Instructor Profile

Amy’s inborn fondness for dance began at an early age.  Born in Hood River, Oregon, Amy’s parents enrolled her in dance classes at the tender age of three.  She studied with the Bridgewater Dance Theatre for fourteen years, taking ballet, jazz, and modern dance.  As a teenager, Amy competed in regional dance competitions and even danced at EXPO ’86 – the World’s Fair in Vancouver, British Columbia.  In High School, Amy’s love for dancing (and enthusiasm for life!) flourished as she became a Cheerleader and had a lead role on her high school’s Dance Team. 

As a Freshman at OSU, Amy took her first step aerobics class and was instantly hooked.  She became an exercise-aholic as a student at Oregon State, taking any fitness class she could get her hands on.  It was during this time that she started teaching her own fitness classes at Dixon Recreational Center on OSU’s campus.  Amy’s experience with group exercise spans over the past eleven years.  Initially she taught the OSU student population with such group exercise classes as Step, Kickboxing, Bootcamp, Sculpting, and Toning/Abs.  It was during this time that she also helped develop and teach a class to incoming students who had an interest in becoming a group exercise instructor. 

In May of 2001, Amy competed in her first bodybuilding and fitness competition – the Oregon Iron Man Natural.  She competed at 9% body fat – and learned a tremendous amount about nutrition, anatomy & physiology, and overall performance of athletes.  Placing 5th overall was an amazing feat of accomplishment --- and she could not have done it without the overwhelming support from her husband and many friends.  She feels her personal knowledge with such a competitive process has allowed her to teach from a rich background of experiences. 

Amy has been involved, and continues to be involved, in the fitness industry in Corvallis for over a decade.  She worked at Wow! Fitness (formerly Corvallis Fitness Center) for eleven years as a Group Exercise Instructor and  Group Exercise Director (2002 – 2005).  She ended her employment with WOW! in the summer of 2008.  During her tenure at WOW!, she was trained with Body Training Systems (BTS) and certified to teach Group Step, Group Power, and Group Kick.  She also developed several toning & sculpting classes for upper body, lower body, and core strength training, as well as taught cycling classes.
Presently Amy works full time during the “school year” in the Nutrition Exercise Science Program at Oregon State University.  She teaches fitness classes for both OSU students and staff, including Step Aerobics, Cardio Kickboxing, Weight Training, Body Sculpting, Pilates, and Latin Dance Fitness.  She loves her department and greatly enjoys the contact she has with the college age group.  Being able to make a positive difference in the lives of her students is so rewarding.  While Amy is busy on campus, she still finds time to dibble and dabble with other fitness activities.  She currently teaches for the Timberhill Athletic Club (TAC) in Corvallis on a very part-time basis.  She plans to continue teaching for TAC, particularly when school is not in session.

So, how in the world did this crazy girl get hooked on ZUMBA?   For several years she felt uninspired by the entourage of fitness classes she was teaching.  They were fun, she burned calories, but she felt less than invigorated with them.  They left her feeling like she wanted more…but what?  Well, in the spring of 2007, Amy stumbled upon ZUMBA while reading about it in a fitness magazine.  After considerable research, she attended a ZUMBA training in Portland and became a certified ZUMBA instructor.  It was then and there that her love of dance and strong fitness background collided.  It felt like the missing piece --- this is what she had been looking for! 

ZUMBA is amazing – It’s different…it’s easy, exotic, effective…and so much fun!  When Amy’s teaching her ZUMBA classes, she feels like she’s just out in a club dancing.  But the bonus is that there is massive caloric expenditure.  Amy estimates that she burns more than 800 calories/hour ZUMBA-cizing!  That’s more than any cycling, step, or kickboxing class by about double!  And teaching ZUMBA has really taken Amy’s fitness instruction to the next level.  Amy is able to be creative with her choreography and incorporate moves that tone stubborn body parts in ways that other classes have ignored.  The Latin music is infectious, motivating, invigorating and the workouts fly by (which can be unusual during certain classes). 

In March 2008, Amy launched her first ZUMBA classes in Corvallis.  She had over 65 people at her kickoff launch and the classes continue to grow with success.  Amy's ZUMBA classes are the hottest ticket in Corvallis. Other fitness clubs have tried to launch similar zumba classes, but Amy's classes cannot be duplicated. If you want the REAL THING - ZUMBA with Amy is the class you won't want to miss. Her classes are packed with enthusiasm & fun - and you will sweat more than you thought was ever possible. The energy is infectious and you will leave with a skip in your step and a smile on your heart.

Amy always delivers a class that hits on every level - for young & old alike. If you have never danced before, have no worries...b/c within the hour you will be amazed at how quickly you pick up on the steps. Come to ZUMBA WITH AMY once and you will be hooked. Your workouts will never be the same!

Amy recently added a new ZUMBA SCULPT class to target abs, booties, and thighs.  If you are interested in real results real fast, you’ve got to check it out.  This class is sure to change your body quickly!

Aside from being a fitness freak and ZUMBA-maniac…Amy believes her most important jobs are wife & mommy.  She enjoys spending time with her husband, Ben, and two beautiful little girls.  Ben and Amy have been together for over 13 years and are still just as much in love today as they were in college.  Ben is a huge support-system for Amy, and together they make an awesome team.  Their little girls, Gracie and Clancey are the center of their universe and family time is always highest on the priority list.  Gracie, almost 7 years old, is aspiring to be a little dancer someday…just like Mommy!  And Clancey, 4 years old, isn’t far behind.  Amy also enjoys scrapbooking, gardening, cooking, and dancing…of course!