OUR PRIVATE LESSONS INSTRUCTORS
Darria Chance
Darria joined our swim instructor team in 2019. She is our Program Manager and coach with more than 5 years of experience. She is a former swimmer, Lifeguard Certified and has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Chinese Language and Culture.
Language: Mandarin/English
Hobby: Triathlon training
Student age preference: 4 years old and up
Ahmed Bali
Ahmed is the most tenured instructor at Triangle Aquatic Center. He started teaching when the facility was open back in 2007. However his first experience as an instructor began in 2002. He is Adult and Child CPR certified and Water Safety Instructor Certified.
Languages: English/Arabic/French/Un poco Spanish
Hobbies: Soccer and traveling
Student age preference: 4 to 13 years old
Laura Prudhomme
Laura has worked at TAC off and on as a Water Fitness instructor since 2012 under old and new management. She started teaching and coaching swimming with TAC in 2019. Laura swam competitively in Louisiana for seven years and has been teaching swim lessons since 1985. Coach Laura started a career coaching swimming in 2014 with a heavy focus on technique.
Languages: English
Hobbies: Paddle boarding
Student age preference: all ages, but especially 12 and under
Matt Cardenas
Matt joined the TAC staff in October 2021 as a program instructor and program supervisor. He has a decade of experience teaching swim lessons through the Boy Scouts of America and the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home. Matt is also a certified Red Cross lifeguard and lifeguarding/first aid/cpr/aed instructor.
Languages: English/un poco Español
Hobbies:
Hiking, Climbing, Free Diving, Open Water Swimming
Student age preference: 3 years old and up (adults welcome!)
John Murphy
John joined the Triangle Aquatic Center staff in May 2020 as a lifeguard supervisor. He is also a Group Instructor and Certified Lifeguard Instructor.
Languages: English
Hobbies: Open Water swimming, Triathlon training, cycling, Skiing
Student age preference: 4 years old and up including adults
Catherine Gilbert
Catherine originally began working with TAC as a group instructor in 2018.
She has been competitively swimming on the TAC Titans swim team since 2013.
Her favorite strokes to teach are freestyle and butterfly. She is CPR and Lifeguard Certified.
Mariana Pulgarin
Mariana joined the Triangle Aquatic Center in 2018. She started teaching back in her home country of Colombia in 2007. Currently, Mariana also teaches and supervises group classes. She is a former competitive swimmer and also practiced Fin swimming and Underwater Hockey.
Languages: Spanish/English
Hobbies: Camping, swimming and biking
Student age preference: 3 years old and up
Brianna
Brianna has 4 years of swimming experience and 9 months of instructor experience. She joined TAC in June 2022.
Lifeguard, CPR, first aid & AED certified.
Languages: English
Favorite stroke: Freestyle
Hobbies: swimming and hiking.
Student age preference: Open to working with all age groups.
Dylan Truong
Dylan began as a competitive swimmer at TAC in 2014 but has been swimming since 2010. He joined the TAC staff in 2022 as an instructor in teaching, he priorities working with each student to understand technique in all strokes and levels.
He is also Lifeguard/CPR/AED/First Aid certified.
Jennifer Strout
Jennifer has 11 years of competitive swimming experience and has swum for the TAC Titans for 9 years. Jennifer has experience training with the Elite groups of Tac, including Elite Nationals. Jennifer currently trains with the UNC club national team. she joined the Triangle Aquatic Center instructor team in 2021.
Jennifer’s favorite events are breaststroke and Individual Medley. She is comfortable teaching all strokes.
Languages: English
Hobbies: Triathlon, open water, running, and weight training.
Student age preference: Open to working with all age groups.