Swim Team
COACHES
Coach Anne Grams swam as a youngster in south Georgia and has been swimming ever since. She graduated from Florida State University with bachelor and PhD degrees in mathematics. Coach Anne has morphed from a university math teacher, to a mom, to a homeschool teacher, to a swim official, and to a swim coach. Since moving with her husband Bill to the Daytona Beach area in 1980, she has taught swim lessons and coached both masters and club swimmers. Coach Anne has been involved with Creek swimming since 1993 as a timer, official, team events organizer, meet manager, and coach. Her goal is for her swimmers to love the sport and work to achieve their maximum potential. She was selected as 2018 girls coach of the year for Flagler and Volusia Counties by the Daytona Beach News Journal. Coach Anne has four children, all of whom are swimmers.
Coach Brian Miller started swimming competitively in fifth grade and swam through high school where he lettered every year. He was a six-year sectional participant and a two-year state qualifier. His main events were backstroke, IM, and diving. He was offered a full college scholarship but elected to serve his country by joining the Marines where he became an instructor of water survival for marines. After serving in the marines, Coach Miller joined the Army where he continued to teach and use swimming for fitness. After retiring from the military, he and his family moved to Volusia County in 2013. Coach Miller attended Daytona State College (B.S.), owns and operates a business, and works as a substitute teacher. He has been coaching the Spruce Creek Swim Team since 2018, thus fulfilling his dream of being a coach.
Coach Sarah Smiley (a.k.a Dr. Smiley) began swimming competitively at the age of nine after moving with her family to Ft. Myers. She swam for nine years with Swim Florida and was a Junior Olympics (now known as FLAGs) qualifier. Coach Smiley was a four-year letterman and four-year state qualifier for the Fort Myers High School Green Wave. She attended Florida State (B.S.), the University of South Florida (M.S.), and Ohio State University (Ph.D.). During college, Coach Smiley continued to swim for school teams, intramural events, and personal fitness. Moving to Volusia County in 2013, she continues swimming in the springs, with masters swimming, and for fitness. Dr. Smiley teaches I.B. biology at Spruce Creek and has been an assistant swim coach since 2018.
Coach Dana Holmquist moved to this area after retiring from teaching and coaching in south Florida. He brings a wealth of experience and success to our team, having coached 38 years at the high school and club levels in south Florida. Coach Dana led St. Thomas Aquinas High School to four state championships and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to two state championships plus multiple conference and district championships. He was named Broward County Coach of the Year six times and Florida Coach of the Year five times. Coach Dana is a proponent of race pace philosophy, and he enjoys working with swimmers to improve swimming technique. He describes himself as “an educator with a purpose, passion, and plan wrapped in compassion always looking to make a difference.”
