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EVO Staff Spotlight: Head Site Coach Andrea Courtney

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Meet Andrea Courtney, the Head Site Coach at EVO’s competitive Gilbert swim school, RIO Swim Club. We recently sat down with Andrea to learn more about her and help our students get to know her better, too.

David Tait, owner of EVO and RIO: Hi, Andrea. Thanks for chatting with us! For those who don’t know you, tell us about your role at RIO Swim Club.

Andrea: As the Head Site Coach at the Hamilton pool, my primary role is running practices every night for four different groups, helping our competitive swimmers with their technique on all of their strokes, and working with them on their turns and dives. I also run monthly evaluations to see what they could improve and determine if they are ready to move to the next group.

David: You’ve coached some of our best students, and I know you were a competitive swimmer, too. How long have you been swimming and coaching?

Andrea: I started swimming competitively when I was 6 years old and continued swimming through high school. I hurt my knee and wasn’t able to continue swimming, so coaching allowed me to stay with the sport. Once I got involved with coaching, I fell in love with being able to help others improve in a sport that I enjoy so much.

Now, I have been coaching for almost 13 years! I have coached high school swimmers since I graduated, led a swim team at a local gym, and I have been coaching at RIO for three years.

David: We’ve loved having you as part of our team. Out of all of your time in swimming, what has been your fondest memory?

Andrea: I started swimming in Colorado during the summer while I was visiting my grandparents. I remember the first time I won the 100 backstroke at a championship meet. It was the same meet where our co-ed relay took first! It was a huge accomplishment for me and pushed me to continue. It also was awesome to do it with my friends that I had been swimming with for so long.

David: Wow, I bet that was an amazing moment! Outside of swimming, do you have any special talents or fun facts that most people don’t know about you?

Andrea: I don’t really have any special talents, but one thing that a lot of people don’t know is that I am a survivor of cancer. It has helped me be who I am today and given me a huge appreciation for my family and friends. We spend a lot of time together going to sporting events, concerts, and camping whenever we can.

David: We’re so glad you’re healthy now and thankful to have you as part of our Gilbert swim school.

Andrea: Thanks, Dave. It’s been so much fun helping kids reach their goals, and I love working with the EVO/RIO team. They feel like part of my family!

Benefits to Early Age Swimming Lessons

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Here are our top 5 benefits to early age swimming lessons:

1. Water Safety
Tragically, drowning is one of the biggest causes of accidental death among children. Learning the basic skills of rolling to your back to breathe and swimming from point A to point B can give your child a significant advantage to survival in the water.

2. Confidence Booster
Providing your child with swimming lessons by the age of three can help to prevent a fear of water developing later in childhood. Over coming this fear paired with exercises that involve moving independently in the water will give them a sense of accomplishment and confidence that they can do things that appear to be hard in the beginning.

3. Promotes Bonding
This applied specifically to our Parent-tot groups. Active participation between you and baby promotes bonding and trust. Skin-to-skin contact strengthens the bond between you and your little swimmer.

4. Promotes Physical and Mental Health
Swimming is a great way of getting little ones exercising while engaged in an activity that is fun! Being in the water helps improve coordination while using their whole body in dynamic ways during swimming lessons.

5. Supports Learning and Success
Many children thrive in environments that offer structure and routine. Swimming lessons are ideal in providing both structure and routine. Success can be realized as they graduate from one level to the next when master skills are developed.

Stop into any of our three locations for a tour or to observe one of our classes. Click HERE for a class schedule or call anytime with questions.

480-404-6191 SanTan Gilbert Location
480-539-2660 North Gilbert Location
480-404-6191 Queen Creek Location