living the dream

Like Karen Christopher, the personal trainer whom I wrote about in a previous post, Cassie Pentony is another inspiring woman in Mansfield who is "living the dream". I first met Cassie when our sons sat next to each other when they started school two years ago and she has since become the much-loved swimming teacher of our three boys as well as many of their friends.  I still remember when I came to Mansfield and spoke to Cassie, thinking that I had never known a swimming teacher before to be so passionate and conscientious about her job.

Cassie started her career as a legal secretary and executive assistant in Family and Commercial law. She dressed in a business suit and heels and went off to work each day in Collins St, Melbourne, for ten years. She eventually stopped work to have her first child, Lachlan, and when she was seven months pregnant, she and her husband James moved the family to the country – Mansfield, in the foothills of Mt Buller.  James started his own business, TST IT Solutions here in Mansfield.

Cassie had always had an interest in swimming and an ambition to get into aquatic education. As a teenager and before work she would swim laps at 5.30am each morning.  When her first son Lachlan was 10 months old, James’ IT business was thriving and thus Cassie was presented with the opportunity to pursue another career.

So, in 2006 Cassie attained her Austswim Teacher of swimming and water safety qualification and started her first season in the pool at the YMCA Mansfield teaching aquatic education classes and participating in the Primary and Secondary school swim programs. Of this time, Cassie says "it was challenging and a steep learning curve for me. But I learned to adapt to instructing in any environment.  It was also very rewarding - I formed strong bonds with the kids - I still teach many of them now 6 or 7 years later." 

A couple of years after starting out, Cassie got the opportunity to use the heated pool at the Alzburg Resort and was also able to put in more hours as her own two boys got a little older. So she became an independent instructor and eventually had a clientele of 95 children at various private properties around the district and at the Alzburg. Cassie was very grateful for the families' generosity but eventually wanted to have her own facility where the conditions such as student-teacher ratios and air and water temperature were more balanced.

So, she and James made the huge decision to sell their home and buy a new block to build a home and indoor pool to create something more permanent. And so, "George's Fish Swimschool" was born....The school is named after Cassie's Dad who once saved a child off Philip Island, but lost the two men who were with the child. This had a profound effect on Cassie's Dad, George, and he always impressed upon his own children, the importance of learning to swim competently. Here's the new home and pool, which all seems to have happened so amazingly quickly...

So now Cassie has many students and a great team member in Janine Polkinghorne, and "George's Fish" has now almost finished two full terms of operation. All classes are full and there is a waiting list too. Cassie says going to work is a simple pleasure in her day. Her hobby has developed into a career - but of course none of this has been easy. Building the pool has been a financial strain and Cassie's husband James helps out a lot at home as well as running his own business, to make this venture work.

There is something, not necessarily defineable, that makes Cassie a fantastic swimming teacher. I asked her what she thinks it is...She replied, "I get a great sense of satisfaction from my work and am genuinely excited about my students' milestones and improvements.  I think being a Mum helps as I come across as something of a mother figure - I really work on building rapport and trust with the children. I do detailed lesson plans and use lots of variety while extending skills, ensure students have fun while learning and give each child both praise and correction.  I really think about the individual - what's happening, what do they need?"

Yep, I think all that sums up just what it is that makes Cassie the wonderful swimming teacher that we have come to know and love!!