Coaches & Directors

Dave Gibson

Head Coach

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Coach Dave Gibson became the Phoenix (PHX) Swim Club Head Coach in September of 2006.

Dave Gibson comes to us from Charlotte, North Carolina where he was the Head Coach/CEO of the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club for three and a half years. During his time there, MAC grew from 560 swimmers to 650 swimmers, became a USA Swimming Gold Medal team, and finished second in the USA Swimming Virtual Club Championships his last short course season.

Dave has 35 years of coaching experience at the Age Group, YMCA, High School, and Collegiate levels. He has coached three Olympians, Gold Medalist, World Record Holder, American Record holder, USA Swimming National Champions, National Age Group Record holders, National Top 16 swimmers, over 60 High School All-Americans, and over 80 USA Swimming Scholastic All-Americans.

Dave has been on the staff of USA Teams for the Olympic Festivals, Goodwill Games, Short Course World Championships, National Junior Team and World Cup competitions. In 2002, he was inducted into the Indiana Swimming Hall of Fame/Wall of Fame.

Dave is married to Jennifer, the Head Age Group coach at PHX; their son, Harrison, swims at PHX and is a High School Senior at Brophy College Prep School.

Jennifer Gibson

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Jennifer Gibson is our Head Age Group Coach here at Phoenix (PHX) Swim Club, bringing her vitality and expertise to the Blue, Rising Stars and Starfish groups.  Jennifer has been coaching club swimming since 1983, starting with the Southeast YMCA in Fort Wayne, IN from 1983-1987 (where she met husband Dave Gibson, our Head Coach), then Fort Wayne Aquatics from 1988-2003, and lastly Mecklenburg Aquatic Club in Charlotte, NC from 2003-2007 before gracing us with her coaching skills here at PHX.

Jennifer has coached 30 National Top 16 Age Groupers, including 2 National Age Group Record Holders.  She was recognized as Indiana Age Group Coach of the Year on 3 separate occasions, Indiana Coach of the Year on 1 occasion, and Indiana Zone Coach on 5 occasions, and was the Indiana Camp Coordinator for 10 years during which time she organized and ran 22 camps.  On the high school front, Jennifer coached Snider High School in Fort Wayne, IN for 16 years.  Her girl’s team finished in the Top 10 at the Indiana High School State Meet 14 of the 16 years she coached.

She has been an active member of the Manager’s Trip for USA Swimming National Team Program since 1993.  She has traveled with USA Swimming National Teams on six international trips including National Junior Team (twice), World University Games, Short-Course World Championships and Pan-Pacific Championships.  She also organized and acted as the head coach for athlete exchange trips with Fort Wayne’s German Sister City in Gera, Germany from 1996-2002.

Jennifer is a proud board member of the American Swim Coaches Association, presently serving her 3rd-year term.  She attended Ball State in Muncie, Indiana where she graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice and minors in Counseling and Educational Psychology.

Dave and Jennifer’s son, Harrison, is a senior at Brophy College Prep.  He swims for his father in the Gold group at PHX.  Her coaching strengths include working with parents, focusing on fundamentals with novice through young senior swimmers, and motivation.  Her motto is “to bring out the best in everyone she works with.”  In addition, she loves meeting people (world-wide), traveling, and reading.  Jennifer looks forward to the challenges of developing PHX into a progressive USA Swimming Gold Medal program.  

Mark Rankin

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Mark Rankin has been our Head Masters Coach at Phoenix (PHX) Swim Club since 2007, having been the Assistant Masters Coach from 1999 – 2001, and the Assistant Age Group and Senior Coach from 2001 – 2004.  Mark began his swimming career in Portland, Oregon where he was a member of the Multnomah Athletic Club and a Top-16 National Age Group Swimmer as a 10-and-under, 11-12, and 13-14.  He swam and played waterpolo for David Douglas High School in Portland, Oregon from 1981 – 85, securing four High School State Swimming championships and three High School State Waterpolo championships.  Mark was also a Senior National Qualifier in swimming, and attended the University of Arizona on a full swimming scholarship from 1985 – 1990, achieving team co-captain status his senior year.

Mark has two children, Mia and Luke Rankin, with his wife, Maureen.  Maureen is our White, Rising Stars/Starfish coach and a member of the PHX Masters program.

Takahisa Ide

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Takahisa came to PHX 12 years ago as an assistant coach for the Gold Group and Masters team.
He is from Osaka, Japan, where he attended Sakuranomia High School and graduated in 1993, majoring in Physical Education. He went on to college level studies at Tenri University as a Physical Education (Psychology) major. He graduated in 1997.

After working as a Sales Representative for Nissan between 1997 and 1999, Takahisa began coursework at the Phoenix College of ESL (English as a Second Language) where he continues studies in addition to his coaching responsibilities today.

Maureen Rankin

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Maureen Rankin has been an age group coach at Phoenix (PHX) Swim Club since 2002 and currently coaches the White group and co-coaches our Rising Stars/Starfish groups with Jennifer Gibson.  Mo has coached age group and high school swimming on and off for the past 20 years. She is originally from Syosset, NY, was raised in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and started her USS swimming career at the age of 10 - earning her first Top 16 time that very same year. Mo is a past junior national, senior national, Olympic trial and NCAA I qualifier and finalist, not to mention a four-year Oregon High School swimming champion and nine-time All-American swimmer. She received a full athletic scholarship to the University of Arizona where she majored in English Literature. 

Mo has also been a proud member of PHX Masters since 1999 and is married to Master’s head coach Mark Rankin, with whom she has two children, Mia and Luke.