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THE INSTRUCTORS
Geno Ortiz
Geno, in the purple shirt and sunglasses, during a crew
change in a 26 mile Catalina Channel Race. Timing and
teamwork, allow the men in the water to climb on board
the canoe as the others jump into the sea.
The 2002 International Olympic Committee placed
Geno on the Olympic Massage Team: one of
three massage therapists from Hawaii, on a team
of therapists representing 14 countries. Geno was
also a member of the Massage Team in the
1984 Summer Olympics, the first team in history.
Click here to read an article written by Geno Ortiz,
In Massage & Bodywork magazine.
6.9 MB PDF download
(56k dialup: approx 14 min)
(DSL: approx 2 min)
(Cable: approx 30 seconds)
Ronona Della Cioppa
Five (5) time Ironman Triathlon finisher:
1993, 1994, 1995, 1999 and 2001.
Pictured here with a new found friend while competing
in Australia, Ronona has overcome major physical challenges
in order to become a World Champion canoe
paddler (4 times!).
Barbara Uechi
Barbara is a lifetime Kona resident and owner of
Kona Yoga, the Center of Balance, a yoga studio
that also offers massage and acupuncture.
A Yoga instructor in Kona for the past 15 years,
Barbara attributes her passion for the practice to
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About our Instructors
Geno Ortiz ~ Barbara Uechi ~ Ronona Della Cioppa
Geno Ortiz
As a massage therapist, licensed in Hawaii since 1980, Geno has instructed hundreds of other therapists through the various requisite courses in order for them to obtain a State of Hawaii Massage Therapist license (LMT). He received his anatomy related education at Whittier College, Long Beach State University and the University of Oregon and was the founder and principal of Kona Hawaii's School of Muscular Massage in Kailua-Kona.
Geno's therapy skills earned him positions on travelling sports teams and cruise ships, in rehabilitation clinics and resort hotels. He considers his selection to the massage teams in two Olympic Games (1984, 2002) to be the highlight of his career as a therapist.
Through Ulei Retreats, Geno intends to share his passion for the rewards of discipline, practice, and synergy of team sports. Couples will receive instruction in massage techniques and learn how to complement their partner's training regimen at all levels. Geno's gregarious personality and humorous teaching style, make even complex physiological topics, easy and inspirational.
Ronona Della Cioppa
Indomitable is defined as: incapable of being overcome, subdued, or vanquished; unconquerable. That's Ronona! She was in a brutal car accident just a week after finishing the 1999 Ironman Triathlon and broke her neck and low back. Eleven months later, she competed in the Na Wahine O Ke Kai canoe race and became a world champion that year (2000) and again in 2001 and 2002.
Born in Honolulu, Ronona attended high school in Carson, California and received an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science at El Camino College in Redondo Beach. She IS a ball of fire! She has a list of gold medals and championship canoe racing titles to support that.
Enthusiasm and an indomitable spirit is what Ronona brings to the Ulei Retreat teaching staff. She'll share her training background and offer tips to augment your cardio-vascular health, fitness goals, and Hawaiian-style experience.
Barbara Uechi
Barbara was born and raised in Hawaii, spending much of her childhood less than 5 minutes away from the Ulei Retreat venue in Hookena. During most of the 1980's and 90's, she was a realtor and community leader. While involved in numerous non-profit agencies and committees, and also serving as the president of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, her introduction to Yoga brought reason to re-evaluate her personal goals.
Community health issues were always a top priority for Barbara and as she began to teach Yoga, she discovered a way to truly affect change. "The most powerful method to teach 'health and wellness', is to first accept it into your own life. A healthy, happy individual serves as an inspiration; more able to positively motivate others."
"What I would like to share with our retreat participants is a practice based uopn the concepts of Yoga that will address individual needs and choices. Once you are able to practice introspectively, you will be able to practice in partnership."
"As a Yoga instructor, I place a lot of responsibility on students for their own physical transformation. I'm just a conduit for the essence of Yoga. However, once strength and stability are established in your own body, only then are you able to offer support to others: physically, mentally, and energetically. When you come to Ulei Retreats, you are in the perfect place to become Fit Together, in Hawaii."
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