Jack Perkins - Founder and Head Coach
Jack started the Mile High Dive Club in 1998. He has been coaching diving since 1992, and formerly coached with the Northern Virginia Dive Club, which ranked as one of the top-ten Junior Olympic programs in the nation at the time. Jack has extensive experience coaching at all levels, from beginners through collegiate, including several Junior National Champions, Senior Nationals Qualifiers and an Olympic trials qualifier. Formerly the Division 1 coach at the University of Denver, Jack is the MHDC Founder and Head Coach. He earned a BA in East Asian Philosophy and Religious Studies from George Mason University and an MBA from the University of Denver.
If you have any questions about our program in general, please e-mail him at jack@learntodive.org.
Jenn Hess - Club Director and Head Coach
Jennifer dived with the Mile High Dive Club for five years before competing for the University of Arizona. She completed both a Bachelors of Science in Physiological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry as well as a Masters of Art in Bilingual Education during her five years diving for Arizona. She taught Kindergarten Spanish and worked as LAP instructor for non-native English speaking 3rd and 4th graders. She also coached for Tucson Dive Team for three years before returning to Colorado and the Mile High Dive Club. Jenn has a true passion for working with children and seeing them grow as both an individual and as an athlete. Jenn has had the opportunity to help develop divers who have gone on to represent the USA at various international competitions as well as aiding in college scholarships for many of her divers. In her free time, Jenn is an avid skier and loves to travel. If you have any questions for Jenn or questions specific to billing issues, please e-mail her at jenn@learntodive.org.
Jeff Fisher - Junior Olympic Coach
Jeff Fisher has been coaching diving since 1989. He has coached all levels of competition from high school to Junior Olympics to collegiate, producing top competitors at the National, Regional and State levels. Jeff's collegiate diving career was spent at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio where he competed at the NCAA Division III National Competition all three of his competitive seasons. His best National finish was fourth place on 3-meter and sixth place on 1-meter.
We are really lucky to have Jeff with the program again. He is currently coaching Monday and Wednesday at Meyers Pool and Thursday at the Flip School. If you have any questions specific to Jeff, please e-mail him at jeff@fisherstrategy.com.
Kelly White - Junior Olympic Coach
Kelly dove with MHDC for four years prior to becoming a professional diver with Mirage Entertainment. As a professional diver she has performed in many cities across the East Coast and China. While a competitive diver, Kelly was a three-time national qualifier as well as a finalist at International meets. She also finished 2nd at the Colorado State Championships! She really wants to travel to Egypt one day and can speak Chinese. Kelly loves working with kids and loves diving. We are very excited to have her as a part of our coaching staff. Kelly is currently coaching Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Flip School and the Utah Park Pool. If you would like to contact Kelly, e-mail her at kellyninjadiver@aol.com.
Saara Haapanen- Junior Olympic Coach
Saara Haapanen coached both provincial and national level divers at the Thunder Bay Diving Club in Canada from 1999-2006 (2004-2006 summers only). She dove at both the Junior and Senior national levels in Canada before receiving an athletic scholarship to dive for the Cowgirls at the University of Wyoming from 2003-2007. During her college career at Wyoming she was a 4 time First team All-MWC member, won multiple diver of the year awards, and won the Mountain West Conference Championships on 1m her senior year. She then moved to Finland to pursue her Master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology, and to dive for the Finnish national team. Saara was the Finnish national champion and represented Finland at many international competitions including the 2008 World Cup. She was also the first overall alternate in the Beijing 2008 Olympics for the women’s 3m springboard event. Saara is currently pursuing her PhD in Sport Psychology. Saara is excited to be coaching again, and is thrilled to be working with kids who love the sport. You will find Saara coaching Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Meyers Pool. You can contact her directly at saarahaapanen@hotmail.com.
Dara Marin - Junior Olympic Coach
Dara dived with the Mile High Dive Club before competing on scholarship at Northern Arizona University. She was a widely recognized athlete winning many awards including the Denver Post Athlete of the Week prior to diving in college. After graduating, Dara relocated to Massachusetts with her husband where she coached diving. Longing for the Rocky Mountains, she returned to Colorado with her husband and rejoined the coaching staff at Mile High Dive Club. She is also a special education teacher and enjoys making a difference in the lives of children. She is currently coaching at the Northridge, Lily Gulch and The Ridge pools as well as Tuesdays at the Flip School. If you have questions for Dara, her email is dara.puckett@me.com