Meet the coaching staff

Rob Cole brings more than 40 years of coaching experience — over 30 as a club coach — across recreational, club, high school, and collegiate swimming. He believes every swimmer matters and develops each athlete in a safe, supportive environment. From novice to elite, there is a place for every swimmer to thrive.

His career includes serving as Zone Distance Camp Director and Coach, national camp coordinator, and Missouri Valley Zone Team Director. He has coached National Top 10 age-group swimmers, Junior National finalists, Senior National swimmers, and Olympic Trials qualifiers, and led high school programs to 30 league titles, 11 state championships, and numerous state champions, All-State honorees, record holders, and All-Americans. Rob works across every C26 training group and directs the C26 strength program.

Robbie Bruce is an athlete-centered coach built on one belief: better technique creates better swimmers. Known for a detailed eye and a hands-on style, he uses underwater and above-water video analysis and individualized feedback to improve efficiency, body position, power, timing, and feel for the water. He works with competitive age-groupers, collegiate swimmers, and out-of-state athletes who travel to Kansas City to train with him.

Robbie is also nationally recognized in open water swimming — one of the Midwest’s leading open water coaches. He has guided athletes to top-five finishes at Open Water Zones, national-level collegiate 5K championships, and the professional ranks of triathlon, and has coached swimmers through everything from their first open water race to the English Channel. He works with the Pre-Senior and High School Prep groups, coaches in the C26 strength program, and leads the C26 open water program.

Born and raised in Overland Park, Alexa Turpen swam for the Kansas City Blazers and Blue Valley High School before competing for Arizona State Club Swim, specializing in the 100 and 200 backstroke, 200 IM, and sprint freestyle. She earned a degree in Biological Sciences from ASU and returned to Kansas City for her master’s.

Prepared, detail-oriented, and organized, Alexa brings a bubbly, positive, and creative style that balances fun, discipline, and development. She leads the Age Group, Pre-Competitive, and Junior Olympic swimmers, and her favorite part of coaching is seeing a swimmer’s excitement when they drop time or hit a goal.

A second-year student at Johnson County Community College, Nick Fisher has been in the sport since age six and coaching for nearly four years. He swam primarily breaststroke and freestyle, and works across the Pre-Competitive, Age Group, and Junior Olympic groups.

His coaching centers on personal growth, confidence, and long-term development — helping athletes build a genuine love for the sport and understand that mistakes are part of learning. Nick is a calm, encouraging presence on deck.