Dan Hanrahan
Dan Hanrahan grew up swimming at Ridgewood, the son of Sue and Stu Hanrahan. He was a lifeguard and instructor through his freshman year at UW-Madison where he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He has held a number of executive positions including president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises and president and CEO of Regis Corporation. Currently Dan serves as Chairman of the Board of Cedar Fair, a world leader in operating amusement and water parks including resort and hotel properties. He’s also on the Board for Lindblad Expeditions Holdings. Lindblad is an expedition travel company that partners with National Geographic to inspire people to explore and care about the planet. Dan is also on the board of Foss Swim schools…so his love for swimming continues. Dan credits Ridgewood with not only his love of swimming, but also the discipline and focus Ridgewood swim practices instilled in him. He lives in the Vail Valley where he swims with the local masters team and enjoys the occasional open water race. One of his favorite races was the 4.5 mile race in Turkey across the Bosporus Strait.
Denny and Jan Hanson
Denny and Jan Hanson were integral and inspirational members of the Ridgewood community helping establish many of the traditions that continue to this day. Denny served as Ridgewood Pool Manager for 18 years from 1969-1987 and remembers that dealing with the pool’s mechanicals was a “constant battle” already more than 30 years ago. He and Jan raised three children who were all active at the pool. Away from Ridgewood, Denny taught chemistry at Memorial High School and Jan was Women’s Director at the YMCA. She was the first to have the idea to sell All City T-shirts and notes that the original design didn’t include the year just in case they had left-overs and needed to sell them the next year. No worries there; it was a sell-out and All City T-shirts became an annual tradition. Denny and Jan are part of the “Ridgewood Couples Group” built on friendships established at the pool when children were young. The friends have been continuing to get together for 50+ years; a tribute to the type of community Ridgewood helps create.
Ann Martinelli
Ann Martinelli spent 32 years as an educator and administrator at Madison area Catholic schools including St. Dennis, Edgewood Campus School, Queen of Peace and then as Assistant Principal at St. Maria Goretti before retiring in 2018. In addition to the wonderful fun and family time that Ridgewood provides, as a professional educator Ann knows the cognitive, social and emotional benefits that come from unstructured play such as Ridgewood’s open swim; and the myriad benefits that come from team involvement such as self-esteem, critical thinking, discipline, leadership and character building – all while children are having fun. Ann and her husband Tom enjoy summer Saturdays at Ridgewood watching their grandchildren swim competitively. Ann believes in supporting the many benefits pools like Ridgewood create for children, their families and the community.
Beata Nelson
Beata Nelson is a professional athlete competing with the Cali Condors in the International Swimming League. She is the American record holder in the women’s 100-yard backstroke (49.18), a three-time NCAA champion, thirteen-time All-American, and nine-time Big Ten champion – and it all started with learning to swim at Ridgewood. Having fun with friends at the pool and competing as a Ridgewood Green Bun grew into swimming on club teams, in high school, and earning 12 high school state titles. Beata swam for the UW Badgers, earned the 2019 NCAA & Big Ten Swimmer of the Year, Academic All-Big Ten & American honors, and volunteered for Badgers Give Back to remain engaged with her community. She graduated spring 2020 with a degree in psychology and through an unexpected turn of events in the world, was back training in the healthy open air of her beloved summer home, Ridgewood. Beata says without her love for the sport of swimming, and the fun, friendships and camaraderie that community pools like Ridgewood nurture, she would not have the opportunities she has now to progress in the sport or her life. Ridgewood is where she grew up, made lifelong friendships and molded into who she is today.
Ed Nuttycombe
As UW-Madison Men’s Track & Field Coach from 1983 to 2013, Ed Nuttycombe won more Big Ten Conference Titles than any coach in any sport in the history of the league. He led the Badgers to 26 Big Ten Championships – 13 indoor titles and 13 outdoor titles. Through his unparalleled coaching career, Ed has decades of insight into the value of athletic activity, individual and team sports, and the immense, life-long benefits of healthy physical activity. He has a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology. Ed is still a consultant with the UW’s Men’s and Women’s Track and Cross Country teams while also performing volunteer work in the community. He and his family have enjoyed Ridgewood for generations. On sunny summer days, Ed can be spotted with his signature hat and warm smile, splashing in the pool with his wife and grandchildren.
Ed and Mary Lou Reisch
Ed and Mary Lou Reisch live in the Greentree neighborhood and joined Ridgewood in 1977. Their three children, Elizabeth, Margaret and Daniel, were active on swim and dive team, and the girls did water ballet. One of Mary Lou’s favorite Ridgewood memories is performing with the Moms’ Water Ballet Group! She was also on the Ridgewood Board of Directors. Both Ed and Mary Lou are now retired; Ed from banking and brokerage business, and Mary Lou from Madison Public Schools. Ed is a long-time member of Madison West Kiwanis, has been on the Group Health Cooperative Board of Directors and is a strong supporter of Porchlight Transitional Housing. Mary Lou is active with the Greentree Garden Club and was on the Madison West YMCA Swim Team Board. They say their Ridgewood membership was “the best money we ever spent on activities for our children! The discipline and camaraderie of the swim team was so beneficial in their character development.” Ed and Mary Lou want to ensure that all of those healthy and fun benefits of Ridgewood will continue to be available to children and families for many years to come.
Debbie and Fred Schwartz
Debbie and Fred Schwartz are both natives of Madison and are extremely proud to call this area their home. Debbie is the daughter of Bud and Helen Bakke, two of Ridgewood’s charter members. Debbie grew up just down the street from Ridgewood and rode her bike to the pool every day. Learning to swim and dive, making friends, and of course some dibble dabble, were all part of joyous summers at Ridgewood. Fred was involved in many sports and believes strongly in the life-skills that team sports help children develop such as focus, teamwork and perseverance. Debbie owns Paoli Schoolhouse American Bistro, a farm to table restaurant in Paoli, and Fred has spent his career at Sub-Zero Wolf in Madison. They enjoy watching their grandchildren swim and compete in the All City League as the family tradition of fun in the water continues. Fred and Debbie know the immense value Ridgewood Pool has brought to the community for decades, and want to ensure that it remains a safe, fun, healthful place for children and families; an integral part of the community that helps continue the tradition of the greater Madison area being a fantastic place to live.
Julie and Jay Van Cleave
Julie and Jay Van Cleave are strong advocates for water safety and learning to swim. Julie grew up swimming at Parkcrest Pool, enjoying Madison’s All City League and working as a lifeguard and instructor. She is a very active Masters swimmer, an avid open water competitor, and serves as treasurer of the Wisconsin Masters Aquatic Club. Away from the pool, Julie spent 30 years as an equity portfolio manager for global asset management firms before serving as the Chief Investment Officer at the UW Foundation and Alumni Association until retiring in 2020. Jay is a founding Partner and Vice President of LSIA, a wealth management firm. He also served many years as Meet Director for their children’s swim club. Their three children all competed as age-group swimmers, setting the stage for them as student-athletes in college. Both Jay and Julie serve on USA Swimming Foundation’s Board of Trustees. The Foundation is the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming, supporting swimming at all levels from learn-to-swim programs to supporting the U.S. National Team. Through their work with the USA Swimming Foundation, Julie and Jay have seen the deep value community and neighborhood pools bring to children and families and enthusiastically support the efforts to rebuild Ridgewood.
Terri Wiedenbeck
Terri and her late husband, Jim Wiedenbeck, Sr., first became Ridgewood members in 1969. Little did they know that they were starting a multigenerational family tradition. Their children, Jim Jr., Jane, Sue and Amy, were active swimmers and Terri says some of her favorite memories include the wonderful women she met, and friendships that grew, during all of their children’s activities at the pool. Each of Terri’s children had their own membership as adults and soon, Terri was watching her grandchildren, the third generation of Wiedenbeck Ridgewood members, learn the life-saving skill of swimming, compete on swim team and enjoy water ballet. Terri is active in the community, is an avid golfer, volunteers with Attic Angels and belongs to an organization that supports women in education with loans, scholarships and other funding. Most of all, she loves following her grandchildren in their sporting activities, from grade school through college. She says the community is blessed to have a quality neighborhood pool, not only to help children learn to swim, but as a supportive and healthy gathering place for families, and she hopes Ridgewood will remain a valuable centerpiece of the community for generations to come.