Travis Swim Professional

Tiger Sharks Coaching Staff


















Bug Melendez, Swim Instructor

Email: almi14@alumnimail.albion.edu
Phone: 734-845-0464
Availability: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - anytime after 5 pm and Wednesday - 5-6 pm & after 7 pm. Weekends may be arranged, if needed.
Teaches: Private, Semi-private and/or Group Lessons for all age and ability levels.

Bug Melendez swam for Travis Pointe Country Club as a child and has been employed at the club for five years. She began teaching swim lessons nine years ago. In 2002, she graduated from Saline High School and was a member for the SHS Swim Team. More recently, in May of ’06, she graduated from Albion College with a double major in Elementary Education and Exercise Science.

Throughout the years, she had received her Lifeguarding, AED, First Aid, and Water Safety Instructor (WSI) certifications and she is a Senior Instructor here at Travis Pointe Country Club. Her background includes teaching children from 2 years of age to adults age 65. Currently, she teaches group lessons on Wednesday nights, and teaches private lessons upon request in the evenings. Please feel free to contact her at any time. She could be reached by phone at (734) 845-0464 or you may call the club and leave a message in the pool office.

Tom "TJ" Johnston, Infant/Toddler Swim Instructor

Email: NA
Phone: 734-677-8346 (Please leave a message)
Availability: Most days and evenings
Teaches: Private, Semi-private and/or Group Lessons for all age and ability levels; as well as Parent/Toddler and Parent/Infants

Tom Johnston has taught swimming lessons for more than 14 years at Saline Recreation Center and Boysville in Clinton. He teaches children how to swim, often accompanied by their parents, at Saline Recreation Center. At Boysville, TJ encourages safety to teenagers while they learn how to swim. He encourages kids to build confidence while having fun learning how to swim. He has been an American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor since 1950.

TJ had a career in broadcasting and real estate development and had retired in 1992. He then renewed his aquatic certification and was hired to teach all levels of Red Cross swimming. He was active in setting up the original Summer Recreation program in Saline in 1956. He is also very proud of starting the Swim Aide Program in Saline, which trains young adults to become swim instructors. 

Kara Smith, Aquatic &Fitness Director/Head Diving Coach

Email: ksmith@travispointe.com
Phone: 734-662-2582 Ext. 18

Kara Smith is beginning her second year here at Travis Pointe Country Club. Originally from Buffalo, NY, Kara attended the University of Pittsburgh where she earned her B.S. in Movement Science and her Master’s degree in Teaching Health and Physical Education.

Kara Smith brings with her over twenty years of diving experience and has coached for the past fifteen years. As a former diver at the University of Pittsburgh, she was an NCAA Division I All American. She began her coaching career in Pittsburgh, coaching at the H.S., USD club, and collegiate levels. From 1998 until 2004, Kara was the Aquatics Director and the Professor of American Red Cross Lifeguard Training and Water Safety Instructor courses, at the University of Buffalo. As the Head Diving coach at UB from 1999 until 2004, Kara was named the MAC Conference Coach of the Year in 2002, and had 13 MAC finalists and 7 NCAA Zone qualifiers. She was also the head coach of Wings Diving from 1998 until 2004 and had 16 Junior Olympic National qualifiers, 4 National finalists, and 1 National Champion.

Presently, Kara and her husband Buck Smith, coach the number one United States Diving Club in Michigan, Legacy Diving. Legacy’s home pool is at Eastern Michigan University, where Buck is also the Head Men and Women’s Diving Coach. Kara and Buck live in Ypsilanti with their daughter, Allie Raye Smith, who was born on June 14th, 2006. 

Sarah Volpe, Head Swim Coach 

Email:  svolpe@emich.edu
Phone:  330-268-1041

Sarah is currently the Assistant Swim Coach at Eastern Michigan University and assists in running all aspects of the Division I Swimming program.  She comes to us from Ohio University where she was the Assistant Coach from 2005-2007, and earned her B.S. in Exercise Physiology and an M.S. in Recreation and Sport Science with a concentration in Coaching Education.  In addition, she was a letter recipient and four-year Division I collegiate swimmer for OU.   She has coached athletes of all ages in the swim camp setting, as well as coaching Congress Lake Country Club in Hartville, OH. If you have any questions for Coach Sarah, feel free to call her at  or e-mail her.

Nicole Junga, Assistant Coach & Swim Instructors

Email: nicolejunga@comcast.net
Phone: 734-260-4417-Cell & 734-944-3619-Home
Availability: Tues.-8 am-Noon & after 4 pm; Thurs.-after 4 pm; Fri.-anytime; Sat.-after 10:30 am; Sun.-anytime
Teaches: Private, Semi-private and/or group lessons for all ages and ability levels.

Nicole Junga is a Junior Instructor here at Travis Pointe Country Club. She has worked for Travis for two summers and has taught swim lessons. She is certified in Lifeguard Training, First Aid & CPR for professional rescuer. This past summer, she was an assistant coach for the Tiger Sharks swim team here at Travis Pointe Country Club. She has been swimming since the 3rd grade and she swam for Travis Pointe in grade school. In high school, she swam for Saline High School and was a co-captain of the swim team during her senior year. She is currently living in Saline and attending Washtenaw Community College. Her goal is to become a mental health nurse.
 
2829 Travis Pointe Road  •  Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108  •  Phone: 734.662.CLUB/2582  •  FAX: 734.662.8667