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Julia Daum is the ISR Tallahassee instructor. Since 2004 she has taught more than 300 children
ISR Self-Rescue skills.
Julia is married to John and has two children, Madison and Kylie.
She became interested in teaching ISR when her daughter
Madison was 15 months old. She was dissatisfied with the
options for swim lessons available to her in the area in which
she lived. Upon talking with family she found that her sister’s
godmother had been an ISR instructor about 15 years prior. It was
suggested that ISR was the only program that would teach
water competency to a child under the age of three. Research
showed that the closest ISR instructor was a one hour commute
away. Though this seemed extreme for such a short lesson, Julia
decided that this was not really an option but a necessity. She
drove two hours every day to have Madison skilled with Dr. Barnett’s
daughter, Ashleigh.
When her younger daughter, Kylie, was 6 months old, it was clear the she also needed self-rescue skills.
There was no ISR instructor within 3 hours of Tallahassee at the time. The choice was obvious either she would
spend a month in Orlando to ensure her daughter learned skills or she would travel so she could help all
children learn. She left to start ISR training within 3 weeks.
Julia has always had a passion for aquatics. When she was six years
old she went to the pool daily and hung on the fence asking the diving
coach to give her a chance. Finally, after lengthy negotiations she
was able to start diving lessons. That enthusiasm lasted for 16 years.
During that time she competed in the USA Diving Junior Olympics going
to Nationals and ultimately securing a scholarship to Florida State
University. She retired from diving at the age of 22 because of a
lack of facilities where she was living.
While at FSU, Julia found she also had a passion for recreation.
Following in her father’s footsteps she received a B.S. in Leisure
Services and Studies from the Department of Education. Upon being
asked to work with the University of Florida, she took a Teaching Assistant position
in the Department of Health and Human Performance and received her
master’s degree in Recreation, Parks and Tourism and a minor in
Public Relations.
ISR provided Julia with the perfect opportunity combine her passions
and contribute to her community at the same time. She continues to
be dedicated to teaching children survival skills.
Continuing the family aquatics tradition, Julia's daughters have joined the
Tallahassee Serinas Synchronized Swimming team.
In 2008, Julia was accepted into the Master Instructor Candidate program.
She looks forward to sharing her knowledge and experience with others who have a
passion for helping children help themselves.
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