2000 Stories from the Dolphin Club

Mike Montgomery has had a front row seat at some of the west's most devastating environmental disasters, from Maui to the Palisades. That's because he's been working at the EPA for over 40 years, currently as Director of the Superfund and Emergency Management Division for Region 9. We talk about work and play, life and death, Bay water and waste water (and when they converge), and, as always, the value of our Dolphin Club community.

Swimming in the bay is brave. Joining an all-male club that didn't exactly want women as members is too. But immigrating to the US with your young son and not speaking a word of English is in a whole other league of bravery. Of course, Pavla Podolska doesn't think so. It's just what she needed to do to make a better life for her and her son. Learn about her journey and how the Dolphin Club has impacted her life.

Some people eat to live, others like Peggy Knickerbocker live to eat. Her career involved telling stories about food, catering, running restaurants, and writing cookbooks. One place where she didn't spend much time cooking was the Dolphin Club...she left that to the Old Stoves. Hear about Peggy's life growing up in San Francisco, living in Paris, joining the club, and falling in love later in life.

Suzanne Heim's first goal was to swim the Golden Gate. And then, as she describes, her goals kept getting bigger and bigger. Now her name is synonymous with so many first and fastest Dolphin Club swims, paving the way for women in the record books. From the age of 20 to today, she credits the club and fellow Dolphins with making it all possible. While we talk a lot about her aquatic accomplishments, Suzanne has a lot more to her life than just swimming.

Robin Rome is always the life of the party...in great part because she plans almost every party at the Dolphin Club. Her swimming career began with the Golden Gate and Alcatraz, both of which she did while 7 - 8 months pregnant, in 1977 -- the same year she joined the club. Robin lives life with gusto as an artist, mom, teacher, visual anthropologist, and bay swimmer. Hear how she views the club's evolution and her own.

What was it like to be among the first women to join the Dolphin Club? Surely different than it is today! Joni Beemsterboer joined to swim after tackling the Golden Gate, Jackie Merovich to party. Almost 50 years later they've got fun stories to tell about their experiences then and now and how the Dolphin Club continues to shape their lives.

Tom Bernard doesn't take much for granted, choosing to focus on how much there is to be grateful for in life...including family, swimming, and the Dolphin Club. Just so happens that his career in finance, helping college students understand money, and writing a book on the S&P 500 stock index has a lot to do with appreciation, too. We talk about money, marathon swims giving back, and appreciating others.

For Jessica Huang swimming has always been a family affair. Her parents, Vince and Cathy, are long time Dolphins but it took Jessica years to find her own space and identity at the club. Now it's a sanctuary from her busy life as a mom of two, partner, and 4th grade public school teacher. Hear about her love of swimming, family, teaching, and why the Dolphin Club feels like home.

Pain! Is it all in your head or your body or a combination of the two? And what about the societal role our friends and family play? Chronic pain educator Sara Bissell Rubin has experienced pain -- personally and professionally -- for decades and has made it her life's work to help others navigate it in new ways. No surprise to Dolphins, swimming can definitely help. We discuss the what and how and why of pain, plus a whole lot of joy.

There's an art to swimming, and Michael Tschantz-Hahn brings his painterly eye to every stroke — whether he's doing it himself or teaching others. He's tackled the English Channel in record time, hacked through the ice to swim in Lake Michigan, coached teens across the Molokai Channel, and taught Dolphins in Aquatic Park. But first and foremost, Michael is a Dad who raised two children and enjoyed (almost) every moment of it. Hear about his many lives as a parent, artist, surfer, swimmer, adventurer, member of both clubs, and more.