ATHOS TSIOPANI
The visionary behind Eclipse Adventure Activity Centreand the Swan House Estate.
He has a passion for the great outdoors. Teamwork. Power. Fun. Adventure. He has built and landscaped the estate almost single-handedly over the past 15 years and contracted construction of the Centre in 2008. He pours his life and soul into making Eclipse a successful experience for everyone involved; ensuring that each visitor to the centre goes away feeling fulfilled and with a feeling of achievement. He has an innate understanding of people’s needs. He’s great with kids. Whether you want to challenge your inner being or relax your battered soul, Athos will always do his best to help guide you along the way.
His “Credo”…“To lead life centred on excellence integrity and communication, continuously learning and growing and helping others to fulfil their potential.”
Oh, and he cooks a mean steak! Athos’s younger life saw him as chef & proprietor of Bristol’s legendary Cattleman’s Steakhouse Restaurant. He brings this culinary knowledge to the forefront with BBQ catering for all your birthday parties, corporate events and hen & stag parties.
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ANITA TSIOPANI
Anita is the genuine and warm wife of Athos she is often seen looking after all the younger guests who comes to Eclipse, she is also house mum to the residential campers.
When not dealing with the children Anita operates as the customer relationship manager and is often the first person you will meet when coming to the Centre. Anita also provides administrative and reservations support for our busy office. She ensures that all administrative duties are completed to a high standard. She works very closely with all our departments, ensuring all rates & details are correct as well as liaising with clients, tour operators and works closely with our key partners. When she is not doing that she is loving Mum to Adam, Athoulis and Sonny.
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SONNY TSIOPANI
Sonny is the Activity Co-ordination Manager.
Son of Athos and Anita he coordinates activity’s for Adult groups and Children’s campers. Sonny has a unique fun loving personalities that appeals to all. He encourages achievement from anyone he facilitates so that they go home full of confidence and self esteem.
He works closely with Athos and is often team leader for school groups, stags and hens.
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KAREN VICENCIO
Eclipse’s well rounded senior instructor Karen Vicencio hails from California, where she spent several decades training horses and riders in a number of disciplines. She earned her Horsemastership III certificate in 1982, at the time the equivalent of the British Horse Society Instructor’s certificate and the highest level certificate that could be earned. She also trained racehorses, and rode western pleasure, team penned, rode reining and cutting horses, and showed in trail and western pleasure classes. She drove horses for a living for several years, mainly Standardbreds and draft horses, holding a single and pairs teamsters license for the city of Sacramento, where she was also certified as an instructor.
Horses and riders trained by Karen earned national awards in working hunters, show jumping, equitation and English pleasure. They also won many regional championships in those divisions, and including dressage, hunter breeding and eventing. Local awards also included western riding events. Since moving to Ireland she has trained several successful riders, including one who earned a national championship in equitation and regional awards in dressage. Karen worked with many excellent trainers and international riders over the years, including Victor Hugo Vidal, Lawrence Langer, Dennis Callin, Rudy Leone, Jimmy Williams, and Bernie Traurig.
She also specialized in training problem horses (all of the horses eventually earning National awards came to her because they had serious behavioural problems), using natural horsemanship methods learned from some of the exceptional horsemen she worked with over the years, including Tom Dorrance, Pat Parelli, and GaWaNi Ponyboy.
