Hi there! My name is Mackenzie Ticknor. I grew up in Ann Arbor, MI and started my 15-year competitive swimming career at age 5. I also enjoyed and excelled at synchronized swimming throughout my entire childhood (now called artistic swimming) and became enthralled with water polo. By my young teenage years, my club swim team became nationally ranked. My high school swim team (Ann Arbor Pioneer) was also a powerhouse and during my time on it, we secured 4 more D1 State Championship titles apart of a 9-year consecutive state title streak. In those 4 years, we also secured 2 National Championship titles! I was also a 2-year varsity water polo starter on my high school team. My water polo team also captured several D1 state titles during my time at Pioneer.

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I am proud to have swam side-by-side with many teammates who became some of the greatest Olympians/swimmers in United States history. I have seen and experienced what it takes to be great in this sport mentally and physically, but I also have learned just what an incredible gift this sport can be and how to achieve longevity in this sport. I took my love for the sport to the collegiate level, swimming for Wittenberg University on a full-tuition academic scholarship. In my junior year of college, I began a collegiate water polo club from scratch that went onto become a full-blown varsity sport many years later, ranking within the top three teams nationally by the collegiate water polo association.

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After college, I married my best friend and we moved to Warsaw, Indiana. After the birth of my children, I lost my way with the water for many years after getting completely absorbed by motherhood and its incredible importance and weight, as well as it's extraordinary challenges, significant demands, and also great rewards. I lost quite a bit of myself though; my connections, my interests, my goals, and my worth, which unfortunately were not able to be in better balance. 

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However, the water has always had a tremendous impact on my life.  From beautiful friendships and life lessons learned through my age group club and summer teams, to national champion high school teams and collegiate swimming, to employment within the aquatic world, the impact was profound. After a 15-year break from the water to raise my children, the water called me back. Returning to the sport myself with US Masters Swimming, I now compete in many different major open water swim events around the country. I also began coaching the sport in many different capacities. I have coached both club as well as academic swim teams, and I teach countless private technique-based swim lessons to competitive swimmers from the surrounding regions and states. I am blessed to have 95% of my private lesson swimmers willing to travel 2 plus hours one-way just to have an hour private lesson with me. These parents and swimmers put great trust into me and return week after week reporting incredible results, and I am forever grateful for the incredible relationships we have built. I have found great passion and purpose in coaching and I love to pour into my swimmers, just as my coaches did with me.

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Water is what shaped me as a child, and water is where I re-find myself. I rediscover my soul and my spirit with every lap that I swim, every student that I coach, and every stroke that I take. I love to connect with fellow swimmers, swim parents, coaches, and water lovers. I feel I am divinely connected to the water, and I love to share my passion for it. Please don't hesitate to reach out, ask questions about my services, or simply connect!