Dr. Joel Bloom was introduced to the world of fitness/wellness and recreation at age 11 when he picked up a tennis racquet and began playing the game that would change his life. While in high school in Chicago, he began this lifelong fitness training with a burning interest not only in the fine points of the tennis game, but also the nutrition and exercise regimen necessary for success. During his undergraduate kinesiology work and as a varsity player at Northern Illinois, the spark of biomechanics was kindled along with his desire to teach physical education and coach.
He has had a love for coaching, but it became relegated to a back seat as sports medicine crept into his world. He completed a Bachelors of Science at Northern Illinois University in both physical education and pre-med with a minor in biology. While in residency, he completed his NATA internship with the NFL Chicago Bears. After his MSE he taught at Western Michigan University and found his way to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his Ph.D. Both his master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation were focused on aquatics and the improvement of mechanical skills.
The University of Houston recruited him to be its first Aquatics Director and in December 1970, he attended his first TAHPERD Convention. The rest is a history of passionately trying to get Texas children, teens and adults to get fit and stay fit. He has taught hundreds of UH grads to swim and appreciate the feeling of the “exercise high”. In 1990, he created W.E.T., an aquatic based rehabilitation program for arthritic and post –operative surgery patients. In 2002, he served TAHPERD as the Vice-President of the Recreation Division and was the recipient of our organization’s Honor Award. He lives physical fitness on a daily basis forever encouraging his students to believe that they can be all they can be physically, academically and ultimately professionally. His infectious ardor for the wellness professional to set the fitness example has influenced multiple recreational cyclists, runners and swimmers to achieve their goals. His lifestyle exudes throughout his teaching by example. In the words of his students, Dr. Bloom is a compassionate and an “above and beyond professor”.
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