How Teamwork Builds Stronger Swimmers
Swimming is often seen as a solitary journey, but at WeAquatics, the progress you see in the water is the result of a dedicated swim school team working together behind the scenes. We recently spoke with Coach Nadjia Rahimi, who is in her second year as a Learn-to-Swim instructor with us, to get an insider’s look at how our collaborative environment supports every swimmer’s success.
The “Swim Meet” for Swim School Staff
At WeAquatics, our staff meetings are much more than administrative check-ins—we actually refer to them as “swim meets”. These gatherings serve as a vital hub for professional teamwork:
- Collaborative Brainstorming: These meetings are a time for the entire team to gather and share new ideas.
- Shared Problem Solving: If an instructor faces a specific challenge at their facility, the team works together to find a collective solution.
- High Standards of Organization: Nadjia emphasizes that the team’s high level of organization allows instructors at our swim school to remain fully focused on teaching their students.
Building a Partnership Between Parents and the Swim School
We believe that teaching a child to swim is a team effort that includes the family. Nadjia emphasizes that building a strong relationship with parents from day one is key to a student’s progress.
“I feel like you gotta think a little bit outside the box because these kids are coming on a weekly basis and it can get very monotone… what if we kind of incorporate a little bit of challenges outside the pool?” Nadjia explains.
- Understanding the Swimmer: Nadjia takes five minutes at the start of new sessions to talk with parents to assess a child’s character and specific needs.
- Encouraging Consistency: We work with parents to stress that consistent weekly attendance is the best way to build a student’s physical endurance.
- Teamwork Beyond the Pool: Nadjia often suggests “dry land” exercises, such as the mattress drill, where students practice breaststroke kicks—knees up, legs open, close—while lying on a bed at home.
- A Holistic Approach: Teamwork also involves discussing healthy habits, such as nutrition and hydration, to help students stay strong and prevent muscle spasms during lessons.
The Rewarding Results of Collaboration
When the staff and parents work as a team, the results are truly inspiring. Nadjia has seen this collaborative spirit turn dreams into reality, such as when she worked closely with an adult student on a strict training and diet program to help him successfully complete an Ironman in Hawaii. She also supported vital health goals for a couple in their 70s who needed to learn to swim for spine health, ultimately teaching them how to tread water and float. These milestones, paired with personal community connections like receiving fermented tea or handmade Christmas cards, are what truly make the job rewarding.
Why We Do What We Do
For our coaches, the most rewarding part of the job is the connection they build with their students. Nadjia shares that she enjoys going to the pool every day, hearing her students’ life stories, and finding ways to give back.
“To be able to give someone a skill that you know that just brightens someone else’s day is just a wonderful thing,” Nadjia says.
That sense of purpose and teamwork is what defines the WeAquatics experience.
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