has participated as both swimmer and a coach in age group, high school, collegiate and Masters swimming.
Coach Helms was an all-state high school swimmer, nationally ranked as a collegiate swimmer and has held 4 world records in U.S. Masters swimming.
Coach Helms has coached numerous athletes to State, Sectional and National level meets. As both a coach and a swimmer, he has had the benefit of being associated with some of the best swimmers and coaches in the world.
Coach Helms is a Life Plus certified member of the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA), and this includes his successful completion of ASCA's stroke, physiology, administration, and leadership schools, as well as continuing education which keeps his ASCA certification up-to-date.
Jerrilyn Helms
Coach Jerrilyn was a cross country runner in high school, and in her senior year she finished 10th at the Idaho State Championships. Coach Jerrilyn did not learn to swim until after marrying Coach Jeff in 1977. She subsequently learned to swim and competed on Coach Jeff’s The Woodlands Masters Swimming Team during the latter 1980’s, and additionally she monitored Coach Jeff’s practices since he was a swimmer/coach for the team. This was Coach Jerrilyn’s first exposure to swim coaching.
Coach Jerrilyn was first recruited by Coach Jeff to be his assistant age group coach shortly after he formed his first U.S.A. Swimming team in 1987, the Conroe Area Team Swimmers (CATS).
Since initially becoming Coach Jeff‘s assistant coach, Coach Jerrilyn has been the only assistant age group coach that has ever coached with Coach Jeff on both the CATS and the previous New Caney Aquatic Team (NCAT) swimming teams. Coach Jerrilyn is equally at home whether conducting a dryland session or providing a swimmer with technical stroke instruction.