“It nourishes and sustains us, it cleanses us, it heals us, it comforts us, it challenges us, it provides a place for exploration, and it inspires us...WATER!”
Joanne M Koury
My passion for swimming started at our summer neighborhood pool with my lifelong best friend Beth. We swam every day for hours. Frequently, my family would visit relatives in the Caribbean, where we enjoyed the beautiful warm tropical beaches of Antigua, WI. These early experiences instilled a love for the water. Even after 40 years of coaching swimming, it continues to give me great pleasure to share my passion for the sport with my students.
Credentials
Joanne is a USA Swimming and ASCA Level 3 coach. She has coached swimming for over four decades, is trained in biomechanics, kinesiology, and sports medicine and attended coaching clinics with top Olympic and Collegiate coaches in the United States. Her work experiences include 23 years as Fitness and Aquatic Director and Head Swim Coach for Lehigh Valley Racquet and Fitness Centers in Allentown, PA and Wellness Manager for three Medical Centers from ground-breaking to operations. In addition, Joanne coached both club and high school swimmers at Northampton Kids Swimming (Northampton, PA), Scottsdale Aquatic Club (Arizona), PAAC (Allentown, PA), LVA (Bethlehem, PA), and Central Catholic High School (Allentown, PA).
She earned her master’s degree in Exercise Science at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and in 1997, East Stroudsburg University Graduate School honored Joanne with the Alumni Award for Early Achievement after graduation for the international publication of the book “Aquatic Therapy Programming: Guidelines for Orthopedic Rehabilitation” (Human Kinetics Publishers, 1996). She contributed articles to various journals, including Aquatics International, North Scottsdale Lifestyle Magazine, SWIMSWAM/Volleyball MOB, Lehigh Valley Hospital Magazine, and the Lehigh County Medical Society Journal.
I was the principal vendor for the Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach, for which Joanne managed the health and wellness center project. I found her to be extremely “on task” and very focused. She worked tirelessly to get the facility open under deadlines. I observed her involvement with the many details of opening the new facility and her timely interaction with Hospital staff, contractors, vendors and the many stakeholders involved in the project. I saw firsthand her versatile skill set as she managed wellness operations, hired employees, developed protocols for members, provided marketing leadership and engaged the membership. Joanne has wonderful credentials and is rich in experience in professional fitness operations. She applies this education and experience with a hands-on approach that is necessary to the get the job done right. She literally goes the extra mile for the organization and the membership. — Jerry Napp, FitRev
