Adult Learn-To-Swim Instructors
Mike Beeks
Mike has been a Red Cross Certified Water Safety instructor since the late 60s and a Certified ALTS instructor for a few years. Mike has been a member of Indy Swim Fit and now Indy Aquatic Masters since the early 2000s. Mike also is a scuba Instructor and enjoys all aspects of helping people enjoy the water.
Steve Berebitsky - ALTS Coordinator
My first exposure to competitive swimming was in 2018 when my younger brother asked me to join a Masters swim team he was putting together. This team would only consist of former members of the South Bend Riley swim team. Though I was a diver in high school and had no experience swimming, I decided to throw my hat in the ring. I have been hooked on swimming ever since.
In 2021 I moved to Indianapolis and was looking for a way to give back to the community. My brothers (both on the Indy Aquatic Masters swim team) told me that the Adult Learn To Swim program was looking for instructors, so I signed on. It is EASILY one of the best decisions I have ever made. I absolutely love it!
Kathy Berger
Kathy joined the IndySwimFit/Indy Aquatic Masters (IAM) team 25 years ago. She hasn’t regretted any of the challenges as a new Masters swimmer in the sport. Swimming regularly with the team even inspired her to swim in a few swim meets and to accomplish other swim strokes. After retiring as a RN in 2019, with her emphasis in nursing education, she started teaching the ALTS classes with IAM and was certified as an ALTS Instructor in the fall 2023.
As a new instructor, I have found it rewarding to watch new swimmers accomplish the small steps from losing their fear of the water, to being able to swim a few freestyle strokes. Starting out as an adult swimmer myself, I feel I can empathize with the ALTS swimmers and where they are coming from with their fears and safety needs.
Cheryl Gettelfinger
Cheryl joined U.S. Masters Swimming in the late 1980s after participation in a fitness swimming class at the Jordan YMCA. Primarily a competitive swimmer, she has participated in many stroke clinics. She also taught pre-school children to swim for five years gaining unique skills for teaching proper breathing and balance while swimming. She has been an ALTS teacher since 2016, participating in most teaching sessions and subbing for other teachers when needed. In addition to her ALTS certification in January 2015, she achieved USMS coach certification levels 1 & 2 in September 2015.
I like all aspects of swimming and coaching with an overriding goal of making swimming easier and more pleasant for everyone.
Tracy Knight
Tracy has been swimming for decades - swim team, triathlon, and most recently, open-water marathon swims. She loves water and is eager to help others move closer to feeling at ease in the water. She taught kids and adults swim lessons (before having kids of her own) and is eager to get back to teaching. While mastering skills is important, she believes the most important thing is that the student feels safe in the water. She will do whatever she can to ensure that the delicate balance between acquiring new skills and feeling at ease in the water is maintained.
Stephanie Long -ALTS Coordinator
Stephanie has been an Adult Learn-To-Swim instructor and swum Masters for about 3 years. She started swimming competitively as a kid and has continued with it most of her life.
I really enjoy watching our swimmers in the program gain confidence and trust in themselves throughout the session. Its really amazing to see the reaction of someone with no swimming experience learn to swim across the pool or tread water. I also enjoy teaching the intermediate swimmers more technique when they are swimming. Its also cool to see them improve their stroke and become faster over the course of one session. 
Zoe May - ALTS Coordinator
Zoe found the aquatic life through the Bicycle Industry. After reaching the pinnacle of gravity based sports that her body would allow, Zoe turned to submersion to quench her exercise needs. Clearly the chlorine has gone to her head and she now yearns to guide others to genuine pool saturated bliss.
Try it, you’ll like it!
Rachel Stutsman
My name is Rachel Stutsman. I've been teaching ALTS for two years and am a certified ALTS instructor. I have been swimming all of my life. I started swimming competitively as a 6 year old and have managed to compete at least once in every decade of my life thanks to the Masters program. I love working with beginners because the change in skill sets is so dramatic.
It's really fun to watch people's confidence grow as they master new skills. 
Annah Van Gheem
Annah has always loved swimming whether she was the slowest swimmer on her club team or swimming in college at Butler University. After initially thinking college swimming would be the last time she ever jumped in a pool, it took less than a year away from the sport for her to jump right back in with IAM in 2022. She loves getting to share the sport with others including serving on the Wisconsin Swimming Board of Directors or coaching at the age group, high school and college levels. She's excited to teach lessons with ALTS and help others find comfortability in the water and a passion for swimming.
John Weiss
John has been an Adult Learn-To-Swim Instructor since 2014. He learned to swim as a baby before he learned to walk. John competed from the age of 5 through high school, and has been a Masters swimmer since 2005. His experience includes: Coaching, Water Safety Instructor, Swimming Official with National Credentials, and a parent of swimmers several years. John is also a certified Adult Learn-To-Swim Instructor and SCUBA Diver.
I find that helping others gain water safety skills and learning to swim is very humbling. Some of my fondest memories are having students jump into deep water for the first time or completing a full length of the pool without stopping. Participating with students who are willing to get out of their comfort zone and learn these skills is very inspiring to me.
Sally Winter
Sally's mom put Sally in swim lessons early because she'd never learned to swim but wanted her children to be safe in the water. Sally wants to pay forward that gift. While she's always enjoyed the water, Sally started real swim training for her first triathlon in 2018. Today, she swims each week with the Indy Aquatic Masters swim club, and competes in the occasional triathlon. Her favorite race is an Olympic-distance aquabike. Teaching adults how to swim has become one of Sally's very favorite things. It takes courage and commitment to learn something new as an adult, and helping people achieve this goal is an honor.
Bruce Young - ALTS Coordinator
Bruce began his competitive swimming career at age 7. His love for swimming continued through USA club swimming, High School, College, and US Masters. He is a part time coach for Indy Aquatic Masters, Hamilton County Special Olympics swimming, and has been an ALTS instructor since March 2021. Bruce is a USMS Adult Learn to Swim Certified Instructor.
His passion for swimming extends to helping others to become safe in the water andlearn how to become better swimmers. He is continually looking for improved ways to teach swim technique through coaches' clinics and other coaching resources, and encourages students to continue their swimming for fitness and competition.