Donita Grinde-Houtman, CPRP, Aquatic Program Coordinator, Derby Recreation Commission, Derby, Kansas is the March 2018 Competitor Aquatics Professional of the Month.
 
My aquatic experience began at 6 months of age when my parents enrolled me in the first parent and child aquatic program offered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Although I got cold quickly, I loved being in the water and by the age of 15 had been a WSI aide for a couple seasons and received my lifeguarding certification.  After my first day working as a lifeguard, I remember coming home and telling my parents that my goal was to be a head guard.  I continued obtaining certifications and found that I loved to teach, mentor and make a difference in the lives of our pool guests.  At the time, I didn’t really consider a career as an aquatic professional and attended college for Early Childhood Education.  While teaching pre-K for 4 years, I still continued to work at pools and had an opportunity to make the leap into full-time aquatic employment and have never looked back.

       
 
In my 25 years of professional experience I value each and every facility that I have been a team member of, as my different positions have allowed me a greater understanding of our industry and the impact that we have on our communities.  I’ve supervised facilities such as the Olympic Training Center’s Swim Center in Colorado Springs, many traditional pools, an indoor aquatic center, 5 acre lake, Barton Springs Pool in Austin, TX, several mid-sized outdoor water parks, a college pool and splash pads.  Each of these is very unique and fostered my understanding of operational requirements.  Additionally, 5 years of coaching girl’s 6A high school swimming and diving to teaching numerous formats of water fitness courses to swim lessons to mentoring interns and staff members to creating and implementing relevant staff training curriculum to special event implementation cultivated my programming experience.  One of the most important lessons that I consistently remind myself of is the importance of our front line lifeguard and WSI staff.  Without them, I wouldn’t be able to come to work to a job that I am truly passionate about.  I continue to learn and grow daily, which includes experience with the design and construction process of aquatic facilities.  In my experience, the single thread that ties each community together has been their enthusiasm for their facility or courses for not only the physical fitness benefits but more importantly the camaraderie and friendships formed.
 
I am currently the Aquatic Program Coordinator for the Derby Recreation Commission in Derby, KS and am proud to serve this community for the past 3.5 years.  I am an American Red Cross Instructor Trainer in Water Safety, Lifeguarding and First Aid/CPR/AED and instruct not only the staff for our agency but for several other neighboring agencies.  As one of a few IT’s in the state, I work with the American Red Cross to advertise Lifeguard Instructor Review courses and serve as a resource for other instructors.  I have presented at the Association of Aquatic Professionals conferences on 3 occasions as well as served on the conference planning, drowning prevention and marketing and communication committees throughout the course of AOAP’s existence.
 
I am beyond grateful to many mentors who have provided guidance in growing my career and AOAP is a large part of this growth.  I hope we all continue to push our industry to the next level and take time to give back not only to our communities but to one another and encourage our youngest professionals to continue our legacy.