John Bainbridge
www.australianswimschool.com

John was educated in Australia and from 1967-75, taught Physical Education and Health Science in Sydney, Australia. During the afternoons and evenings John taught swimming at the Killarney Swim Center.

In 1976, John traveled to the USA on a sabbatical leave and wrote a masters thesis on infant swimming at Cal. State University, Long Beach. An opportunity arose to then open a swim school with a chain of health clubs in Orange County, California and thus began the Australian Swim Schools in 1977. John and his wife, Diane, own 7 swim schools in the Los Angeles, Orange County and Las Vegas areas.

In 1988 John was appointed Chairman of the National Swim School Associations Infant Swim Committee, USA. John chaired the committee that wrote the original NSSA Infant Swim Teachers' Certification Course. This course has been adopted in Mexico.

John has presented papers and workshops previously in the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Norway, Brazil , Mexico, Argentina and Finland.

Dave DuBois
www.carlile.com.au

Currently Dave is the Head of Learning and Development for the Carlile Swimming Organization where he is responsible for all training related development and implementation across the company.

Dave's original post secondary education includes a degree in visual communication and design. Previously he held various positions with the Australian Swim Schools as an Instructor, Head Instructor, Program Director and Corporate Services Director.

For eight years, Dave was the Director of Water Works a private consulting firm for the learn to swim industry and leading learn to swim organizations around the world, focusing on training materials, systems and delivery. He has conducted numerous presentations throughout Australia and New Zealand as well as the USA, Mexico, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Singapore, UK, and Argentina.

Dave has received the Guiding Light award from the US based National Swim School Association (now the US Swim School Assn) and he was the first oversees recipient of the Meritorious Service to the Teaching of Swimming in Australia Award.

Kirk Marks
www.austswim.com.au

Kirk is currently the National Chairman for Austswim Ltd. He has held a variety of positions including past chairman of the Community Recreation Council of Australia, Consultant on a variety of Aquatic Facility Constructions, Consultant in Business Development and Operations, Aquatic Instructor and Coach, Director of Coaching, Private Proprieter of a Swim School, Consultant to the NSW Swimming Association, Head Coach of the Australian Swim Team and as an Aquatics Director for Barker College.

Kirks career has taken him throughout Australia and he has been instrumental in the development of many teaching and coaching manuals. He has presented hundreds of papers worldwide and has been the author of hundreds of articles published in Newspapers, Magazines and Journals.

Barbara Nolan
www.dipadees.com

Barbara formerly owned and operated the Nolan Swim School for 15 years. Currently, she owns and operates Dipadees Little Aussie Swim School. She has previously been the Swim Australia Development Manager and the Swim Australia National Learn To Swim Tour Seminar Coordinator as well as the Australasion –Oceania Swimming Professionals Convention and Expo Teaching Stream Coordinator.

Barbara has been an advisor in the Swim Australia Teacher course development and on the Swim Australia Infant Teacher Guidelines.

She is the author of e-books, workbooks and articles including:

"The Smart Swim Teachers Checklist", and on the website:

www.secretstoswimming.com

And she says "most importantly – Mum of three children and granny to two beautiful grandchildren!

Kelly Pollock
www.paulsadlerswimland.com

Kelly is currently part of the management/ownership team for Paul Sadler Swimland (Rowville).

Prior to moving to Australia 9 years ago she held positions in the USA as a primary school teacher and assistant principal as well as a training manager for Creative Pulications in the fashion industry. She has also been involved with TV/distance education training.

Kelly Rae
www.waterbabies.com.au

Kelly is the founder and director of Oceanic Waterbabies Pty Ltd (1991- present), a unique and highly specialized family aquatic education program in Western Australia. She brings over 20 years of teaching experience and research and development in infant aquatics including initial training and mentoring with Cookie Harkin, Babyswim Australia.

Kelly also brings a unique holistic background to her profession with a diploma in massage and as a Chi Kung breathing instructor. She is the mother of three children who were all home water birthed.

Shawn Read
www.shawnsswimschool.com.au

Shawn began his swim teaching career in 1986 while attending high school. After completing his Bachelor of Commerce Degree he realized that his true passion was still teaching swimming.

In 1994 he and his family opened their own swim school and built the enrollment up to 1300 students. In 2005 they opened a new, larger facility which today teaches over 2000 students per week, 500 of which are 3 and under. Shawn states "our babies program is the cornerstone of our swim school's success... we believe that this program has aided us in achieving the superb results we get from our babies. Shawn is passionate about sharing their program successes with others in the industry.

Julie Zancanaro
www.hillsswimming.com

Julie is a paediatric Occupational Therapist with 20 years experience teaching swimming and designing innovative teaching programs. She owns Hills Swimming in Sydney with her swim coach husband, Deny. Of the 2100 students at their swim school, 600 are under 36 months, making it one of Sydney's largest baby swim programs.

Julie was awarded the inaugural "Meritorious Service to the Teaching of Swimming" by the Australian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association in 1995, and was a contributing author to the first AUSTSWIM Infant and Preschool Aquatics Manual. She has been a keynote speaker at conferences in Australia, France and New Zealand.


Noa Glotter
www.swimboree.com

Noa is a baby swimming specialist, she is the owner of "Noa's Water World" in Israel. She is a co-founder of the Israeli Babyswim organization "3 to 3" and continually represents Israel at world-wide baby swim conferences.

Noa has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of New Mexico in the USA and she holds a swimming instructor certification from the Wingate Institute. Noa specializes in treating children with special challenges such as PDD, ADHD, Autism, etc. through water activities.


Lulu Cisneros
www.lulucisneros.com.mx

Lulu has a degree in Business Administration with additional studies in Preschool Education and Infant Psychology. She has been a teacher of swim students from infants to Masters since 1977. Along with her husband Mauricio Hernandez she founded the Lulu Cisneros Educacion Acuatica 20 years ago in Monterrey, Mexico. She is a certified trainer for the US Swim School Association Infant Swim Teachers Certification and teaches this course in Latin American countries.

Beatriz Esesarte Pesqueira
www.acuarela.com.mx

Beatriz studied Pedagogy at the Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico City and she did post graduate work on Psychomotor Development in Paris, France. She is a certified USSSA infant swim teacher and trainer and she has been teaching for over 15 years.

Beatriz was instrumental in organizing the IV World Aquatic Education Congress in Oaxaca, Mexico in 1997. She is a pioneer in Mexico on the psychomotor scientific foundation in learning to swim. She has previously spoken at conferences in Brazil, Australia, Argentina and the USA.


Jenny McPhail
www.waterdiscovery.org

Jenny has been working in the field of infant swimming since the early 1990's, she is passionate about introducing babies and toddlers to the water. A prior career as a maternity nurse in London, England and caring for the very young led Jenny into her current field.

Jenny is now working to revolutionize the teaching of pre-school swimming in New Zealand, she has created a web based teacher resource that informs, educates and helps teachers design age and skill appropriate lessons.


Carlos Santos and Eduarda Santos Veloso
www.solplay.pt/SOlplayHC_home.aspx

Carlos graduated in Sports Science from the Technical University of Lisbon. He is now the Assistant Teacher at Lusofona University where he is responsible for teaching aquatic education for babies and preschoolers and swimming methods for the fitness/wellness departments of graduate and post-graduate courses. He is also the manager of two health club/swim schools. He has taught parent-baby swim groups since 1995.

Eduarda has a Masters Degree in Child Development and a Sports Science degree from the Technical University of Lisbon. She is currently a teacher of Child Development in the Aquatic Activities Post Graduate department of Lusofona University. She is an aquatic fitness instructor and has taught parent/baby swimming since 1998.

Both Carlos and Eduarda have presented at numerous International conferences and they are authors of a recently published book "Educacao Aquatica do bebe – o programa"

Anne Asterhall
www.swim.se

Anne is the owner of Aqua Works as well she is the manager at a local sports facility in Olofstrom. She is an internationally recognized lecturer in the Halliwick method by the International Halliwick Association, where she served as chair from 2002-2006. She is also a recognized lecturer by the National Swedish Baby Swim Association, and is currently a member of the board of directors.

She lectures in all kinds of aquatic fitness programs such as Ai Chi and Aqua Kick Boxing.

Anne holds a Technical Engineering degree in electromagnetic waves, but for the last 12 years she has only been involved with the waves in the pool.

Ulrika Faerch
www.swimmix.se

Ulrika comes from a competitive swimming background and has made a career out of her sport. Ulrika is the founder and co-owner of the SWIMMIX swim schools in Sweden and Denmark.

Years of intensive work based on a genuine interest in children's development and the interaction between parent and child has resulted in the unique SWIMMIX System of aquatic education and swim skills for children aged 2 months and up.

Ulrika has been a speaker internationally and domestically and is the author of the Danish book on baby swimming "Politikens bog om babysvomning".


Jess Thompson
Paul Thompson
www.waterbabies.co.uk

When Jess and Paul Thompson started baby swimming classes in Yorkshire in 2002, little did they think that, just seven years later they would be teaching more than 16,000 clients in five different countries. Paul was originally a chartered surveyor ( and a PADI Master Scuba Diver), Jess had worked as a teacher and in advertising and public relations.

The couple are most proud of the unique culture that forms the Water Babies backbone and the fact that the company has grown entirely from word of mouth with minimal advertising. The result is a tight-knit family of like-minded individuals who together form the 29 separate Water Babies franchises. Water Babies recently won two national awards for "Best Children's Activity Provider" and "Best Baby Development Activity" and had 34 of its instructors nominated as "Outstanding Class Leaders".


Bryan Crane
www.swimkidsaz.com

Bryan has a degree in Kinesiology from Whitorth College in Spokane, Washington. From 2000 to 2005, he attended and contributed to the Boomer and Paradigm Clinics at the U.S. Olympic Training Centre. During this time, he had the opportunity to work with some of the world's top swimmers and coaches and to discuss issues concerning aquatic development for infants to elite swimmers.

Bryan's professional aquatic experience includes coaching age group and college swimmers, and thousands of hours in the water teaching children how to swim. Currently he is the Aquatics Director for SWIMkids USA. Bryan's passion in aquatics is to see children develop from infancy through swim team so they can develop a life-long love for the water.

Jan Emler
www.iswimemler.com

Debbie Marrs-Sayers
www.dolFUNswimacademy.com

In 1994 Debbie was asked to develop a marketing brochure for a local swim school. To gather information, she took her 18 month old son to Waterbabies classes to "study". Little did she know that a miraculous moment of "being one with the water" with her son would lead to a complete career change from being a Mortgage Broker and Fashion Merchandising Manager to owning her own swim school.

In 1996 she developed Aquatic Infant Beginnings, a parent orientation program for working with newborn infants to six months in the water.

Debbie has certifications and training from Water Birth International, Birthlight of England, Swimplicity and the US Swim Schools Association. She supports and incorporates a holistic multi-faceted approach to her programming for all ages from birth and beyond.

Frank Sahlein
www.3rdlLevelConsulting.com
www.WingsCenter.com

Frank has been involved with the children's sports instruction business since 1967 as a gymnast, martial artist, coach, business owner, consultant and business broker. He is a graduate of San Jose State University.

He has been a regular presenter on business trends and topics at State, Regional and National conferences since 1982. In August 2005 Frank received the National Business Leader Award from USA Gymnastics. Currently he travels extensively throughout the USA consulting to Children's Activity Centers regarding business expansion, management, valuation and brokerage services.

Lana Whitehead
www.swimkidsaz.com

Lana has owned and operated SWIMkids USA for over 37 years. Her swimming program is the result of Lana's Master's thesis which included four research projects tested and researched at Arizona State University. She has authored three books, numerous articles, video's and DVD's on swimming and brain development.

Lana has a BA in Exercise Physiology and a Masters in Special Education specializing in Sensory Integration and training children with disabilities. She has lectured nationally and internationally, and her teaching methods have been featured on television programs such as Good Morning America, That's Incredible and the Montel Williams Show.

* Underwater baby photo's by Tricia Ann Roy (Australia)