91泡芙

Instructors

Jose Alfonzo hails from Lecheria, Anzoategui, Venezuela.  He learned to swim when he was 4 years old while in a summer team in his county.  He made the Venezuelan national team in open water for the Caribbean Games in Aruba 2018.  He is especially proud of his open water crew back in Venezuela and last year’s conference with LIU.  His favorite swimming stroke is Freestyle.  He loves to teach swimming because he loves to share his passion for the water and be able to see other people get comfortable in water.  Through swimming, he has learned the value of having a routine, being disciplined and having a passion for the sport.  He applies these values to his teaching.

Previously, he worked as a volunteer assistant coach for the Marlins swim club, a summer team in Edwardsville.  He has also worked as a swim instructor at LIU since 2023 for kids from 3 years old to teenagers.  His advice:  Don’t overthink it, the water is a second house for you, first control your breathing and then execute.

He is completing a double major in Artificial Intelligence/Robotics and Computer Science.  He loves math and physics and looks forward to developing new software development and other technologies in the future.

When he graduates, he may return to Venezuela or move to California where the weather is warm all year around and he can swim outdoors.  Aside from swimming, he loves programming, working out at the gym, playing/watching sports in general (like soccer) and listening to music.

If he could swim alongside any aquatic creature, real or mythical, it would be to swim alongside a Megalodon, just to chill out with him.

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Emilio Garcia Martinez is from Spain where he learned how to swim at 6 years old in Valencia with private swim instructors.  He’s been a 4-time National Champion, and is proudest of his first national record. 

His favorite swimming stroke is Freestyle.  He considers it his best stroke and loves to teach it.  He advises that with swimming, it is better to go slow at the beginning than trying to be fast with bad technique.  He has taught private swimming and coaching at a swim club in Spain for 3 years.  Some of his core swim instruction techniques include:

• Safety and Confidence Building
• Overcoming Challenges
• Building Relationships
• Lifelong Learning

He is especially considerate with students who might be nervous or hesitant about getting into the water, reminding them that they can do it, and that he’ll be next to them and will have a good time together.

Emilio is studying Artificial Intelligence because he likes programming.

His ideal place to swim would be New Zealand because he loves the views and always wanted to live there.  Outside of swimming, he loves going out with his friends, and taking walks.

If he could swim alongside any aquatic creature, real or mythical, it would be with whales; he’s always wanted to be next to one.

 

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Alejandro Pascual del Cid is from Madrid, Spain.  He began swimming when he was 5 years old in his school with his dad.  He is proudest of becoming Spanish Champion and NEC Champion, and especially of  going under 23 in 50m Freestyle!

His favorite swimming stroke is the Freestyle in a sprint.  As a Division I student-athlete, he practises discipline and patience, which he will bring to his teaching, whihc he has been doing for the last 4 years.  He loves when his students attain mobility in the water, and encourages them by reminding them that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Alejandro is an Artificial Intelligence major since he has always liked computers. 

Someday soon, he hopes to swim in an outside pool everyday in Miami.  He also loves Real Madrid soccer.

If given the opportunity, he would love to swim alongside a pod of dolphins. Dolphins are not only incredibly intelligent and graceful creatures but also known for their playful and sociable nature.

 

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Charlie Wallace hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, where his mother taught him how to swim at the age of 4.  His proudest swimming achievements are getting his varsity letter in the 200-meter individual medley, and breaking 30s on his 100-meter breaststroke split.  He loves the breaststroke because it’s technique-oriented and very different from all the other strokes.

As a Division 1 student-athlete, he’s learned the value of building a strong culture in a group, and building a team that supports each other.

His experience includes being a coach, lifeguard, after-school tutor, music teacher and Big Brother in the Big Brothers program.

He thinks it’s really interesting to see how everybody has different goals. For some, it’s really scary and hard to just put their head underwater, some want to learn how to do a flip turn, and others are trying to work on pace in the 500. He also thinks it's awesome to see how the younger groups look up to and can be inspired by the older groups.

He encourages hesitant swimmers by taking baby steps; by breaking down the process of getting into the water into as many small steps as possible so that each step becomes less and less scary.

Charlie is studying Political Science and International Relations because he loves to talk to people and loves to learn about people who are different from him. He’d love to travel and meet people in his career.          

One day, Charlie hopes to swim between the Straits of Gibraltar. He thinks it would be really beautiful, and it would be really cool to do a “cross-continental” swim.

Outside of swimming, he plays guitar, piano, bass, and saxophone. He does some studio gigs, some live gigs, and teaches lessons. Making music is one of his main passions.

Charlie thinks it would be really cool to swim next to a whale. Just the scale and size would be really impressive.