Our journey with koi began in 2004 after visiting a friend in England. We were mesmerized by his beautiful koi collection. Richard came home and began digging our first koi pond. At Koi America in 2005, our first koi show, I bought two small Kohaku and entered them in the show. I won Baby Champion and was hooked! The next several years we travelled to Taiwan and Japan to select our growing collection of koi. Now over twenty trips later, I am still mesmerized by the beauty of koi.
I originally joined the AKCA judging program in 2010 and transferred to the AKJA judging program in 2011. I became a Certified AKJA Judge in 2013. I became a ZNA Local Certified Judge in 2021. I am also a Goldfish USA Judge. I was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up camping and enjoying the outdoors. We moved to Florida in 1996 to enjoy a warmer climate with our parrots and tortoises. Our lush tropical climate has only encouraged our enjoyment of plants and animals. Ponds with koi and goldfish just naturally fit into our environment. Like many judges, I am a nature lover and appreciate the grace and beauty of animals. I particularly enjoy watching young koi grow and develop.
American Koi Judges Association (AKJA) 