Love is in the Water: A Making Waves Love Story
Some of the best love stories are the ones that are unexpected. At Making Waves, we were lucky enough to come across a beautiful couple who are happy to share their love story with our families, friends & staff. For this couple, the love was definitely in the water since they both met at Making Waves, crossed paths and set foot onto a beautiful journey together. Read on in order to unravel the wonderful journey of Stacy Burnett and Eric Ouellette.
In 2006, Eric had the pleasure to participate with Making Waves. He had experience during the past 8 summers working with underprivileged boys at Columbus Boys Camp. He quickly jumped at the opportunity to bring his energy and creativity to Making Waves Camp. From creating balloon launchers to doing fun science experiments, Eric had the opportunity to meet and grow with the Making Waves family. The following year, Eric signed up again. This time to co-direct with a Making Waves legend, Stacy Burnett.
Prior to the summer of 2006, Stacy had been at Making Waves for about 4 years, teaching lessons in backyard pools and through Regency Racket club for about 50 hours a week! Eventually, due to the fact she was working almost all the time, there came a point where Stacy was tired from being in the pool. She decided to set up a meeting with Tiernan Murphy where she asked if she could get out of the water and work at Camp for that summer. As much as Stacy preferred to do something else,Tiernan felt that she was a great Coach and a very valuable member of the team who shined in the pool! Stacy stated “I was very flattered but I still wanted to do Camp”. Therefore, Stacy was presented with the opportunity to work at the Camp that summer but little did she know that there was something far more greater waiting for her.
Their summer ran pretty much like the previous years, trying to strike a balance between doing fun innovative things and maintaining a positive relationship with Tall Pines. This is where the brilliance of Stacy and Eric flourished into something great. Eric stated that “Stacy was able to smooth out the ruffles made by me and vice versa, and a partnership was born”. After that first summer, they decided to attend Teachers College in Australia for 2 years. Upon returning, Stacy stated “Making Waves is like Hotel California, you can check out but you never want to leave”. Both Stacy and Eric found themselves directing the swim Camp at Making Waves yet again.
As the summer went on, they towed the line of professionalism and full on flirting. As two people who love children and enjoy inspiring and teaching others, they both knew they matched up pretty well. Stacy had such huge admiration for Eric and his ability to calm all kids, even the most high energy ones! That summer, Stacy often watched the interactions that Eric had with the Camp children and thought of how amazing of a father he would be.
Today, they are happily married with two beautiful children who are also part of the Making Waves family! Both of their children swim at Making Waves and love walking into a building where everyone knows their name.