Nancy

Nancy has taught swim lessons for 50+ years in multiple states and settings. Her passion for swimming began in New Hampshire with her family where she spent endless hours on the lake. Those countless hours soon turned into a job as a young swim instructor. She later found a passion for synchronized swimming in high school and college.

Nancy’s passion for water and teaching is seen in her lessons where she takes a humanistic approach to every client. She has a gentle, yet firm teaching style and leads by example. Her numerous years of experience give her the ability to individualize every lesson based on her clients goals and needs.

Outside of the water, Nancy has multiple hobbies including; event design and decoration, floral design and teaching jewelry making classes in Lapidary, Metal and Silversmithing. Nancy takes pride in everything she does and believes in paying it forward. Nancy truly loves being in the water and this transfers to her swimmers ability to learn while having fun at the same time. Nancy specializes in babies and toddlers, kids with anxiety and persons with disabilities.

Hunter

Hunter is our Lead Swim Instructor. He has coached and taught swim lessons for 15+ years. He has experience teaching beginner swim lessons all the way up through advanced stroke instruction and triathletes. Hunter also has experience working with persons with disabilities.

While in high school, he was a top 25 swimmer in Middle Tennessee. His passion for teaching lessons comes from his summer days spent on Center Hill Lake. Along with his years of competitive swimming, his first job was a lifeguard, swim instructor, and assistant swim coach.

Hunter’s teaching style uses empathy, compassion and intuitiveness to understand the client. He provides a learning experience that challenges his swimmers in a safe and proactive way that instills confidence and excitement for the water. Hunter’s hobbies outside of the water include backpacking, lake life, and sports in general.

He has a degree in Leisure, Sport, and Tourism studies, specializing in Recreation. He has years of experience leading kids and adults in recreational pursuits like climbing, backpacking, and other various watersports. He believes that recreational pursuits and the obstacles that come with them are analogies for life…

“In swimming it doesn’t hurt so bad when you fall, and everyone falls in life.”– Hunter

Obie

Obie has taught swim lessons for almost three years, and with Swim & Play for 2 years. He previously worked at the YMCA in childcare and aquatics.

Obie is also an actor and Adjunct Professor of Theatre at Austin Peay University. His passion for teaching is based on keeping kids safe in and around the water. Obie’s favorite ages to teach are preschool and adults. His acting and theater experience gives him a unique advantage when interacting with students. He uses a calm and compassionate demeanor in his teaching style.

Outside of being a swim instructor, Obie spends his time training for triathlons and being a loving father, grandfather, and husband. Obie has a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and a Master Degree in Theater Arts. Water is Obie’s “zen zone” and he truly enjoys teaching swim lessons at Swim & Play!