Meet Your Instructor

30+ Years. 33+ Countries. One Mission: Certified-Ready Pool Operators.

Meet Tom "Duffy" Dillon — a swim coach who became a Sydney Olympic coach, then an international consulting director, and now the CPO instructor students across 121 countries call when they need to be certified-ready to operate on day one.

1980s
Started Coaching
33+
Countries Coached / Consulted
15+
Years PHTA CPO Instruction
Duffy Dillon — PHTA Certified CPO Instructor
30-Year Credentialing Timeline

A Career Built Across Pool Decks, Continents, and Classrooms

The milestones that shaped how Duffy teaches CPO — from competitive swim coaching to Olympic duty, international consulting, and the launch of The Pool Trainers.

  1. 1980s

    Competitive Swim Coaching

    Began coaching at USA club and collegiate level. Built the foundation in stroke mechanics, periodization, and athlete development that informs his teaching style to this day.

  2. 1990s

    International Aquatics Consulting & Head Coaching

    Traveled the world as a head coach and aquatics consultant. Worked with national federations, club programs, and aquatic centers across multiple continents — learning the regulatory and operational variation that no domestic-only CPO instructor has seen.

  3. 2000

    Coach, Sydney Olympic Games

    Coached athletes at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games — the largest stage in aquatic sport. Brought back a systems mindset and a respect for protocol that still shapes every class he teaches.

  4. 2014 – 2017

    International Director, ASCA

    Served as International Director of the American Swimming Coaches Association — working with swimming federations and coaches across 6 continents. Built the cross-cultural fluency that distinguishes his CPO instruction from anyone else.

  5. 2017 – 2024

    Pool Manager & Head Coach, Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 (Army)

    Managed aquatic facilities and coached at a U.S. Army installation in Colorado. Operated inside a military-grade compliance environment — health-department inspections, risk registers, and operational discipline applied day in and day out.

  6. 2025

    PHTA CPO Instructor — The Pool Trainers

    Launched The Pool Trainers as a PHTA-certified CPO instructor. Brings three decades of pool-deck, classroom, and international consulting experience into a live 2-day CPO certification students can attend from anywhere.

CPO Candidate Outcomes

Candidates Leave Certified-Ready to Operate

The Pool Trainers CPO class is built around three outcomes that map directly to what a working pool operator needs on day one after certification.

💧

Pool chemistry & water balance

Operate balanced pool and spa water per PHTA standards — know the chemistry well enough to diagnose and correct, not just follow a log sheet.

🔄

Filtration & circulation

Diagnose and resolve system issues in residential, hotel, school, and municipal pools — the operational failure mode that health departments actually flag.

🛡

Safety, risk, & regulatory compliance

Pass PHTA-aligned health-department inspections across 26+ regulated states — the same compliance lens used by municipal, school, and resort facilities nationwide.

Ready to Join the Next CPO Class?

Live 2-day CPO certification on Zoom with Coach Duffy. From $425. Imperial & Metric tracks available.

Enroll Now See Curriculum Details