Coaches

Our main staff is licensed, professional and / or accredited from the USAT.  Each of them has extensive study and experience in coaching athletes and experience in triathlon or their specific field.

We all believe we can help our team members to reach their goals.

Steve Tarpinian

Bachelors and Masters in Engineering with several advanced degrees and certificates in health and sport related subjects. He did his first triathlon in 1981. After working for three years as an Electrical Engineer, Steve decided to change careers to work in the sports/fitness/health field and started coaching in 1985. Realizing that he had a genuine gift for helping swimmers improve he immediately started conducting swim clinics. That "gift" was developed by a strong desire (since age 10) to be the best swimmer he could be. Starting out as a poor swimmer, he became a student of the sport and developed a video and books to help others. 

Steve was a member of the charter National Coaching Committee that created the USAT Coaching Certification Program.

As a fitness consultant, Steve uses a personal approach to successfully help people reach their potential. His specialties include swimming, creating effective complete swim/bike/run programs and flexibility/strength training. He has authored three books: The Essential Swimmer, Swim Training for Triathlons and Water Workouts. Steve is the creator of the critically acclaimed video series SWIM POWER and the Yoga dvd Yoga for Endurance athletes. Steve uses his swimming and triathlon competition experience (including the Hawaii Ironman) and extensive education in his coaching and in all of his fitness consulting services. His genuine enthusiasm and caring is evidenced in clinics, events and services.

Steve has experience working with athletes of all levels including several professionals (including three World Champions). His favorite level of athletes to work with however is the beginner to intermediate athletes.

Steve loves to be around athletes and his favorite part of the triathlon is the run. He enjoys the simplicity and purity of the sport.

Natalie Penny

Natalie is a professional junior and adult triathlon coach, and is the Director of the Team Total Training Junior Team.  Natalie serves as the Oak Neck Athletic Council Track and Field Director and Coach, and has taught Yoga to children in after school enrichment programs.  

Natalie's most recent personal athletic background is as a swimmer and triathlete, moving her focus to running.  A USAT All American, she has previously been an All England Women's Lacrosse player as well as USTA level 5.0 tennis player.

• BA from Long Island University, CW Post
• BS from TTUniversity Swimpower Coach Training
• Level III Spin Instructor
• Youth and Adult Fitness Trainer

Natalie loves to teach, learn through teaching, and celebrate success in improvement through consistency, commitment and sensible training.

Natalie really enjoys participating in, and training for events which bring people as individuals and families together. She embodies the team motto of "the Beauty is in the Balance".

Cyle Sage

Visiting Triathlon Coach
Hometown: Tampa, Florida

2000 United States Olympic Committee Junior Coach of the Year
1998,1999 USOC Developmental coach of the year
1998-2001 USAT Junior National Team coach and Athlete Development Director Captain
1998-2001 US Navy Triathlon Team
1997 Pan American Team Member
 

4:00:00 1/2 Ironman PR 1991 Gulf Coast
0:44:12 Ironman Canada, and
0:01:38 200 yard Swim PR's!

Steve Tarpinian says: As great an athlete as Cyle is, he is an even better coach!

Holly Jonas

I have been a member of TTT for several years and enjoy training and participating in events with the athletes I work with as a TTT coach. Coaching the beginner swimmers is especially enjoyable for me, since I can leverage my own journey from a beginner with them. Sharing the multi-sport lifestyle is exciting for me.

Holly utilizes her knowledge of physiology from her career as a Doctor of Chiropractic in addition to her certifications in coaching (USAT and TTU), strength and conditioning and running technique.

Steve Jonas

I have been an active runner and triathlete for the past 25 years.  I have a background in human anatomy and physiology being that I practiced chiropractic for over 30 years.  I enjoy coaching athletes from the beginner level to the experienced athlete.  I also manage Total Training Center, at TTC along with my wife Holly we perform physiological and metabolic testing on athletes.  We also perform video run analysis. I hold certification as a USAT coach, TTU coach and Pose running.  I use my chiropractic background and athletic experience to provide the finest service to athletes.

Josephine Piccinic

Being a coach for Team Total Training gives me the opportunity to share my experiences and knowledge with the athletes, who range in experience from beginners to elite triathlon participants.

My specialty as an athlete is running. I also swim two to three times a week as cross training to improve my times in roadraces.
I have participated in 6 marathons as well as some half-marathons, 10K's and 5K races. I was five minutes short in qualifying for theOlympic Trials in the Chicago Marathon, which qualifies me to assist athletes with meeting their goals in the sport. I enjoy training athletes and watching them achieve their potential.

I am a certified public school athletic league coach on the high school level in Track and Field. My duties involve training high school athletes to perform in amateur meets across the city in NY. Many of my athletes achieve scholarships to Universities, Colleges and various secondary schools.

My many years of training and competing in this sport have left me with a desire to pass my knowledge on to others that have the same interest as I do in improving their life through fitness and competition.

Felicia Wagner

B.S. In Physical Education
M.S. in Health Education
Primarily a swimmer-Div. III swim background at SUNY Cortland
First triathlon was back in 1994-Mighty Hampton's kids triathlon.  Love the sport, and hopefully will be going another 13 years strong. Goals for the future:  Enjoy training and everything I put into it.

Goals for coaching:  Be there when anyone needs me.

Laura Hartman

Laura Hartman, RYT, is an endurance athlete herself with 30 years experience as a yoga teacher. She is a nurse trained in Sports Medicine, a cycling instructor, and a massage therapist.

Laura integrates all her training in the afore mentioned fields as well as 10 years as a professional dancer to bring a well rounded approach to the athletic bodies of those seeking balance in their training. Laura began her athletic career as a swimmer at age 7 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, continuing through junior Olympic level, then moved on to competetive cheerleading in high school before discovering yoga, dance, cycling, weight training, and running.

She loves to feel so alive in her body! As a teacher and coach, her desire is to help others share the same feeling of delight, strength, and grace that balancing training with yoga can bring.

Hobbies:

Wakeboarding, snowboarding, waterskiing, nutrition and playing on the beach with her dog.

Laura is also the lucky mom of a beautiful daughter.

Paul Seward

Paul coaches our Saturday morning Hecksher Park Bricks (bike/runs) from mid March to October. He is a tinkerer who in concert with Steve Tarpinian designs challenging and fun training sessions for the no fee bike run workouts provided for TTT members.

He has a wealth of information both from his years of experience as a triathlete and also from the many hours of self study he has invested in training and coaching.