Class Instructors - Athletics, Fitness, & Outdoor Programs

Instructors

Our course instructors and coaches are dedicated professionals who will provide a positive, supportive experience for your athletic, fitness, and outdoor pursuits.

Matthew Ansley

Courses: Yoga: Hatha Intermediate, Yoga: A.M.

James Benson

Course: Archery

Larry Beutler

Course: Co-ED Soccer
Club: Men’s Soccer Club

Larry Beutler played competitive soccer for over 26 years in the Portland metropolitan area, including many years in the 1st Division of the Greater Portland Soccer District. He has coached at the high school and college level for over 17 years. At Reed, he has helped develop a strong and competitive team on the field, increased the visibility of the team on campus and has enabled many students of all skill levels to participate in what is known as “the world’s most popular game.” As a player he continues to get older and slower.

Mary Bradley

Course: Pilates

Pilates is a system of exercise founded by Joseph Pilates. Pilates is designed to enhance your physical strength, flexibility, posture, and mental awareness. The class will focus on strengthening your core muscles. Core muscles include your back, abdomen and hips. Concentration, Control, Centering, Precision, Breathing and Flow are the six principles of Pilates. Classes are multilevel and modifiable to student needs. Each student is able to progress according to their own ability. Some sessions incorporate techniques from The MELT Method. MELT is the first neurofascial pain relief, self-treatment technique. www.meltmethod.com

WHAT TO WEAR: Wear fitness, workout or yoga clothes. Bring a water bottle. We wear socks or go barefoot in class.

CONTACT: 503-267-2415 or pilatesmeltmary@gmail.com

Stuart Celarier

Course: Juggling

Stuart Celarier (Reed '83) learned to juggle in college and has been teaching juggling at Reed for years. He also teaches juggling at the Oregon Country Fair and juggling festivals. Stuart cofounded the Portland Juggling Festival which is hosted at Reed each fall.

Michael Clark

Course: Bike Clinic

A former chef and lifelong bike rider, Mike Clark discovered his calling while volunteering for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s Bike Safety program at his kids’ school. He has been active: empowering children, teaching bike safety, and exploring neighborhoods throughout the Metro area during the last half dozen years. He has been employed on and off by The Street Trust, Community Cycling Center, Washington County Bicycle Transportation Coalition & Reed College during this time. Mike’s love of bike riding exploration started with mountain bikes while growing up in Pennsylvania. An avid mountain biker he has explored much, but nowhere near enough, of the Pacific Northwest woods during his almost thirty years as an Oregonian. He generally prefers the quiet of dirt to the noise of asphalt. Over the last decade he has also become an enthusiastic, if not fast, bike racer. He prefers to spend his rare non-bike time reading, playing games with family & friends, and generally puttering around his neighborhood.

Alison Crocker

Club: Running Club

Instructor BIO coming soon...

Sam Drevo

Courses: Kayaking: Beginning, Kayaking: Intermediate, Raft, Sea Kayak & Canoe

Sam Drevo is an instructor trainer for the ACA in whitewater kayaking, a Rescue 3 instructor in swiftwater rescue, and a WFR. He comes to Reed from a competitive background in whitewater kayaking having competed on Team USA in 5 disciplines of the sport, and recently was a member of Team USA (masters) at the 2016 Whitewater Rafting World Championships in Abu Dhabi UAE and brought home a silver medal in the downriver, and a bronze overall. Sam started the Lewis and Clark Paddling club back in the 90's, graduated with a business degree, and has been running a kayak school and raft company since- for 18 years.

Jennifer Edelson

Course: Cardio Kickboxing

Jennifer Edelson was born and raised near Johannesburg, South Africa. She holds an undergraduate degree in social work from University of the Witwatersrand, and a masters degree in teaching from Lewis and Clark College. Jennifer teaches ESL math and English full-time at Madison High School in Portland, where she is also the strength and conditioning coach for the swim team and the girls' golf team. A mother of five, a workout fanatic and athlete, Jennifer also teaches kickboxing at a Portland studio, and has been a fitness instructor in a variety of settings since 1985. At Reed, Jennifer also teaches "Fit You."

Jennifer brings high energy and focus to her classes. She emphasizes form and expects her students to be prepared to sweat and test their limits.

Gary Granger

Courses: Mindful Walking At Reed, Birding Reed

Gary Granger is a life-long practitioner of mindfulness in movement through martial arts and solo exploration of the mountain wilderness--both practices that require intentionality and focus. His study of the natural world has led to a years-long focus on birds, and especially crows and their social behavior. As Reed’s Director of Community Safety for over a decade Gary has moved through the campus’ natural areas daily while observing and documenting the crows of Reed, giving him a deep connection to many microhabitats and the creatures they host. His professional background includes over twenty years of work in higher education. He holds a BA in Psychology, has certified as a Mental Health First Aid instructor, learned how not to get lost while in the military, and most recently his multi-year study of Portland’s winter roost of 20,000 crows unwittingly resulted in him combining his love of mindful walking and birding by logging over 1,000 after-dark miles on the city’s streets since 2017. Gary’s class combines mindfulness in movement with an exploration of how human presence in a habitat influences animals--especially crows, how the flora and fauna influence us, and how our intent influences everything.

Michael Lombardo assumed the role of Director of Athletics, Fitness, and Outdoor Programs at Reed College in August, 2006. Michael has been affiliated with Reed since completing an internship in Counseling Psychology here in 2001. His formal education includes two masters’ degrees; one is Sports Physiology and the other in Counseling Psychology. Michael has more than 20 years of experience in the sports and health fields. He has worked for private corporations and educational institutions including Yale University as the Associate Director of Intramural Athletics and Sports Camps. Michael understands the importance of a balance between the mind and body. He views the Reed Sports Center to be a place where students come not only to meet their PE requirement and exercise but also a healthy, nonstressful environment for them to form relationships with their peers, faculty and staff.

Claire Lundy

Club: Rugby

James Morrison

Courses: Intro to Martial Arts, Fighting Fit: Martial Arts Conditioning

John Mulholland

Club: Men’s Soccer Club

Kyle Pratt

Course: Basketball Co-Ed

Katy Prewitt

Course: Volleyball

Seema Prior

Courses: Strength Training Beginning, Strength Training Advanced, Weight Room Confidence

D.J. Rayley

Course: Hip-Hop Dance 1-2

DJ grew up in the performing arts and is a graduate from the nationally renowned Jefferson High School Performing Arts Program, committed to educating and preparing students for the physical and mental demands of a performing arts career. She has extensive formal cross-training in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, and theater, and in the traditional ethnic forms of African and Polynesian. Complementing her formal training—DJ developed her Hip Hop skills being raised in the original roots of underground street mastery, focusing on the real life experience of cultivating the style, steps and culture.

DJ's background includes performing for launch parties, fashion shows, Cable Network Television, Starry Night Club, KBOO radio, Oregon Symphony, Funksion III, the Miss Portland pageant, Five Fingers of Funk Band, Hip Hop artist Timothy C., a modern dance soloist directed by Keith Goodman, and has been featured in the Oregonian, Willamette Week, KOIN 6 News, KATU with Helen Raptis, and Dance Studio Life Magazine.

For the past 17 years, DJ has been teaching Tap, Hip Hop, and Contemporary dance classes from beginning to advanced levels through a variety of institutions and programs such as Reed College, Mt. Hood Community College, Portland State International Special Programs with Japan, Korea and China, Renaissance Art Academy, YMA (Young Musicians and Artists), and other related organizations like private studios, community centers, and Portland Public elementary, middle and high schools.

DJ's diverse background, both as a performer and a teacher, has given her the knowledge to assist many of her students to advance into professional dance careers in L.A., New York, Washington D.C., and internationally. Her work has been recognized both regionally and nationally, granting her with awards for entertainment, age appropriate content, creative staging and musicality. Her personal commitment to dance education and training has given her liberty to study with famed choreographers from So You Think You Can Dance and You Got Served.

In addition to teaching dance, she is a member of NEA, the National Education Association, was certified by Oregon Teachers Standards and Practices Commission in 2009, and is a freelance lecturer for a series of teaching presentations for PSU, City Club of Portland, and Highline Community College.

Eliot Sitt

Course: Traditional Tai Chi Beginning/Intermediate

Eliot has been teaching Tai Chi for over 10 years. He first began learning Tai Chi as a student at Reed from Dave Barrett. He has also studied with Sifu Pikshan Ko and Sifu Gregory Fong. He is a licensed acupuncturist who practices Traditional Chinese Medicine in Milwaukie, OR.

http://www.milwaukieacupuncture.com/taichi/

Rodney Sofich

Courses: Backcountry Navigation, Rock Climbing: Beginning–Advanced, Bouldering 1&2

Rodney is an Oregon native. Rodney has been instructing for Reed college since 2003 with his diverse outdoor experience. He has been guiding and instructing in Pacific Northwest for the past ten years. Within that time period he found time to be a seasonal Wilderness and Climbing Ranger for the Mt. Hood National Forest, co-instructs avalanche courses with MountainSavvy, filling in hours at a locally owned outdoor shop, and learning the art making climbing packs with Cilogear. Rodney has a Masters degree from Portland State University in Public Administration in Natural Resources. Rodney also has an AIARE Level II Avalanche certificate. He is also pursuing professional development with the American Mountain Guides Association, having completed the Single Pitch Instructors Course, Rock Instructor Course, and an Alpine Guides Course. Rodney also maintains a Wilderness First Responder. You can learn more about Rodney by reading the Reed Magazine “On the Ledge”

Will Symms

Courses: Swim Fitness, Intro to Outdoor Activities, Rock Climbing: Independent, First Aid CPR/AED

Born in Idaho, Will received his B.S. in Resource Recreation and Tourism Management in 97' from the University of Idaho. Will went back to school to keep up with the demands of the Reed students and attained his M.S. in Management and Organizational Leadership 11'. Will has worked in various recreational areas including work in the indoor climbing industry, state and county parks and recreation. Recreation, no matter active or passive works as a universal language among diverse crosssections of individuals to release pressure, learn new concepts and simply have fun.

You can find Will in the Outdoor Center Level 3 at the Sports Center various hours. Come on in and say hello and check out the climbing wall, backpack co-op and outdoor resource center to plan your new trip or just hang out in a casual environment.

Will oversees activities related to Physical Education and Outdoor Programming at Reed College including 1st year First year student trips, Reed Ski Cabin, Reed Outing Club, Outdoor Gray Fund, Backpack CoOp and Outdoor physical education classes. Interests include any outdoor activities and spending some quality time with his two son's Liam and Tresler, lovely spouse and of course the outdoor center mascot Ginger aka Ginny Mae (lovable pooch).

TBD

Course: Swim Instruction

Vanessa Thiessen

Course: Ballet

Maria Thomas

Course: Self Defense Theory and Fitness

Hello! My name is Maria Thomas. I’ve been a martial arts instructor for over a decade, and the longer I teach the more convinced I become that, on the larger scale, preventing violence must be done by changing the way people think: about consent, about confidence, about entitlement, and about respect. As a smaller queer woman who grew up chronically ill, I’ve learned first-hand how a better understanding of (and relationship with) our physical selves can foster the confidence needed to maintain the personal boundaries necessary for personal self-defense. And, in a culture that puts a heavy emphasis on being the baddest and the best, learning to control instinctive reactions to stress and focus on de-escalation rather than “winning” is a paradigm shift that can echo through interpersonal conflict. I look forward to offering students tools which can help them control adrenaline that might otherwise escalate a situation, and then tap into that adrenaline if they actually need it in a physical situation.

Jacob Verhaegh

Courses: Kayaking: Beginning, Kayaking: Intermediate

Leslie Walker

Course: Rowing

Bio Coming Soon.

Nathan Watt

Courses: Kayaking: Beginning, Kayaking: Intermediate

Lillian Weaver

Club: Ultimate Frisbee Club

Drew White

Course: Rock Climbing: Route Setting Introduction

Drew White was raised in upstate South Carolina and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in business and a master's in higher education from Baylor University. He first started climbing in 2003, and has been coaching and route setting since 2011. White is a certified USA Climbing coach and Level 2 route setter, Leave No Trace Master Educator, and Wilderness First Responder. A true lover of the great outdoors, he's also an avid cyclist, runner and skier in his free time.

Mindy Wu

Club: Women’s Soccer Club

Ernest Yago

Course: Zumba

I am the eldest of three brothers born to Filipino immigrants in Kahului, Maui, Hawai'i. After graduating from high school, I came to Portland, Oregon to go to college. I graduated from the University of Portland in 1997 with my BA in Education and a minor in Music. I later returned to the same school to obtain my M.Ed in Educational Leadership in 2005. I am currently a middle school teacher in Portland Public Schools and my specialty is mathematics. Outside of my teaching job, I sing and dance with PGMC (I have been a member since 1997) and play oboe and sing at the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. I also love to cook, garden, work out, and travel, when I get the chance. I started my journey to become a Zumba® instructor in January 2011. You can read about the rest of my journey here on my Zumba® website: eyago.zumba.com. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the class. I look forward to having you and your great energy in my class and having fun. Baila!

Rodney Zaharchuk

Course: Squash Beginning, Intermediate and Team

I'm an Australian who played competition squash there for many years then, after moving to U.S. played in the Portland league.

There are lots of Youtube tips for squash technique and strategy.

Athletics, Fitness & Outdoor Programs