Aquatics Department

What kind of swimming experience have you had in the past?
    I have a total of 17 years competitive swimming experience.

        - 11 years YMCA age group (Oak Park YMCA)
            > Qualified and placed in state meets - 11 years
            > Held state titles - 4 years
            > Represented OPY in 5 National Swim Meets

        - 7 summer seasons AAU level (Oak Park Swim Association)
            > Qualified and placed in the Junior Olympics - 3 years

        - 4 years High School (Oak Park, River Forest High School)
            > Qualified and placed in 1st State of Illinois Girls Swim Meet
            > Named to All-Conference and All-State swim team
            > OPRF MVP (First MVP awarded to female athlete)
            >Awarded the Gloria June Olson "Butterflyer of the Year" award

        - 4 years Division I College (University of Illinois-Chicago)
            > Attended on a full 4 year swimming scholarship
            > Team Captain - 4 years
            > MVP - 2 years
            > Candidate for Athlete of the Year - 2 years

        - 2 years Masters (Rich Port YMCA)

What sparked your interest to swim?
At age 5, after being in a 6 week swim lesson session, where I never made it into the water, didn't cry, but screamed throughout the entire session, my instructor told my mom "Give me a chance, I'll get her swimming". With that, she picked me up and threw me into the water. I guess I realized then that I wasn't going to drown and 8 sessions later, I made it through all the Y's levels to Porpoise. I had and still do have a love of the water.

What is your favorite event and why?
This is a hard question for me, I truly love several different events for their own reasons, but if I had to only pick one, it would have to be the IM because it gives you an opportunity to show you have the ability to swim all four competitive strokes well.

What were your best times and events?
As far as best events, I was all over the spectrum over my 17 years. I started off during my first two years as a breaststroker, moved onto fly, then to middle distance free. I then had a real funny coach that thought I was a long distance swimmer (500 yd & 1650 yd free). After long distance, I moved back to middle distance, then was thrown into the sprints for awhile. Then the coach that truly made me the swimmer that I was and convinced me I could swim backstroke and made me an IM'er. I did come back full spectrum and ended up my last year of college swimming as a breaststroker.

I really don't remember too many of my best times, except for my freestyle ones, because those were the ones I had true goals for and worked very hard to achieve those goals.
            - 50 yd free - 23.7
            - 100 yd free - 54.1
            - 200 yd free - 1:57.6

What made you decide you wanted to coach?
After being involved as a competitive swimmer for so long and loving it so much, it only seemed the natural next step to stay in the one sport I loved. I also love working with the age group swimmers and watching them improve through their hard work and dedication.

What kind of coaching experience have you had?
Prior to this position, I have coached:
- 3 years High School (Glenbrook North High School)
- 4 years YMCA (Oak Park & Elmhurst YMCA)

What do you feel determines success in a swimmers season?
I am not a win-at-all-cost type of coach; I am not worried about that final team score at the end of a meet. I look more at the individual swimmer and how they are progressing over the season. Things I stress over a regular season are:
        - Individual goals (setting them, working hard to achieve them)
        - Improvement of stroke mechanic
        - Making new friends
        - Having fun

Most importantly, did the swimmer enjoy swimming competitively enough that they want to continue? If the answer is yes, then that's what determines the success of the season.

Tell us a little about yourself and your family:
My husband, Tim and I have been married for 27 years. I have had a State of Illinois K-12 Physical Education/Health Teaching Certificate for 27 years and this will be my tenth year teaching PE/Health at MacArthur Middle School in Berkeley, IL. Tim is a Director of Regional Sales for a major Power Transmission Equipment manufacturing company based in Milwaukee, WI. Although he travels a lot, he still volunteers to be an administrator and coaches youth football in a Pop Warner National Organization; this will be his 15th season. In 2005, he also coached freshman football at Yorkville High School.

We moved to Yorkville 4 years ago. We have 3 children, our oldest, Brian, graduated in 2005 from the University of Florida (Go Gators) with a degree in Journalism & Communications. He currently is the Assistant Director of Development and Assistant Athletic Director at Aurora Central Catholic High School where he also coaches football and baseball. Our daughter Briana will be returning to St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin for her sophomore year, where she is majoring in Elementary Education and is a cheerleader for the college. Her squad also cheers at all the home Green Bay Packers games (she is still a Bears fan though). Our youngest, Jordan, will be a senior at Yorkville High School this fall, where he plays on the Varsity football and baseball teams. He is also a cadet on the Bristol-Kendall Fire Department and is planning a career in firefighting.