About johnnie means aquatics
Our experienced and supportive coaching staff is committed to helping every swimmer achieve their best both in and out of the pool. For questions about practices, meets, events, goal setting, or other swimming-related matters, please contact us.
about us
Johnnie Means Aquatics is a proud USA Swimming–affiliated club and a member of Gulf Swimming, one of Texas’s five Local Swimming Committees (LSCs).
Our Team
Our swimmers come from all across the Greater Houston area to train. Our swimmers (ages 5-18) attend schools in Houston ISD, Pearland ISD, Fort Bend ISD, and Humble ISD. Our middle and high school swimmers also participate on the school swim teams.
OUR COACHES
Our Coaching team advances the legacy of Johnnie Means, Texas Hall of Fame Coach with over 60 years of experience. Our coaches have access to the most comprehensive training and certification program for youth coaches of any sport. Our culture of learning ensures that your swimmer is trained using the most current age appropriate programming.
NON-PROFIT STATUS
Johnnie Means Aquatics, a 501©3 non-profit club, is run by its elected Board of Directors which meets quarterly. All members are welcome at each meeting and encouraged to be involved in team activities and fundraisers.
Community Involvement
JMA has pledged to engage with the community we serve, partnering with local schools, neighborhood associations, government, and other nonprofit organizations.
Continuing the legacy
While Johnnie Means Aquatics was officially founded in 2022, our story stretches back generations — to a time when swimming wasn’t just a sport, but a stand for equity, access, and excellence.
- It all began in 1961, when Coach Johnnie Means launched an AAU swim team at Houston’s historic South Central YMCA. At a time when public pools were segregated, he courageously appealed to the AAU to desegregate swimming in Texas — opening doors that had long been closed.
- By 1963, Coach Means was leading the TigerSharks at Texas Southern University, establishing one of the first collegiate swim teams at a historically Black university. Under his guidance, the TigerSharks rose to national prominence in the NAIA, the first athletic conference to welcome HBCUs — breaking barriers in and out of the pool.
- In 1992, in partnership with educator Thurman Robins and Harris County Commissioner El Franco Lee, Coach Means co-founded a free, competitive swim program that would reach thousands of children across three decades. This program — known as the Harris County Aquatics Program — became a training ground for champions at every level: regional, state, national, and international. Its final meet was held in March 2020, leaving behind a powerful legacy.
- In 2022, that legacy entered a bold new chapter. Means Aquatics, Inc. — now proudly operating as Johnnie Means Aquatics (JMA) — was born to carry the torch forward. Today, Coach Means has entrusted that vision to two of his longtime mentees, Candess Tucker and Dominique Hamilton, who continue to train, coach, and lead with the same passion and purpose that has shaped the Houston swim community for over 60 years.
At JMA, we honor our past while building a future where every child has the opportunity to swim, compete, and thrive.
Our coaches
Our dedicated coaches are committed to nurturing every swimmer’s athletic potential while shaping confident, socially conscious leaders both in and beyond the pool.
Training
We provide a developmentally appropriate training progression that nurtures swimmers at every stage, from beginner athletes to national-level competitors. Our program develops proficiency in all four competitive strokes while building a strong foundation in streamlining, kicking, body position, and body awareness.
COACHES
At Johnnie Means Aquatics, our coaches are more than swim instructors; they are experienced professionals committed to the total development of every athlete. With a range of certifications and credentials, our staff provides swimmers with access to age-appropriate training methods that support growth in and out of the water.
DRYLANDS
Our dryland program emphasizes physical literacy and proper technique as the foundation for long-term development. From there, athletes progress through age-appropriate strength training that is designed to challenge, engage, and support continued growth.
THE WHOLE CHILD
JMA is dedicated to supporting the whole child through an athlete-centered approach that builds competence, character, confidence, and connection.
Coach
- Johnnie Means Aquatics was founded by Candess Tucker and Dominique Hamilton to continue the extraordinary legacy of Coach Johnnie Means, a pioneering swim coach, educator, and community leader whose influence is woven into the fabric of Houston’s swim community and far beyond. Through this organization, Tucker and Hamilton carry forward his lifelong commitment to equity, access, excellence, and water safety, ensuring that the next generation of swimmers benefits from the same discipline, opportunity, and encouragement that have defined Coach Means’ life’s work.
- A Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Famer, Coach Means began his career in 1959 with the American Red Cross and went on to coach thousands of students in swimming, diving, water safety, and strength training. In 1961, he launched an AAU swim team at Houston’s historic South Central YMCA and challenged the AAU to desegregate swimming in Texas, expanding access during a time when public pools remained segregated. By 1963, he was leading the TigerSharks at Texas Southern University, helping establish one of the first collegiate swim teams at a historically Black university and guiding the program to national recognition within the NAIA. In 1992, he co-founded the Harris County Aquatics Program, a free competitive swim initiative that served thousands of children over nearly three decades and developed athletes who excelled at the regional, state, national, and international levels.
- In 2022, Candess Tucker and Dominique Hamilton founded Johnnie Means Aquatics as a continuation of that historic work and vision. As founder and co-founder, they are building on the foundation Coach Means established over decades of service, creating pathways for young people to learn, compete, and thrive in and beyond the water. Their leadership reflects a shared dedication to preserving his mission while expanding its reach for future generations.
- Today, Johnnie Means Aquatics stands as both a tribute and a living extension of Coach Means’ impact. Recently inducted into the Texas Southern University Sports Hall of Fame, Coach Means remains a powerful symbol of what visionary leadership can accomplish. Through the work of Coach Candess, his legacy continues not only in medals earned, but in doors opened, confidence built, and lives changed through aquatics.
She is the Founder and Head Coach of
Johnnie Means Aquatics.
- Coach Candess Tucker “Coach Candie” is a dedicated aquatics professional, educator, and leader with more than two decades of experience in competitive swimming, water safety, athlete development, and community impact.
- Her journey in aquatics began as a competitive swimmer with the Harris County Aquatics Program (HCAP) from 1990 to 1995. After relocating to Newark, New Jersey, she continued swimming with the Newark Swim Team through 1998. Her professional career in aquatics began at the Newark YMCA, where she served as a lifeguard and swim instructor during her high school years at St. Anthony High School.
- Following graduation, Coach Candess continued her work in aquatics with the City of Newark at the John F. Kennedy Swimming Pool, where she taught water safety and swim instruction to community members of all ages. In 2008, she founded the Newark Piranhas Swim Team through the City of Newark Recreation Department, serving as Head Coach while pursuing studies in Physical Therapy at Essex County College. In 2010, she launched Water Wings Corp., transitioning the Newark Piranhas into a private swim club and expanding her impact in competitive swimming and youth development.
- In March 2017, Coach Candess returned to Houston, Texas, where she served as Site Manager and Coach at Kashmere High School for the Harris County Aquatics Program (HCAP). During that time, she continued coaching while pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at Texas Southern University, which she earned in November 2020. In August 2021, she founded Johnnie Means Aquatics, where she serves as Founder and Head Coach. In 2022, she also began working as a teacher with Houston Independent School District, furthering her commitment to youth development both in and out of the pool.
- Coach Tucker later earned her Master of Arts in Sport and Athletic Administration from Gonzaga University in May 2025.
- Her professional credentials include certification as an American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, Lifeguard Instructor, USA Swimming Certified Coach, ASCA Level 2 Swimming Coach, Certified Pool Operator, and Certified Aquatic Aerobics Instructor. She has also been selected three times as a USA Swimming Diversity Camp Coach, serving in both the Eastern and Southern Zones.
- As the founder and head coach of both the Newark Piranhas Swim Team and Johnnie Means Aquatics, Coach Candess has remained committed to creating access, opportunity, and excellence in aquatics. Her work reflects a deep passion for developing swimmers not only as athletes, but also as confident, capable, and socially conscious leaders in their communities.
Learn To Swim Manager/ Assistant Coach
Swim Beyond Boundaries, Inspire Beyond Yourself.
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EVALUATIONS ARE ONGOING
Held at the TSU Recreation center where your swimmer can be evaluated by our coaching staff. Submit a request to schedule your child’s evaluation.