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Coach Dawn Van Ryckeghem
Coach Dawn has been passionately involved in the sports & fitness industry for the past 2 decades. She began by teaching group fitness classes in 1988, shortly after receiving her bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice from Culver Stockton College in her home state of Missouri. In 1990, she became certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the Aerobic Fitness Association of America (AFA). She has been employed by AFFA from 1992 to present, as a Certification Specialist, traveling the U.S., training and testing prospective fitness instructors both in the classroom and on the floor. She is perhaps best known in the community for her various roles as fitness instructor for the Middle Tennessee YMCA where she has taught spinning, step, circuit, and water aerobics over the last 15 years. In 1997, Dawn helped pioneer a boot camp-style fitness class, the precursor to the now popular boot camp movement in our area, a class which she still teaches to this day.
Dawn began her swimming career in 2000 when her eldest 3 children started lessons and joined a summer swim league. Dawn soon jumped in with both feet and took master’s swim classes herself. By the summer of 2001, she had joined the Maryland Farms YMCA Thoroughbreds summer swim team as an assistant coach. In 2004, as head coach,she helped lead that team to win their division and county championship. In 2005, she spear-headed the formation of the Brentwood Barracudas summer team, which she has managed and help coach to 3 consecutive championship titles for both dual and county meets. The Barracudas have grown into the largest summer team in the area, having to limit their roster to 250 swimmers. In that same year, she established the Middle School-High School Home School Swim Team and appealed to TISCA for their right to compete against other schools as a legitimate team, score points and win relays. Her middle school team took 3rd place overall at the championship meet in its second season, and her middle school boys actually came in first place. They have begun their third season with a new name:
The MTHEA Makos!
Dawn joined Excel in 2006 as lead coach of the Bronze age-group and became head of Excel’s home school training group, K-12, which she has helped grow from 20 to 80 members. She earned her certification as a Coach Member of USA Swimming and helped lead her Bronze 8 & under girls to the district championship that year. As she begins her second season with Excel, Dawn continues to be excited about coaching swimming and says that one of the most fulfilling aspects of the job is to see the excitement in the kids who have been working and struggling at a stroke, when they finally succeed and “get it”. Dawn continues to be passionate about fitness and now believes swimming to be the best form of exercise for the body, mind and spirit for all age groups and individuals. Dawn has been happily married to Pat and they have six children; Rose, Dane, Grace, Joy, Hope and Faith. All six of her home-schooled children have or are currently competing for Excel Aquatics..