Coaching Staff

Coach Terry Maul directs all phases of the ATAC program and is the on-deck coach for the ATAC senior program. Coach Maul has over 40 years coaching experience which include the following accomplishments:

American Swim coaches Association level 5 certification (the highest level)for both USS club and NCAA.

Voted the Florida Association Senior coach of the year in 2003

Head coach USA National Junior Team in Montreal, Canada in 1992.

Head coach of USA National team in Rio de Janiero, Brazil in 1984.

Served as head coach of swimming at Florida State University for 18 years (1975 - 1993)

Coach Maul has developed numerous Olympic Trial qualifiers, Senior National finalists, and Junior National champions as well as several USS age group champions.

In addition to his duties with ATAC, Coach Maul is also working as an assistant professor of statistics and sociology at Thomas University in Thomasville, GA. Coach Maul is married to Dr. Jodi Yambor-Maul and has two children, John (8) and Alyssa (13).

Gerry has coached and worked in Sports Management and Administration for 39 years. He has facilitated the growth and expansion of Sports and Recreation in Tallahassee/Leon County through the Tallahassee Parks and Recreation Department, which was recognized as the NUMBER ONE Recreation Department in the country in 2004 (National Recreation and Parks Association “Gold Medal Award”).

He has served on state and national Boards of Directors for various competitive sports, as well as having presented Sports and Customer Service seminars and clinics at professional conferences and retreats.

1968 – 1972 ….Florida State Varsity Swimmer

1969 – 1974…..Head Coach of the Tallahassee Swim Team (TST)

1974 – 1984…..City of Tallahassee Aquatic Supervisor and A/G coach for ATAC (formally TST)

1984 – 2006…...City of Tallahassee Athletic Superintendent

Swimming is a family affair. Gerry is married to Karen (Synchronized swimming coach for 30 years and current Southern Zone Rep. for US Synchro) and has three children; Katie, 26 (2005 Collegiate and US National Solo Champion – Synchro), Karla, 23 ( 13 year ATAC swimmer and current FSU Water Polo President), and Christopher, 16 (current ATAC and Chiles High School swimmer).

As a Tallahassee native, Patrick grew up around the sport of swimming. The youngest of four children, he spent most of his youth in the pool. He began swimming competitively when he was five years old at Maclay Aquatics. When he was ten his whole family switched teams to ATAC. Patrick swam and trained in the pre-senior and senior groups for over eight years. He competed in the Junior Olympics, Senior Championships, FHSAA State Championships, and South Eastern Sectionals.

He has coached multiple ATAC groups, including summer league, novice, high-school, and challenger, as well as for Chiles high school.

Patrick is currently a sophomore working toward a dual degrees in Chemistry and Biology and hopes to attend Medical school after graduation.

Aside from swimming he enjoy most other things outdoors, such as cycling and running.

I began swimming when I was 13 years old and immediately fell in love with the sport. I swam competitively for a private club in Hallandale Fl., called the King Tut Swim Team. With this team, I competed in swim meets as well as Open Water swims. I swam for my High School for four years and was Team Captain my Senior year. I worked for several years as a volunteer coach for the South Broward Bulldog’s Novice team in Hollywood Fl. Then I worked for one summer as a beginning level swim instructor with Aventura Aquatic Club. After I graduated for high school I moved to Tallahassee, where I am currently majoring in Psychology at FSU, and I have been working as a novice coach with ATAC since this April 2007.

Mercedes Rivera was born and raised in Miami, FL. In Miami she swam competitively for over 10 years with the North Miami Swim Team. She currently attends Florida State University and is working towards a bachelors in Nursing and a bachelors in Family and Child Sciences. She can always be found near a pool, when not coaching or teaching she lifeguards at the F.S.U Leach Center.

Mercedes has been coaching with the ATAC program for 1 ½ years and had worked with the League, Novice, Age Group and High School programs during this time. Growing up, Mercedes idolized Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken. She also loves frogs!

Karla is a recent graduate of Florida State University (2008) with a degree in Exercise Science. She was an ATAC Junior Olympic and Senior Championship swimmer for 13 years and a member of the 2003 ATAC Florida Senior State Championship team. She also swam for Lincoln High for four years and was Team Captain as well as MVP in 2000 and 2002. During her collegiate years she became the Head Coach of the Lincoln High School Swim Team from 2003 to 2007 and President/Captain of the FSU Water Polo Club. She also took on the position of the Head Coach of the Bainbridge Extreme Swim Team (BEST) in the summer of 2008. While participating on the FSU Water Polo Club she was awarded the Collegiate Water Polo Association All Conference Athlete from 2005-2008, as well as being selected as the FSU Water Polo Most Improved in 2004 and MVP in 2007 and 2008.

Karla’s responsibilities include coordinating and coaching the combined Bainbridge and Thomasville ATAC satellite programs with the goal of growing these two programs for the future. She will be preparing these swimmers for both the Georgia Parks League competitions and ATAC U.S.S competition.