Group Exercise: Instructor Biographies

Brad Acker, Fitness Instructor
Brad has been teaching indoor cycling at the Rec since 2004, occasionally teaching core conditioning and specialty classes such as boot camp and downhill ski conditioning. Brad loves to introduce new people to a life of fitness and to push them to the next level. If you are on a cardio machine before one of Brad's classes, chances are he will talk you into going to cycle class. Indoor workouts complement Brad's wide array of outdoor interests from short trail runs to ultra-marathons, sprint triathlons to multi-day adventure races, bike rides in the foothills to touring for weeks - Brad is up for most anything! Brad's favorite exercise-related saying is: 'A good work out should make the couch feel that much better.'

Jackie Baer, Fitness Instructor
Jackie has been passionate about yoga for 11 years, teaching for the last 10. She is certified through Level 3 YogaFit and has attended many workshops with some very talented yogis and yoginis. Jackie's next passion is Pilates. She has instructed that for about 7 years and is certified through the Exercise Science Alliance (ESA) and PilatesFit. Jackie loves her job and all the people she meets along the way!

Melinda Clayville, Fitness Instructor
Melinda teaches lift, yoga, piyoga, step, and kickboxing. She has a Primary Group Exercise Certification through Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). Melinda has always enjoyed physical exercise and began as a teacher's aide in high school, where she helped teach dance aerobics classes. Melinda enjoys leading groups of people through different formats of exercise and particularly enjoys seeing people work hard and benefit from their efforts. Melinda is majoring in Exercise Science at BSU and hopes to make fitness a life-long career. Melinda is happily married, has a beautiful baby girl, and enjoys running, biking, scuba diving, and spending her days in the sun.

Amy Haberkorn, Fitness Instructor
Amy has been teaching at the Rec since June of 2008. Amy completed two mentorships, in step and piyoga, before becoming a fitness instructor and currently teaches step, piyoga, cycling, zumba, and core conditioning. When not teaching classes, Amy is working to complete her degree in Exercise Science, through the Kinesiology department, with an emphasis in Fitness Programming and Evaluation. Amy's favorite things about being an instructor are meeting and learning about new people so that she can put together a routine that they will find fun and challenging and that makes them want to try more fitness classes. When not working or going to school, Amy is usually outdoors with her dogs, Jack and Maddy, or going for bike rides on the greenbelt with family and/or friends.

Rhiannon Horn, Fitness Instructor
Rhiannon teaches kickboxing, lift, step, fast break cardio, hip hop, and core conditioning. She is American Council on Exercise Fitness Instructor certified and TurboKick certified. Rhiannon loves motivating people by making exercise fun and loves encouraging them to appreciate and take care of their bodies. Instructing is Rhiannon's passion...and she loves to share her passion with others!

Jessica Johnson
Jessica teaches Lift at the Rec Center. She enjoys this type of exercise and says it is the greatest way to keep in shape!

She is also a florist working in Boise. She is majoring in environmental studies at BSU.

Alexis Kenyon, Fitness Instructor
Alexis can be found teaching Deep Water Fitness and enjoys running and skiing when she's not in the pool. She has an Aquatic Exercise Association Aquatic Fitness Instructor certification, a Fitour Pilates Instructor certification, and is a certified ski instructor. Alexis loves meeting new people in her classes, seeing familiar faces, and watching participants make positive changes both physically and mentally. Alexis graduated from College of Idaho with a degree in Vocal Performance. Although she is currently retired from singing, she plans to make concert attendance a new career!

Kurt Koonz, Fitness Instructor
Kurt is a Boise native. He was born at St. Lukes in 1964 and graduated from Boise High in 1982. Kurt spent 10 years at Micron in sales management and retired in 2000. He now spends most of his time pursuing recreational activities and travel. Kurt is a certified Spinning Instructor and has been teaching cycle classes for the last four years. Kurt is also a dedicated music junkie and loves to ride outside. In 2006, he took a six-week solo bike trip through Europe, riding a total of 2,000 miles. In the summer of 2007, he rode from Seattle to San Diego. And in 2008, he took up mountain biking and spent a month traveling to different places to check out the local trails. For the past three years, he has logged more miles on a bike than in the car!

Paula Last, Fitness Instructor
Fitness and exercise have been a large part of Paula's life. Before instructing yoga, step, indoor cycling, and core at the Rec, Paula taught fitness and dance for a cruise line, worked with Jane Fonda, and danced professionally in Europe. Paula has a BFA in dance and an MS in exercise science. In addition, she has a Primary Group Exercise Certification through Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and is American Council on Exercise instructor, Resist-a-ball, personal training, and Pilates certified. Through teaching, Paula loves sharing her enthusiasm for movement, being fit, being healthy, and being well-balanced.

Brooke Lester, Fitness Instructor, Lead Personal Trainer
Brooke teaches lift, indoor cycling, core conditioning, circuit training, and cardio kickboxing at the Rec, where she has been employed since summer of 2005. Brooke has her B.S. in Kinesiology/Exercise Science with a Fitness Evaluation and Programming emphasis. She is currently a Graduate Assistant here at the rec and studying in the Master of Science in Exercise and Sports Studies (MSESS) program with a Biophysical emphasis. Brooke is a certified Spinning Instructor and an ACSM certified personal trainer (ACSM cPT). Brooke enjoys talking with people one-on-one so don't be afraid to hit her up after a class! Beyond her passion and admiration for the body, Brooke enjoys all forms of art, the fall season and loves the snow!

Chris Linane, Group Exercise Instructor
Chris teaches Yoga, Piyoga, Strength Training and Conditioning, and is also a certified massage therapist. she has been teaching group exercise for 29 years has studied with Corefit, Yogafit, ESA, and Pilatesfit. She loves seeing the improvements people make, both mentally and physically. Her favorite aspect of group exercise and fitness is when people leave class in a better mood than when they came in the door. One of her favorite hobbies is audio and video editing.

Rex McCoy, Fitness Instructor
Rex teaches indoor cycling, lift, circuit training, and core conditioning at the REC. He has a Primary Group Exercise Certification through Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), is Les Mills Body Pump certified, and is a First Aid/CPR instructor. Rex is outgoing in nature and loves meeting all the neat people who take his classes. In addition to being an instructor, he is a massage therapist and enjoys hiking, biking, reading, and traveling.

Andrea Moser, Fitness Instructor
In the spring of 2006, Andrea received her Spinning Certification and has been teaching indoor cycling at the Rec for the past year and a half. Andrea also has a bachelor's of science in exercise physiology, which provides her with a very strong foundation in exercise fundamentals. Being an instructor is very rewarding for Andrea - particularly when a new member walks into class and continues to return - because she loves watching participants grow stronger with each class. Over the past two years of teaching, Andrea has developed a love for hill climbs: many of her classes have a couple solid hills in them. So if you want a great workout in a short time and you want to make every minute of your workout count, try one of Andrea's classes!

Jennifer Price, Fitness Instructor
You may see Jennifer teaching indoor cycling, kickboxing, lift, or core conditioning on any given day. She loves exercise and likes to share her passion with others by leading group exercise classes. Jennifer has a Primary Group Exercise Certification through Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). Beyond exercise, Jennifer loves bike riding, reading, baking, and of course her three kids!

Heidi Puckett
Heidi teaches yoga and is certified under Yogafit. In addition, she is also a certified massage therapist. She loves sharing yoga with her students and treats each class as an opportunity to host a yogic experience. She uses a holistic yoga approach and loves exploring and reaching new levels in her practice.

She is also a newly expectant mother, with her first baby on the way this fall and is very excited for the adventures to come.

Laurie Reynoldson, Group Exercise Instructor
Laurie teaches cycling and is certified through both BSU instructor training and Reebok Instructor training. Her favorite part of teaching group exercise is the interaction she has with her students and the great cross training benefit it provides.

She has completed five marathons and is gearing up for number six in January. She is also a commercial and real estate attorney locally and just opened her own firm. She is an avid sports fan and enjoys physical activity of all kinds.

Classes: Cycling

Danica Rhoades, Lead Fitness Instructor
Danica currently serves as Lead Group Exercise Instructor for Campus Recreation and has been an instructor since the spring of 2004. She teaches a wide range of formats, including lift, indoor cycling, kickboxing, Pilates, yoga, piyoga, step, and core conditioning. She holds an Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) Primary Group Fitness certification, the 24 Hour Fitness Instructor certification, a TurboKick certification, and CPR/First Aid/AED certifications. From a young age, Danica developed a passion for activity, be it sports, dance, or enjoying the outdoors. After high school, she discovered group exercise and recognized that this was a venue through which she could continue to exercise (no pun intended!) her passion for activity while also inspiring, motivating, and guiding others to do likewise. Danica loves to educate people and help them achieve their fitness goals.

Lisa Schlachter
Lisa is a personal trainer, pilates instructor and cycle instructor. She has a BS degree from University of Oregon in Marketing and Finance. Children and a career change lead to a America Council on Exercise certification in 2000, a Pilates Corefit certification in 2002, cycle certifications in 2006, and finally a TRX Suspension certification in 2008.

Lisa has competed in Natural Bodybuilding competitions and Natural Figure competitions earning a Natural Bodybuilding Pro Card in 2005. Her goal is to help clients combine athletic performance training, core conditioning, personal training and flexibility to improve their health and well-being. She had been teaching at the Rec Center since 2005. Set your goal, practice getting to your goal, and succeed.

Kate Shaine, Assistant Director - Fitness Programs
Kate is the Fitness Program Coordinator at the Rec and loves her job! When not working behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly, Kate teaches cycle, lift, and circuit training. She is also American Council on Exercise (ACE) personal trainer certified. Kate most loves having the opportunity to help people reach their fitness goals.

Mary Slaughter, Fitness Instructor
Mary loves bonding with students through sweating, grunting, and suffering - but in a good way! Mary teaches piyoga, yoga, and Pilates at the Rec and is YogaFit Level I and TurboKick certified. She is also training for her RYT 200 HR certification. Mary has a spirit of adventure: she's been to 15 countries, has bungee jumped, and has walked with orangutangs.

Lisa Stuppy, Associate Director, Campus Recreation
Lisa has been an instructor for 18 years and teaches step, cycle, aqua, piyoga, yoga, lift, circuit, and core conditioning. She has a master's of science in exercise and sports studies, is a certified American Council on Exercise (ACE) Fitness Instructor, and is a National Sports Conditioning Association (NSCA) certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Lisa strongly feels that nothing is equal to helping someone adopt exercise as a habit. If she can motivate people to exercise by making it fun then she knows she's done a great job. Exercise should be fun - not punishment! Lisa owns 4 bikes and a pair of rollerskates, took up snowboarding 4 years ago, and has never worn leg warmers to teach a class (...except on Halloween).

Lauren Thomas, GA Fitness Programs
Lauren is a cycling instructor beginning her first term at BSU. Formerly she taught at Oregon State University, where she obtained her Bachelor's of Science degree in Nutrition. She has been teaching group exercise for four years and enjoys helping others stay physically active and improve their performance.

Lauren is also the new Graduate Assistant of Fitness Programs a the Rec. She is a master's student in the department of kinesiology with an emphasis on behavioral studies.

In addition to group exercise, she is an avid runner and is currently training to run her fourth marathon in Honolulu this December. Aside from being physically acitve, she enjoys scrapbooking and all things crafty.

Classes: Cycling

Marina Vulk, Fitness Instructor
Marina joined the Rec as an instructor in the summer of 2008, teaching step aerobics, lift, and deep water. Marina loves to meet and teach new people - particularly helping effect positive changes in their lives. Marina's goal is for her classes to add joy and a fun exercise experience to participants' lives.

Jill Waters, Fitness Instructor, GTS Trainer
Jill has a background in exercise physiology and has been teaching in the fitness industry for 17 years. She teaches yoga, Pilates, lift, deep water, piyoga, and circuit training. Jill is certified through the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and also holds the E-RYT 500 certification from Yoga Alliance. She is also registered with the International Association of Yoga Therapists. When not teaching fitness classes at the Rec, Jill teaches adult fitness programs for the City of Boise and performs yoga therapy at a local physical therapy office. She has two grown sons and enjoys kayaking and rock climbing in her spare time.