Our Pod.
1 Location
around Portland, OR
5+ Coaches
Founder / Owner
I am the founder of DolFUN. I am married and a mother Spencer and Bryce, stepmother to Forrest, Jacob and Jessilyn.
I don’t remember learning to swim, I do remember at the age five, my mother being successful at begging the swim team coach to let me on the team. In 1994, I re-discovered my love of the water when I started Aqua-Tot classes with my first son Spencer when he was only 18 months old. A passion was instilled in me to inspire other families with infants on why and how it is safe to bring them back to the water after their birth. My enthusiasm began to grow for educating all ages, all stages and all abilities in the water. I then began my journey in establishing DolFUN SWIM Academy and creating a SAFE, FUN and JOYful aquatic environment where families can gain a positive experience through water safety and learning to swim. I am dedicated for life to passing on the blessings that this wonderful world of water has offered myself and others. I am intent on teaching families about all the layers of drowning prevention and that swimming lessons an important layer of protection.
I am privileged to be surrounded by an amazingly talented, knowledgeable, devoted and loving staff, we graciously call our DolFUN Pod.
I also pass my passion to others through presenting domestically and internationally in such countries as Australia, China, England, Figi, Hawaii, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Vancouver B.C.
United States Swim School Association Member (USSSA). USSSA Infant Toddler Committee Member, coop writer of the course. USSSA Infant Toddler Course Presenter. Swimagine Institute Faculty member.
I joined the DolFUN family after seeing one of Debbie Sayers presentation at the first Baby Fest Expo in Portland. I was amazed at the work that she has done with the development needs of children and how she incorporated those needs appropriately in their swimming lesson even with babies as young as 2 months old. I knew that this was the next step in swimming I was looking for. I started swimming when I was five years old and never really left the water after that. I was on competitive swim teams and then started working as a lifeguard and swim instructor when I was 16. I taught in the Portland Parks program for 7 years, then I moved to Salem where I taught and coached in a Swim America program for 3 years. After moving back to Portland, studying Child and Family Studies at PSU and trying out other things, the water called to me and I started looking for a swim program that would push my knowledge of the water even further. Thus I started working for DolFUN SWIM Academy in 2014.
Seeing how my own children love the water has really been a joy for me. They both love being in the water as much as I do. It keeps pushing me to help all the children that I teach understand how the water can bring them joy in their movement through it. Watching all of our DolFUN families grow and the children’s enthusiasm for swimming develop into a passion is truly amazing.
I have also had the opportunity to become a Certified Lifeguard Trainer through Starfish Aquatics and Community Outreach Coordinator while working for DolFUN. This was an exciting extension of my knowledge of lifeguard practices and first aid/CPR skills and sharing knowledge about safety and drowning prevention.
Certified in First Aid, CPR, Lifeguard Professional Rescue, DolFUN Master Level Certificate. USSSA Infant Toddler Online Course
Katsura has had a love for swimming and experiencing self through interaction in the water before she can even remember. As a teenager she discovered her passion for sharing in knowledge and helping others on their path of discovery. Katsura knew becoming a teacher was the choice for this path. Katsura then began teaching yoga and reiki. Once Katsura discovered DolFUN she was able to share in these two passions, while adding her love of being a part of growth and development for the youth. Katsura joyfully offers a safe, comfortable water experience while sharing in skills to improve strokes through swim swim lessons at DolFUN.
I have had a love of the water my entire life. My father would take myself, 5 sisters and any other kids that wanted to join into the river. Our family has always had a boat, my dad started me on skis at 5 years old and I have been on the water any chance I can get ever since. Swimming at the community pool was also a favorite family activity. I was fortunate at an early age to learn to swim and have a respect for the water.
Being an Aquatic Educator at DolFun Swim Acadamy gives me the opportunity to pass on that joy of the water to others. It is very rewarding to give children confidence in the water and the skills to be safe.
I spent the first twenty summers of my life living 300 feet from the Mediterranean sea in a small beach town in Spain. The countless hours that I have been in water, either in the sea or at the pool, gave me the understanding of the freedom that water provides. I am so excited to join the DolFUN pod to bring Watsu to the Portland community and to share my skills and knowledge with DolFUN children and their families.
My first job ever was as a lifeguard in my community’s pool, where I taught occasional kids’ swim lessons. I went on to study Physical Therapy in college where I connected deeply with the healing properties of water as I was studying Hydrotherapy and its clinic applications. After graduating in 2005, I moved to Italy where I worked for almost three years as a PT with disabled children. I had the special opportunity to offer individual hydrotherapy sessions to some of my patients in a therapy pool. Later, I traveled to Central America where I took my first official Watsu class and I suddenly realized that sharing the magic of water with the world was going to be my long-life passion. During the same trip, I found the love of my life, my wife Jessie and we moved to Spain where we had our first kid, Fenix, I became a Watsu professional, and Jessie became a Full Spectrum Doula. We relocated our little family to Portland in 2013, where we had another kid, Lirio, and we will welcome our third one in 2018.
Becoming a father helped me to discover the power of pregnancy, birth, and parenthood. I have gained very valuable information from studying pregnancy and birth alongside Jessie. I love sharing my understanding about the benefits of Water during the childbearing year, infants, and children. Ultimately, I am deeply drawn to supporting life from the very beginning and I hope to share my passion for a natural and healthy approach to birth, parenting, and water education and healing. It is my most sincere belief that we can make this world a better place by better nurturing and caring for children and their families.
I grew up around the water and have been swimming my entire life, this gave me a love of the water. My passion for swimming and sharing what the water brings to each individual came from the many surgeries I had and how much swimming contributed to my overall health and wellness. Water became my happy place.
I have been teaching water safety skills and swimming skills to kids with Autism for the past 10 years. I am a registered behavior analysis interventionist; this influenced my approach for teaching swimming and led me to create a program based on the principles of ABA. During my time teaching, I have witnessed the calming effect water provides and how the sensory input that water gives helps everyone who interacts with it.
I am excited to partner with DolFUN to bring a greater love and appreciation of the water to all the kids that we work with.
