At Sparks, we're working to develop the swimming community.

Sparks Consulting guides swimming athletes and their families through the arduous task of finding the right college culture and swimming program to meet their academic and athletic needs - our ultimate goal is character development. We work in the background, identifying our students' character first then helping their families by providing a knowledge base and support system for their values during the college selection and recruiting process. Counseling with us allows families to work with folks who share their passion and also have a vested interest in creating the right fit between athletes and programs so the experience is rewarding for everyone involved.

Counseling Associates

Lindsay Henahan / Rochester, NY

Lindsay joins the team at Sparks after serving as a swimming assistant coach at various levels around the country. Upon completing a successful career as a collegiate and USA swimmer, Lindsay began coaching at Fairport Area Swim Team and Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. as a way to “make it through” graduate school. After earning a MS in School Counseling Lindsay moved to Pullman, WA to take on the role of lead assistant for Washington State University Swimming. At WSU, Lindsay had the opportunity to recruit and work with various American and international student athletes who competed on every level, including the NCAA Championships, the World Championships, World University Games, and the Olympics. Based on her experiences as a coach Lindsay brings a deep appreciation for the recruiting process and the value in finding the right athletic, academic, and socio-emotional fit for each student-athlete and collegiate program. She re-certifies on the NCAA Division I recruiting exam every year.

Jacob Shanley / Orono, ME

Jake joins Sparks after recruiting and coaching at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, working with several homegrown programs in his native Maine, and acting as swim camp coach at the Total Performance Swim Camp located at Kenyon College. He brings with him a familiarity with Division III liberal arts college swimming in the Northeast as well as the Midwest. Jake also serves as a swimming journalist for various online publications, including collegeswimming.com and Sparks's Reports from the Front. Jake's experience working with youth extends to his teaching in the field of robotics and coaching on the club level. Jake is currently completing a post-bacalaurete in financial engineering at the University of Maine, and re-certifies on the NCAA Division I exam every year.

Brian Sharar / Clovis, CA

Brian brings over 27 years of collegiate and high school coaching experience to Sparks Consulting. Brian was head swim coach for 9 years at University of Toledo, spent time as the Head Coach for men and women at Western Illinois University, and was the head assistant for the University of North Carolina. During this time he was honored to be selected as the Mid-West Conference Swimming Coach of the Year, Mid-Continent Swimming Coach of the Year (twice), Mid-American Conference Swimming Coach of the Year and the CIF Fresno Bee Coach of the Year. He is an ASCA Level 5 coach (the highest level a coach can reach), and is currently a teacher and head swim coach at Clovis East High School in Clovis, California. He also coaches with the Clovis Swim Club. He began his coaching career at the high school level working at Danville High School and Pike Central High School in Indiana. Brian has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Arts/Physical Education, and a Masters degree in Human Performance. When he’s not coaching or consulting, he enjoys swimming, golf, and watching his 3 children participate in all of their activities with his wife of 25 years, Nancy.

Ben Weston / Portland, OR | San Diego,CA

After 4 years of practicing law, Ben decided to leave his practice and join Sparks Consulting to help others find their place in the sport he loves. We certainly believe his experience is better suited to his new job! As special counsel in a Division III athletic department, Ben conducted multiple collegiate head coach searches. He's well versed on the personalities of the swimming world and the schools of thought behind them. Ben is a US Olympic Trials Qualifier, NCAA Division III National Champion, 12-time Individual All-American, International Gold Medalist, and Masters National and World Champion. He is also a high school swimming coach and open water swimming enthusiast and champion. Ben studied Comparative Law at Oxford while earning his JD from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and he maintains his state bar license in California. He currently lives with his wife and son in Portland, Oregon and competes for the Multnomah Athletic Club. Ben is certified on the NCAA Division I recruiting exam.

Ryan Sparks

Part coach and part entrepreneur, Ryan started Sparks Consulting after a diverse and committed career working as a coach with multiple American collegiate rowing programs. He worked his way up from an assistant coach and recruiter with small, high performing Division III programs such as Bates and Wesleyan before moving abroad to work with national teams during Olympic years. He then moved on to coach and recruit for Yale University. In each case of his NCAA career, Sparks worked closely with admissions to ensure the successful passage of student-athletes through the athletic admissions process while developing a strong understanding of the recruiting habits and philosophies employed at different institutions. During his time as a coach, 92% of the athletes Sparks worked with made the A Final in their respective championship racing in part due to excellent recruiting. He re-certifies on the NCAA Division I recruiting examination every year.

Ryan saw so many families fall into the belief that certain programs and universities were the 'only and greatest' athletic and academic experience while others with (perhaps) better suited coaching staffs and programs for particular students were missed, thus disconnecting the student from the sport and the potential character development available through finding the right 'fit' academically and athletically.

Throughout his coaching career, Sparks was always fascinated by the role of culture in creating a positive and effective environment for athletes' development. He came to the conclusion that even though the execution of sport is somewhat similar the world over, fitting athletes to the right culture could not only create a better experience but also provide a deliberate edge.