FOSS-Maple Grove Fabulous 5!!

Fab + 5 = FOSStastic

We would like to thank…

Spring 2010 Fab 5:

Brittany Bennet: I’ve been swimming since I was six months old. For several years I even swam at FOSS! I continued to swim all the way through high school. When I was younger I always looked forward to coming to swim and seeing my teachers, so now I try to give my kids the same enthusiasm that my instructors gave me! I love coming to work and being able to goof around with the kids. Teaching doesn’t even feel like a job. When I’m not working I like to hang out with my friends, go shopping, be with my family and eat as much as I can. I am going to school at the University of Minnesota and am majoring in Biology, Society and the Environment so that when I grow up I can save the world!

Jessi Fraser: I grew up in Osseo and moved back here 2 years ago. I love the small town in the big city atmosphere. Growing up I was always a fish in the water, but I learned how to swim competitively when I was 10. A friend of the family had a daughter that was a swimmer and she taught me all the tricks. I joined the junior high swim team at Osseo when I was 12 and by the time I was in 9th grade I was asked to be on the high school varsity team, which is funny since I never swam outside of school. Swimming was a natural element for me. Then, as most people, you graduate high school, go to college and get a stressful desk job. I hadn’t been in water for 14 years when I got this job. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to get back into it. Like riding a bike. And what an extreme opposite to being a graphic designer stuck in front of a computer all day! Now I’m doing something I love and getting to spend much more time with my 3 year old son. My son Ian is also taking lessons at FOSS and he loves it! The great thing about that is being able to see the magic of FOSS from both sides of the coin. Ian was terrified of water. That of course broke my heart. All the staff at FOSS did what they do for everyone that goes here, they went out of their way to ease him into it and now he loves it. I guess that’s why I love teaching here so much. Everyone that works here honestly cares about your kids and wants to make it as fun and enjoyable as possible. Because of my own experience with Ian, I think that is why my favorite stories from working here usually involve kids that are scared and reluctant to get in the water. Once you see the click in there head and their confidence rise and you see them swim by themselves that first time… It is so amazing to be apart of that! I truly love working at FOSS and being a part of that awesome process.

Linsey Williams: As a kid and still today, I often dream of creating and being a part of things that are greater than myself. Things that build bridges and tear down walls. During my school days, I did pursue that through theatre and dance. Now, I’m lucky enough as a young adult to be able to do the same thing while at work. Growing up here in Minnesota, my curiosity has driven me to explore and discover. Not only my beautiful backyard, but what makes the world and the people in it tick. What I love about FOSS is that we’re always engaging in that childlike exploration, inviting everyone to join in because it’s fun. It’s nice to know that I’m a part of a place where smiles are actual requirements.

Liz Kurkows: I have been working at FOSS since the Fall of 2008. I love my job because I get to do my 2 favorite things: hang out with kids and swim! I have always loved being around water. I have been swimming since I was 8 and I swam competitively for 7 years in middle and high school. Currently, I am a student at the University of Minnesota studying Psychology and Elementary Education. Teaching at FOSS is the main reason I want to become an elementary teacher. I love seeing kids get excited, gain confidence and learn! My co-workers, or FOSS family as I like to call them, are fantastic! We always like to be goofy and make each other laugh. Between fun parents, great kids and my FOSS family, every day is an exciting one. Please feel free to say hi when you see me and see you at the pool!!

Winter 2010 Fab 5:

Jessie Steen: I grew up in Maple Grove, MN. In 2005 I graduated from Osseo Senior High School and in 2007 I graduated with my Associate in Arts degree from North Hennepin Community College. I am now currently attending St. Cloud State University for special education. I started at Foss Swim School in Maple Grove in 2007. I love teaching at Foss because I get to act goofy and play with kids all day, it never feels like work. In my free time I enjoying going up north and relaxing with friends and family. I also like to bust out dance moves with my girl’s. A goal in my life is attempting to do one crazy thing a year that terrifies me, like bungee jumping or sky diving. I like to live on the edge!

Elena Kufalk: I was born and raised in Russia and moved to United States 6 years ago. I was a member of a regional swimming team in Russia and gladly jumped back in the water to teach kids in the fun atmosphere of FOSS. Making pizza, painting the ceiling in a rainbow of colors and sending Frank and Murray over the moon, we are doing it all! I’m a mom to a very active 5 year old daughter who is also a FOSS swimmer. We enjoy hiking and gardening in the summer and downhill skiing in the winter. My favorite swimming stroke is “paint the ceiling”, I mean backstroke, and I love playing magic carpet games with kids.

Chris Norman: I am a true cheesehead. Born in Wausau, WI, grew up and learned to swim in New Richmond, WI. I’m a former competitive distance freestyler, a mom and an avid fan of the greatest football team ever, the Green Bay Packers! I worked for 20 years in the Star Tribune sports department where I had a lot of fun, but it doesn’t come close to how much fun I have teaching swimming at FOSS. Not only do my students entertain me, I am inspired and amazed by their spirit and will to learn. I think I learn as much from them as they do from me. How cool is that?

Mindy Filand: Born and raised in Hutchinson, MN I fell in love with swimming at a very young age. I was fascinated by the water and went on to be a competitive swimmer for 10 years. During that time, I also discovered my passion for being creative. Still to this day, when I am not in the water, I have my eye behind a camera or hands on a canvas creating something. When I found FOSS, I was so thrilled to be living out the dream I’ve had since the age of 15 of becoming a swim coach. There is something so magnificent about seeing children’s faces light up over a sticky high 5 or accomplishing something we’ve been working hard to achieve. I can think of nothing I’d rather be doing than making a difference in the lives of “my kids.”

Anthony Farha: Well, to sum it up I basically can have fun doing anything in the world. I live a minute from downtown and every time I am there its an adventure. Probably 3-5 times a week, I wake up telling myself its going to be the best day of my life, and it has never failed me. My favorite thing to do is play the piano and I am going to school to become a teacher. My best friend is Chris Goevent, and some say we are polar opposites. During the Winter time, I wear my stitch christmas hat everywhere I go and probably make 20 new friends every day because of it. I always try to look on the bright side of things, and love making others smile.