T-Hills
coaches are committed to helping each athlete reach their full
potential while nurturing confidence, instilling responsibility and
commitment and teaching the value of hard work, the importance of time
management and the worth of a healthy lifestyle.
John Ortiz -
Head Coach
John
Ortiz is the new Head Coach for T-Hills Synchro. More info will be
updated here soon.
Nicole Langley - Interim
Head Coach
Nicole swam for MAC Synchro for six years before moving to
Riverside, California, to swim for the Riverside Aquettes. While with
MAC Synchro, Nicole won a national duet title and in 2003 when swimming
for Riverside she was named to the US Junior National Team. Nicole is
currently a student at Portland State University; she has studied
athletic training, dance and sports medicine. Nicole loves coaching
young athletes and helping them to reach their potential!
Christina
Todd - Assistant Coach
Christina has a comprehensive synchro background. She has
held all positions in the Oregon Association of Synchronized Swimming,
has managed many local, regional and zone competitions along with the
1997 and 2001 US Open Championships. Christina currently holds a Zone
level officials rating, is a past West Zone Education Chair, and has
attended all levels of the US Synchro Coaches Certification Program.
She began coaching ten years ago and founded the Tsunami Synchro team.
Currently swiming as a master for MAC Synchro, she has competed for the
past 15 years and recently achieved a 2nd place fishish with her team
routine at the 2006 World Masters Championships. Christina saw both of
her daughters grow up in the sport and hopes to provide other young
athletes with the same opportunities for growth. She is currently
training for her national level officials rating.
Frances Savage -
Recreation Program Coach
Frances swam with T-Hills Synchro for five years, then
transferred to MAC Synchro for an additional season. In her high school
years Frances played waterpolo and was on the swim team for Westview
High School -- she sometimes feels as if she's been in the water her
entire life! Frances is currently attending PCC and hopes to transfer
somwhere at a later date where she can earn her degree in education.
Frances wants to share her passion for the sport and inspire out newest
athletes!
Nikki Berlin - Assistant
Coach
Nikki swam for MAC Synchro for eight years, participating
in national level competition and graduated from Pacific University.
She coached for the Tsunami Synchro team and following a move to
Gainesville, Florida, she was the Assistant Coach to Gator Synchro at
the University of Florida. During her time in Gainesville she was also
the head coach of the Gainesville Gaviatas team. Nikki returned to the
Portland area in 2007 and is currently swimming as a master for MAC
Synchro.
Melissa Rivell -
Assistant Coach
Melissa swam for the Colorado Novas for six years,
participating in national level competitioin. She also participated in
collegiate synchro practices at the University of Florida with Gator
Synchro. Whenever she was home on breaks from college, Melissa found
herself helping out with younger swimmers on the Novas team. She has
also enjoyed the camaraderie of being on a Synchro team and feels it
was a great way to express herself -- she wants to give back to the
sport that gave her so much!
Katie Rae - Clinic Coach
Katie swam for the Cygnets of San Antonio for six years
before attending St. Francis College in New York on a swimming
scholarship. Currently a student at Portland State University, Katie
has coached both for T-Hills Synchro and Seattle Synchro team. She most
recently coached our 11-12 Age Group squads through the US Age Group
Championships over the past two seasons.
Hallie Todd - Clinic Coach
Swimming for
MAC Synchro from the age of 5, Hallie achieved 4 national titles. She
also competed swimming and water polo for Sunset High School and was
named to the All State water polo team her senior year in high school.
Following high school Hallie attended the University of Alabama at
Birmingham on an athletic scholarship for synchro swimming. She is
currently preparing to attend graduate school and swims as a master for
MAC Synchro.
Linai Vaz DeNegri -
Consultant
Linai is an
internationally know figure in the sport of synchronized swimming,
often sought after as a consultant and lecturer. She has presented
numerous FINA and IOC events conducted clinics for the IOC and foreign
federations, also worked closely with the Chinese National Team and the
Mexican Federation. Having an extensive background with a PhD in
Somatics and Biomechanics from Ohio State University, she represented
the US at the 2004 Olympic Games as the US National Team Director,
responsible for the USA Synchro National Team Program from 2001-2004.
She is a former coach of MAC Synchro and the Ohio State University team.
For more information
about T-Hills, please contact us at (503) 533-0831 or
info@thillssynchroclub.org
T-Hills
is sponsored, in part, by generous contributions from the following:
