WHO is Teaching

 A little bit about me: Stephanie (Kozowyk) Havelka

 

I grew up on the East Coast competitive swimming, swimming in lakes/ponds, coaching/teaching swimming, cross country running, lifeguarding and hitting the lifeguard competition circuit...which lead to triathlon of ALL distances, and a move to Hawaii after my Ironman in Kona.

My Hawaiian Ironman experience was amazing, the entire journey from qualifying to get there, getting there, and doing it on my own (I went by myself at age 22) was profound. 

My eyes were opened to beauty of the islands, life in the Pacific, learning new sports and living life as it is meant to be lived, like one big adventure.

I immediatly felt a connection with the islands and the people. I continued teaching and coaching swimming and expanding my swim knowledge and newfound ocean knowledge through my new sport outrigger canoe paddling.

This is just a small part of my story...what a ride it continues to be....

 

I got some feedback from friends/clients who read through this site...and they said that this should be the part where I am supposed to tell about all of my sports, how I was ranked, accomplishments etc....here goes! 

 

To be honest, this is difficult for me to do. I haven't kept track over the years of all the wins, in fact I did not stock pile all my medals...but I can tell you I excelled in the sports of competitive swimming, Masters Swimming, Open Ocean Swimming (on the Big Island of Hawaii), Triathlon Age Group, EXTERRAS, 5K's, outrigger (paddled outrigger with some of the most elite women I know in sport...we won the World Championship Molokai Crossing & numerous Hamilton Island Australia Cup wins, amongst others over a 20 year paddling career span)...

I traveled the globe as front man Dexter Holland of the band The Offspring's personal trainer.

A small venture into Flatwater Kayaking and it led to Olympic Trials 1996 for Flatwater Kayak (and I was awful, I think I came in last, but that experience taught me SO much).

 

What my list of "wins" doesn't tell you is about the coaches and other elite athletes that I hung out with who taught me so many strategies and skills. It doesn't tell you about my failures and what I learned from them. It doesn't tell you that at 17 I worked at a swim camp that weekly brought in swim Olympians Matt Biondi, Tracy Caulkins, Mary T. Meagher (madame butterfly) and Jim Naber, I got to coach along side them and be coached. I have many Olympian friends in various sports who I still, to this day, learn from. ...And for these reasons alone, I know I have knowledge to pass on.

 

I was featured in John Assarf's book (he was highlighted in the movie The Secret) on Visualization and a technique I have used in my sports. I also have had the pleasure of working with actors/actresses preparing for movie rolls that required them to swim. 

There is so much to be being a good athlete, and then there is a whole lot more to rising up the ranks to being a GREAT athlete. There are specific "out of the water" practices to keep you and your mind fine tuned. This is a topic that I personally love and enjoy the most, the true mind body connection and HOW TO EXCEL. 

I have very specific underlying strategies that are done out of the water to enhance your performance in the water with my swimmers through Age Group programs like AZOT's in Southern Cal, Masters Swimmers, Open Ocean Swimmers, Military - Camp Pendleton, and my new new new swimmers as well. I continue to teach these methods through my Surge Swim Method™.