Meet Our Staff
Meet Katrina, North Center's General Manager!
Katrina will be managing the new North Center location when we open in March 2019.
When Katrina started this past fall, she got to experience her first Big Moment not long after she accepted the job offer. It was her first time she got to mark that last check box and move a student up. Katrina got to tell the teacher, the swimmer and mom that the swimmer is moving up! "To see every person that is involved in the swim journey light up, get excited, and feel proud definitely made me tear up. I love that I get to be apart of Big Moments every day!" says Katrina.
Her number one advice to swimmers is to HAVE FUN! Katrina goes on to say, "When the kids are having fun in their lesson, the skills build and start to come naturally that they don't even know they are learning."
Being a mom herself, Katrina feels swim lessons are a vital life skill that every child needs. Kids not only learn the skills to reduce their risk of drowning, but they learn how to be safe around the water and a pool.
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Meet the New Niles General Manager, Tonya!
Swim lessons hold a very special place in Tonya's heart, her parents signed her up for lessons at the age of 2 after a near drowning incident on a family vacation. She believes swim lessons for children are not only an important life skill, but that they create a sense of accomplishment that ripple to other areas of learning and development. She says, "When we are proud of ourselves, we continue to try new things!" Tonya is also very excited to take on this role as General Manager to help our teachers and students reach their personal goals.
Tonya is looking forward to working with all our swimmers because kids make learning fun. They teach us to keep things simple and have fun while doing it, and when we do that, amazing things can happen!
One of Tonya's favorite swim memories is from the 2011 Ironman she completed! Tonya still remembers the moment she exited Lake Michigan and says swimming a mile and a half in open water has been one of her biggest accomplishments.
Meet Alex, the assistant manager at our Hoffman Estates location. Alex started at Big Blue in Buffalo Grove in January of 2016. He had his first BIG moment right when he started as a swim teacher. Alex realized that his job was more than just teaching swim lessons, it was about team work and helping children achieve their goals and become more confident overall.
Alex has seen that swim lessons not only make kids more confident in the water, but makes them more confident when approaching any new obstacle. He says, "Let's face it, swimming can be the most nerve wrecking challenge a parent can throw at a child. Once they get started, you see it click that they know what they're capable, and then there is no stopping them!"
Jeremiah started with Big Blue at our Wilmette facility in February of 2016. Since starting, Jeremiah has been named Employee of the Month two times and has been working as a Deck Supervisor since June of 2017. His first BIG moment at Big Blue was during his first lesson after he had finished training. It was a lesson of firsts that made it so special! The first lesson that Jeremiah taught and the first lesson for his swimmer. It was also the first time Jeremiah was requested to be a teacher. Finally, it was the first time he realized how important his role as a teacher was.
Jeremiah believes all children should start swim lessons at a young age. He goes on to explain, “Water is the first intimidating thing most children will go through alone. At Big Blue, we want all our swimmers to know we are going to make them safer swimmers and they will have fun learning how to be safe in the water. We are with them every step of the way.”
Crystal started working at Big Blue Swim School in February of 2016 at our Wilmette facility. After the birth of her daughter, Crystal transferred to the Hoffman Estates location in October when it opened. Shortly after starting at the Hoffman facility, Crystal began as a Deck Supervisor where she ensured every lesson is watched.
Crystal says every day is a BIG moment for her because she gets the chance to learn something new every day from the people and swimmers she works with. Her favorite thing about teaching swim lessons and working with children is that she gets to use her imagination! She goes on to say, “I get to come in every day and have fun! I see kids walk in scared to get in the water and then leave feeling accomplished. They walk out with their heads held high because they overcame a fear and learned something new, which makes every day fun!”
Julie started at Big Blue Swim School in September of 2016 at our Buffalo Grove location and was named Employee of the Month in June of 2017. Julie brings her passion for swimming every day to work. She says she probably gets more excited than the kids when they move up because of how hard she sees them work and how great it is to watch their progress.
Julie has been swimming since before she could walk! She continued to swim through high school and now loves that she gets to teach kids how to be safe in the water. Julie is very excited to take on this new role and work closely with all our families.