Travis Swim Professional

Coaching Staff & Swim Instructors


















SWIM INSTRUCTORS

Nicole Junga: Swim Instructor
Email: nicolejunga@comcast.net
Phone: 734-260-4417-Cell & 734-944-3619-Home
Availability: Tuesday-8 am-Noon & after 4 pm; Thursday after 4 pm; anytime Friday; Saturday after 10:30am; anytime Sunday.
Teaches: Private, Semi-private and/or group lessons for all ages and ability levels.

Nicole has been working here at TPCC for 4 years. She will be starting her third year at Washtenaw Community College this fall. She plans on going to WCC for one more year and then transferring to U of M to complete her nursing degree. She started swimming competitively in third grade, for Saline in the winter and Travis Pointe in the summer. Nicole continued to swim at Saline High School and was a co-captain her senior year. She enjoys reading, traveling as well as spending time with her friends and family.

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: Swim Instructor
E-mail: N/A
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. 

COACHING STAFF

Kara Smith: Aquatic &Fitness Director/Head Diving Coach
Email: ksmith@travispointe.com
Phone: 734-662-2582 Ext. 18
Kara Smith is in her third 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 daughters, Allie Raye Smith and Karlie Jean Smith.

Andy Zimmer: Head Swim Coach 
Email:  azimmer@emerson-school.org
Phone:  662-2582 Ext. 18
We are pleased to announce that our new Head Swim Coach of the Tiger Sharks is Andy Zimmer.  Andy is an Ann Arbor native who graduated from Ann Arbor Pioneer High School.  He and his wife Erin live here in Ann Arbor after returning from Switzerland where they both were teachers for two years.  While living in Zurich, Andy was a Middle School Social Studies teacher, Grade 8 Team Leader, Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator, as well as the Head Swim Coach for the High School.  Andy is not new to the WISC scene, as he grew up swimming for Huron Valley Country Club, and went on coach for the Huron Valley swim club for eight years.  In addition to coaching swimming, he was the head coach for the University of Michigan Men’s Water Polo team from 2004-2006.  Andy is currently the Technology Integrator for Emerson School here in Ann Arbor.

Kyle Begley: Assistant Swim Coach
Email:  begleyswim@gmail.com
Kyle is entering his second year as an assistance swim coach here at Travis Pointe Country Club. He is a Junior at Eastern Michigan University where he is earning a degree in Journalism and is a Division I collegiate swimmer for the Eagles. Kyle is no stranger to TPCC.  He grew up here swimming on the team for 10 years in the WISC league. Kyle was a volunteer coach for Huron Valley Swim Club and was a lifeguard and swim instructor there for three years.

Brian Semple: Assistant Swim Coach        
E-mail: semple@dexter.k12.mi.us
Brian grew up in the Ann Arbor area and swam competitively for 13 years. He was an active participant in WISC swimming from 1986 – 1998.  He also swam on the varsity swim team for four seasons at Ann Arbor Pioneer, and was a member of the state championship team in 1999.  Upon graduating from Indiana University with a degree in education, he returned to Michigan where he began teaching at Mill Creek Middle School in Dexter. He has been the Head Swim Coach at Mill Creek for the past two seasons.  In addition to coaching swimming, he has also been coaching water polo for the past 6 years at the high school level.





 
 
2829 Travis Pointe Road  •  Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108  •  Phone: 734.662.CLUB/2582  •  FAX: 734.662.8667