Since before she can remember, Katie Field has been in and around the water. Growing up with her very own family pool, Katie at a young age learned how to swim and handle herself comfortably in the water and even helped her parents maintain the pool as a kid. Her passion for swim began young, but continued into her teenage years when she decided to become a junior lifeguard at a summer camp. Since that point, Katie has had an assortment of jobs that all kept her feet wet.

Over ten years ago, when Katie was 17 years old she came to the Newtown Athletic Club to be a certified lifeguard and swim instructor. After her college years, Katie moved on to work at Sahara Sam Oasis, an indoor and outdoor water park and comprehensive aquatic risk management facility. During Katie’s time at Sahara, she continued to learn firsthand about water safety and how to maintain an aquatics facility. After quickly moving up in the ranks, Katie became the Aquatics Director at the Sahara Sam Oasis. In this time, she was able to help earn the facility the Ellis Gold Award for lifeguarding. This is one of Katie’s many accomplishments that prove that she is passionate about her work.

In 2011, Katie created a non-profit with a mission to teach kids about water safety and first aid. In just two years, she and her team were able to reach over 60,000 kids throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. What a difference she has made and continues to make! Now as the Aquatics Director at the NAC, Katie is passionate, dedicated and willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who needs assistance. Her favorite part about her job is interacting with the members and making a difference in their lives. Her main goal is to make the aquatics environment safer for children and she does so by insisting that children get in the pool and stay in the pool at a young age. If you continue to swim, you will gain more confidence in the water and the pool will become that much safer for everyone.

Katie swims nearly three times a week, but spends most of her time in the water teaching swim lessons during the Fall and Winter sessions while gearing up for the outdoor pools in Spring. Swim lessons are her favorite activity in the pool. She loves to see the difference she can make for all the children and adults who struggle in the water or are not comfortable. She believes that the swimmers at our pool are some of the coolest people she will ever meet and she enjoys spending time with them each day.

As the Director of Aquatics at the NAC, Katie is a certified lifeguard instructor, pool and spa operator, and PA amusement rides inspector, among other things. When asked about her career in the aquatics industry, she explained that it is very time consuming, but rewarding. To be in aquatics and run a pool or facility, you have to put in a lot of hard work, but it is worth it when you “make lives better.”

Katie’s job may be time consuming, but it still allows for her to continue pursuing her passions. In addition to swimming, Katie also enjoys spending time outside, cooking, reading, drawing, painting and making DIY décor. If you can’t find Katie by the pool, check over at Six Zone, her second favorite way to workout at the NAC!

Way to go, Katie! Fourteen years strong and many more to go!

 

For inquires regarding lifeguarding and how you can kick-start your career in aquatics, please visit NAC lifeguarding!