Ninja Swim
Coach Marc
Coach Donna
I grew up in Minnesota one block from our community pool, so every day was in the pool swimming. I worked my way up to being a certified lifeguard as a teenager and was always swimming but never raced or joined my school swim team.
After moving to the PNW for college I moved to doing more running and biking, and in 2003 began my triathlon career. In my first ever triathlon, 50 yards into the swim I tore all the cartilage in my left knee. I finished the race, went to see an orthopedic surgeon and he told me not to run, bike etc. again and my triathlon career was over after 1 race. I did not listen to him, and in 2005 found Total Immersion I and took my first clinic in Bellevue.
I fell in love with the technique and the "Zenness" of it and restarted doing triathlons. Since then I have done over 100 triathlons of all distances from sprint to full Ironman distances.
In 2010 I became a TI coach and have been coaching ever since. As part of my coaching, I have worked with a range of students from teens to adults in a 1:1 focused practice. Additionally, I coached an all-women’s Tri team for a few years putting multiple people on the podium in their respective age groups.
Since that time, I have changed my coaching to focus on the swim aspect, coaching people of all ages whether for sport, relaxation, or all the above.
Certifications & Experience
Total Immersion - Certified Level 2 Coach
TI Coach since 2010
American Red Cross - Certified Lifeguard/CPR
USAT level 1 Triathlon coach 2013-2017
Pro Club as Swim Instructor - Feb 2018 - Now
I grew up in a tiny town in northern New Jersey within view of NY City. Each year from K-12 summers were spent at Boulevard Pool during the week and at the Jersey Shore ocean swimming on the weekends. But with no high school team in town, swimming came to an end.
Fast forward 20 years, living and working in the PNW, and unexpectedly I became very ill and lost a year of my life. At the end of my medical treatment, to regain my strength, they sent me to Physical Therapy, but sadly that just made me feel worse. But across the street was a Y swimming pool and I thought— “why not try?”
I began simply water walking, with a goal to walk from one end of the pool to the other and get out. But over time my childhood swim came back to me and soon I was swimming my way back to health. I eventually began swimming with US Masters Group, and became a YMCA and Red Cross Water Safety Instructor (WSI) myself.
In 2014 I began learning about Total Immersion and its focus on the kinesiology of the body which was key for me as an older adult with several factory reconditioned parts. In 2015 I began studying TI, eventually training with Coach Marc, and finally became a TI coach myself.
My personal superpower is my passion to teach adults of all ages, shapes, and abilities to swim.
I believe that swimming is the fountain of youth and drives the development of self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment among adults.
Certifications & Experience
Total Immersion - Certified Coach
YMCA Swim Coach 2018-2019
American Red Cross – WSI Certified/ Basic Life
Support/ AED & CPR for Aquatics
Snohomish Aquatic Center Adult Swim Instructor- 2019-now
