Meet The Team

Ryan Murphy

Co-Owner/Goldfish Swim School Ambassador

I’m Ryan Murphy, Co-Owner of Goldfish Swim School – St. Johns. I’m a 6-time Olympic medalist, including 4 golds, Olympic Team Captain, a Board of Directors for UC Berkeley’s student-athlete letter-winners society and NIL Collective. Notably, I have been an ambassador with Goldfish Swim School since 2019.

For as long as I can remember, swimming has been my passion. I love everything about the sport – the technical focus, the quality of the workout, the competition, and the friendships developed. To me, swimming is both a science and an art. At Goldfish Swim School, we will teach your child both the fundamentals of basic water survival and the foundations to build upon as a swimmer. All the while, we will encourage camaraderie with your fellow swimmers.

Swimming has given me so much in my life – incredible memories, mental strength, confidence, the ability to strategize, and compete under pressure. I hope I can pass on my joy for the sport to the youth of the Jacksonville area. No matter where your child’s first lessons lead – from simply developing comfort in and around the water or the Olympic podium – I can’t wait to see their growth and happiness.

I have led and seen many swim lessons over my career. Goldfish Swim School’s curriculum and culture is second to none. It is truly a golden experience.

Makenzie Blaakman

Assistant General Manager

Hello everyone! I’m Makenzie Blaakman, and I am thrilled to serve as the Assistant General Manager of Goldfish Swim School Saint Johns! With a decade of experience teaching swimming lessons to the youth in the Southeast and over 18 years immersed in the competitive swimming community, I bring a deep understanding of the importance of water safety to Saint Johns County.

My journey includes competitive swimming through high school with YSSC in South Carolina and at the collegiate level at the University of North Florida, where I earned a bachelor’s in marketing and a master’s in business management. Teaching the importance of water safety is my passion and I cannot wait to spread this to the Saint Johns Community.  

Lauren Adams

Assistant General Manager

Hello, I’m Lauren Adams and I am excited to be the Assistant General Manager of Goldfish Swim School Saint John’s. With a decade of experience with working with children, 8 of those years being a giving lessons to infant and school age children. I went to school for Early Childhood Education and take that knowledge into work with Goldfish. Teaching water safety and swim skills is very important to me, and to make sure that we make swim lessons available to all families.

Katy and Pat Murphy

Co-Owners

We are Katy and Pat Murphy. We moved to Jacksonville 27 years ago with our three young children. After the frigid outdoor pool temperatures in Chicago, Shannon, Patrick and Ryan loved heading to the Queen’s Harbor pool for swim lessons and play-time. They joined the Wahoo summer league team in 1998. Their swimming interests progressed into year-round swim team.

Competitive swimming became a focus and Patrick and Ryan swam at University of Notre Dame and University of California in Berkeley, respectively. Our entire family not only appreciates the sport of swimming, but we recognize that swimming is a necessary life-saving skill.

Katy is a lifelong educator. She taught mathematics at the high school and college levels. Pat has an accounting and financial background and has worked primarily in the transportation industry. Katy was always involved with team and club activities, assisting in any way necessary at swim meets. Pat was involved with officiating meets. Our family supports both USA Swimming and the USA Swim Foundation. We could not be more thrilled to bring the Golden Experience of Goldfish Swim School to our brand-new facility in Saint Johns, Florida.

Mike Sullivan

Co-Owner

I was born and raised on the South side of Chicago. When I went to St. Ignatius High School, I joined the swim team; but, sorry to say, no major accomplishments. Upon graduation, I went to De Paul University in a 5-year program combining liberal arts and engineering.

Early on, a math professor encouraged me to major in mathematics. Long story short, I changed my major and earned a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, with a minor in physics. Meanwhile, my math professor at De Paul took a position at Illinois Institute of Technology and invited me to join him there in pursuit of a Ph. D. in mathematics. After five years of study, I earned that Ph. D. While at IIT, I married Mary Rita Doody, my high school sweetheart. We had four children Katy (Murphy), Michael, Dan, and Colleen (O’Hara). Each married and each had three children, 2 boys and 1 girl—perfect symmetry. Katy’s youngest is the Olympic Gold Medalist Ryan Murphy.

Just after Katy was born, I began my teaching career at Chicago State University. I am now retired as Emeritus Professor of Mathematics. My love of teaching spurred me to write textbooks, with my first textbook Finite Mathematics, published in 1973. Since then, I have authored over 120 textbooks in mathematics, including College Algebra, Trigonometry, Precalculus, Business Calculus, Engineering Calculus, and AP Calculus. My textbooks are used in high schools and universities across the United States and have been translated into a variety of foreign languages, including Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Greek. 

The Text and Academic Authors Association (TAA) honored me with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. Last year I was awarded The Alumni Award for Excellence by St. Ignatius H.S. 

Believe it or not, I continue to author textbooks, but also enjoy travel, tennis, and gardening. I divide my time between living in Naples, FL and Oak Lawn, IL. 

I am truly excited to be involved in the development of a Goldfish Swim School in St John’s, FL with Ryan and his parents, Katy and Pat. As a father and grandfather, I know the importance of learning to swim at an early age for both fun and, more importantly, for water safety. As a teacher and author, I am impressed with the curriculum and philosophy of the Goldfish program, and I invite you to investigate its benefits on our website.

Xavier Rowland

General Manager

Hello! I’m Xavier Rowland, and I’m excited to start my journey at Goldfish Swim School Saint Johns as the team’s General Manager. With my 13 years of competitive swimming experience along with my 5 years of coaching and teaching experience, I seek to harness my passion and respect for the water and deliver a Golden Experience to all of Saint Johns County. 

My competitive swimming journey lives on at the Wahoos of Jacksonville where I compete in statewide meets periodically. I have earned an Associate’s degree in Health Science, and I am finishing my Bachelor’s degree in Applied Health Science at UNF. Teaching swimming has changed my life, so I’m very excited to lead such a wonderful team of instructors towards the same goal!