Along with Chris DeJong, John is co-founder of Big Blue Swim School. He was a national-level freestyler at the University of Iowa, where he was a Big Ten Conference Finalist and Academic All Big Ten. After college he moved to Austin, Texas where he began a career as a professional swimmer with Longhorn Aquatics. At Texas he trained with Olympic Gold Medallists Ian Crocker, Aaron Piersol, and Brendan Hanson for head Olympic coach Eddie Reese. He then moved to Chicago to begin a career with Futures Route Inc., but his passion for the water soon led him back to the pool. Since returning to the pool as a coach, swimmer, and private instructor, he has provided top-notch swim instruction to hundreds of satisfied area swimmers.