Tom Watson

​​With a background in professional sports, a degree in Leisure Services, a master’s degree in Human Leisure Development, and diplomas in Fitness, Nutrition and Marketing, along with nearly 30 years of upper-level management experience, Tom Watson is a respected leader in the recreation industry. As founder and owner of Recreation Excellence, Tom has a proven track record of successfully managing municipal facilities throughout British Columbia and Alberta.

• In addition to his work with Recreation Excellence, Tom heads up Your Better Life, a coaching company committed to empowering people to achieve balanced success, both at home and at work
• He’s also a noted motivational speaker and author of the book Man Shoes.
• Tom puts family first with his wife Kathy, his 3 children, growing grandchildren, and his favorite pup, Slater.

Kathy Watson

Kathy has been involved in sport, leisure, health and wellness initiatives for most of her life. As co-owner of Recreation Excellence, she uses her formal academic education along with her experience as an educator to inspire, coach and mentor future programming stars. Kathy specializes in guiding them through curriculum development, goal setting, learner characteristics and teaching strategies.

• Bachelor of Education degree and a diploma in Special Education
• 25+ years working with children as a school teacher
• Certified as a lifeguard, swim instructor, and customer service trainer
• Kathy loves to spend time with her family, trying new cuisines, and travelling

Peter MacLeod

Peter’s core recreation philosophy is “quality service results in higher participation and when well managed, has better cost recovery”. With a true passion for recreation, Peter provides innovative ideas and customer-driven service to the public recreation industry in aquatics, arena operations, therapeutic recreation, and first aid training.

Peter loves the outdoors and forging for wild, edible, and sought-after mushrooms.

• 30+ years in recreation management
• Project budgeting and planning
• Review and analysis of ongoing projects
• Feasibility studies
• Business case development for public recreation projects

Maria Bittroff

Maria shares her years as a facility operator, recreation complex director and professional administrator to our team. She has a passion for organization and implementing new seamless systems and processes. Maria is also a master party planner and never forgets a birthday.

• 30+ years in the recreation industry
• Corporate administration
• Human resources
• Senior leadership team
• Facility programming and special events

Sunni Belle

Sunni has been a passionate member of the aquatic world in many different roles from instructing lessons to managing and training staff. As an active instructor, Sunni is on the pool deck instructing Water Safety Instructor and National Lifeguard. She is also serious about safety in the classroom teaching first aid. Sunni brings knowledge and experience from different municipalities to Recreation Excellence and her team.

You can also find Sunni at the campground enjoying time with her family or floating in a lake on her paddle board.

• 25+ years in aquatics
• Senior leadership team
• Facility programming
• Disney Institute Certified
• Certificate in Leisure Development

Pepper Harrington

Pepper has 15+ years in the recreation industry. She has achieved multiple certifications in a wide variety of areas, including: pool operations, youth leadership, and customer service. She leads her team to service the diverse needs of the community by developing and delivering quality aquatic, fitness, and youth programs.

Pepper is a wife and mother of two young boys and has adopted rescue kitten’s named Texas and Rico. Favourite hobbies include photography and visiting with family and friends.

• Leisure Development Diploma
• 15+ years in the recreation industry
• Senior leadership team
• Facility management

Clarence Martin

Clarence, aka Clarey, shares his experience and vast knowledge in building operation and ice maintenance with his team. They operate a state-of-the-art refrigeration plant to make and maintain ice, operate a fitness center, and manage a full size gymnasium.

Known as “uncle Clarey” to 30+ nieces and nephews, he’s an anchor in the community. His hunting, fishing and foraging supports 200+ local families. Clarey also enjoys golfing, making tik tok videos with his wife Bertha.

• 20+ years in ice rink management
• Senior leadership team
• Building operations
• Refrigeration operation
• Customer service

Britanie Lazarowich

Britanie has 20+ years of experience in aquatics. She is a Water Safety Instructor Trainer with a passion for teaching. She finds fun and creative ways to educate, train, manage, and mentor her team.

Outside the pool, she can be found in the garden with her husband or snuggling up with her cats.

• 20+ years in aquatics
• Senior leadership team
• Certification instructor

Jamie Flohr

Jamie has 20+ years of experience in retail and aquatic management. She mentors and shapes her team of lifeguards and swim instructors to deliver a consistently safe and fun experience to each guest. 

Jamie has a fascination for music and loves going to concerts and live music events. Spending time with her family and camping are also on the top of her love list.

• 20+ years in management
• Facility management
• Customer service excellence

Shawna Morrison

Shawna has a comprehensive and extensive understanding of First Nations people and their unique barriers to sports and recreation. She’s also known as Uma Nii Tah (sitting pretty) in the feast hall and is a strong Gitxsan woman who belongs to the Lax Gibuu (Wolf) clan. With her passion for people, she has mastered her craft of being a “Helping Human.” She leads her team to create partnerships and programs for the local community.

Shawna and her partner, Mike, with their dogs, Tucker and Lambeau, love going on adventures. She enjoys spending time with her family and all her nieces.

• 20+ years in mental health and addictions
• Program management
• Children and youth programming
• Leadership training

Karlee Ascione

Karlee started her career young and has been continuing her education at every opportunity. She has a passion for sharing her knowledge and teaching others. Karlee is a Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor, First Aid Instructor, and loves teaching people of all ages the basics of swimming.

When Karlee isn’t working, she’ll be exploring the nearby mountain range with her husband, and German Shepherd.

• 10 years in aquatics
• Facility management
• Certification instructor
• Diploma in Primary Care Paramedics

Samantha Derksen

Samantha has a passion for aquatics. She is often found working alongside her team on the pool deck or in the water. She takes pride in mentoring her team so everyone can feel safe while having fun in the water.

You can also find Samantha enjoying the great outdoors with her family and friends.

• Supervising Diploma
• 5+ years in aquatics
• Facility management
• Pool operations
• Disney Institute Certified

 Gerry Murphy

Gerry grew up playing hockey and has a strong passion for the recreational world. With 10+ years of experience in recreation management, specializing in ice facilities. He is very eager to share the positive mental impact that recreational sports can bring to individuals of all ages.

Gerry is a loving father and husband; when he is not sharing his knowledge and love for sports, you can always find him playing sports with family and friends or coaching youth sports.

• Facility Management Professional Designation (FMP)
• Magnetic Customer Service Facilitator
• Arena Operator Lvl 2
• 10+ Years of Ice Facilities Management

KARI BAULDIC 

Kari is a true sports enthusiast and has been dedicated to sports recreation her whole life. Fastball and hockey are her passions, but she loves almost all sports. Kari ensures that sports are an integral part of her kids’ lives and the community.

Kari is passionate about her volunteer work. She is an active member of many volunteer organizations in the community. She is committed to ensuring her community provides opportunities for all kids to enjoy sports, develop their skills and have fun with teammates.

• Bachelor’s degree in commerce
• Arena Operator Certificate – Level 1
• Senior Leadership Team
• Founder and President of Spray Park Organization
• Project Manager of Local Daycare Construction

Hannah Tersteeg

Hannah is a dedicated professional with a passion for aquatics, boasting over a decade of experience in the field. She has immersed herself in various roles within the aquatics industry, from lifeguarding to training instructors and customer service management. She takes pride in nurturing the skills and confidence of new instructors, ensuring they are well-prepared to deliver high-quality lessons and provide a safe environment for swimmers of all ages. Hannah has a strong commitment to customer service excellence. She understands the importance of creating positive experiences for clients and swimmers alike, and she continuously seeks to improve service standards through training and development initiatives.

Outside of work, Hannah enjoys spending time with her family.

• Bachelor of Fine Arts
• Customer service management
• Recreation programming