Melanie von Weller
Growing up as a competitive swimmer I spent much of my youth in the pool or in the open water training. These early years helped me to develop a passion for the water that spurs my enthusiasm when working with athletes today. It was my freshman year in high school where I started teaching swimming lessons at the local community pool and coaching with the Tualatin Hills Thunderbolts. These positions are where I more completely developed the understanding of the physicality of teaching the strokes properly and how to achieve the desired results with young athletes. When I started coaching swimming with Southridge High School I drew from my experience teaching the learn-to-swim program to develop athletes with little to no experience and lead them on to swim at a varsity level. Being a former competitive swimmer and swim coach, I have had not only the opportunity to train as an athlete but the opportunity to train others in the pursuits of their own athletic excellence. I’ve had the fortune to run a swim lesson program where I was able to also share my knowledge with aspiring instructors and develop their skills. After years of working with kids of all ages, I have developed patience and compassion for all levels of swimmers. I know when to challenge my swimmers and inspire them to do the very best they can. I am observant to varying ability levels and can provide insight and individualized coaching to help each swimmer develop their form until they can perform technically proficiently. I’ve worked with all age levels and believe that no matter the age or the experience, we all have work we can do to our strokes.
Education
- Portland State University – General Sciences
- Swim America Program Director
- ASCA Level 2 Swim Coach
- ASCA Conference attendee (4+ years)
- Various swim conferences & trainings
Athletic Experience
- 20+ years of competitive swimming experience
- 20+ years of competitive open water swimming experience
- 10+ years of competitive running and cycling experience
- 4+ years of devoted yoga practice
Professional Experience
- Professional Swim Instructor since 1999
- Professional Swim Coach since 1999
- Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor since 2012