Martha R - Female

Swimming is my passion. I have been a swimmer for over 50 years and I have been a swim instructor for over 35 years! I consider myself an "amphibious creature" because I live happily in water and on land! Whatever your Aquatic need may be, you can count on me to teach you or your child to swim safely and effectively.

I started swimming at age 3. At age 9, I joined the swim team at our summer swim club. I surprised myself and everyone at how fast I swam. That winter, I joined the Princeton YMCA Swim Team. Being on the team meant I had to work hard to be competitive and to improve my strokes and times. My best stroke was backstroke. At age 15, I placed 5th in the YMCA Nationals in the 100 backstroke and at age 17, I became the NJ State Champion in the 100 and 200 yard backstroke events. My goal was to swim in college. My luck changed in 1976; I injured my shoulder which meant I couldn't swim competitively for a few years. I didn't give up on swimming though. I became certified as an American Red Cross Lifeguard and WSI Swim Instructor. Over the years, I have been a swim coach for a number of teams and I have taught group, private and semi-private swim lessons to children and adults of all ages. My experience also includes working as a Hydrotherapy Instructor, Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Exercise Instructor, and as an Aqua Aerobics Instructor.

Currently, I am the Fitness and Aquatics Director at Stonebridge at Montgomery, a retirement community in Skillman, NJ. I went to the University of Michigan and I have a Master of Science Degree in Exercise Science.

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