Jeri Winterburn has been teaching fitness classes for over 35 years. She is also a syndicated fitness columnist and wrote weekly columns for the Bellingham Herald for several years. Jeri has been featured in a R.I.P.P.E.D video available online.
In her spare time, she enjoys camping and hiking with her family – as well as breeding Bernese Mountain dogs, and creating unique jewelry and wreaths, and dried floral arrangements which she sells online. Whether you are new to exercise or a seasoned athlete, Jeri is always eager to help you attain your fitness goals.
For the last 12 years I have enjoyed teaching Pilates at the Bellingham Athletic Club. Maintaining my Pilates certification through Power Pilates over the years has helped me fine-tune workouts and keep members challenged. Following several foot and ankle injuries, I needed a non-impact method to build and increase my core strength. I quickly became enamored with Pilates. Working with members to strengthen their abs, back, and increase flexibility has been great fun! Come check out a class! This year I will celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary- I meet my husband Erik while attending graduate school at WWU. We have two amazing kids and have recently become empty-nesters. Outside of the BAC I enjoy baking, hiking, snowshoeing, traveling, gardening, spending time with friends and volunteering.
Heather has been a certified group fitness instructor at BAC since 1998. She teaches a variety of classes including Insanity, Total Body Conditioning, Power Pump and RIPPED. When not teaching, Heather is full-time paralegal and her and her husband Lance try their best to keep up with their very busy 9-year-old son, Hunter. She also enjoys running, hiking, working in her yard and spending time with friends and family. Come and check out one of Heather’s early morning classes at the Cordata club!
Celine Mauger teaches Zumba® Fitness classes at the Cordata location every Wednesday and Friday. She strongly believes that exercising can and should be fun and enjoyable and always strives to make every class a party. Her goal is to make her routines easy to follow so that everyone moves the whole time and gets a great cardio workout. She also shows modifications throughout the class for lower impact steps. Celine holds her Group Exercise Instructor Certification through the Athletics and Fitness Association of America. Only three rules apply in Celine’s Zumba® classes: Keep moving, have fun, and smile!
Susan Deschenes has been certified as a Group Exercise Instructor and started teaching in 1993. She got her Personal Trainer Certification in 1995. Susan currently teaches Group Fitness Boot Camp classes at the Downtown club on Mondays and Wednesdays. She also teaches yoga, pilates, spin, bench, floor and senior fitness classes.
Leslie has been teaching yoga for nearly 18 years. Currently, she teaches Gentle Yoga at the Downtown club. Her goal is to provide therapeutic classes that target areas of deep stress and past injury. Classes include breath-work, poses, and meditation. When not teaching, Leslie enjoys playing a lot with my two young boys, practicing yoga, and enjoys walks in the woods. Leslie has two boys, ages 3 and 7, and the sweetest dog you’ve ever met. Her husband is pretty sweet too!
My name is Liza Elman. I started my yoga career in 2012 getting certified with a 200-hour teacher certification course. I was trained in an Ashtanga based studio. I have used yoga to help center myself as well as surround myself in a warm and welcoming community. I started teaching at BAC in November 2017 and my class is Thursday evenings at 6:40 pm. When I am not teaching yoga, I try to spend as much time outside as possible. I love to ski, hike, kayak, surf, visit the farmers market and cook! I hope to see you in my class!
Kate Stevenson has been a group fitness instructor at Bellingham Athletic Club since 2001, upon graduation with a B.S. in Fitness and Exercise Science from Western Washington University. She is a certified ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Polestar Pilates Instructor. Kate currently teaches a variety of group classes, including Power Pump, Whole Body Fitness, Strong, RIPPED, Mat Pilates and Pilates Fusion at BAC and in the Faculty/Staff Wellness Program at WWU. Kate has danced with Bellingham Repertory Dance for years and continues her passion for dance and performing with Kuntz and Company. You’ll find Kate running the trails in the wee morning hours and playing with her 2 awesome kids, Clyde and Hazel, and her sweet husband Trent, all around town!
Melissa Lemcke has been teaching at BAC for two years. Melissa keeps her fitness interesting and ever-changing. She’s a certified spin, boot camp and TRX instructor with a new addition to her arsenal with Beachbody’s PiYo. Currently, Melissa is teaching Pump & HIIT, Strong and Cycle. PiYo will be on the schedule for both clubs starting in mid-April.