Michael Phelps Swim School, LLC announced today a strategic affiliation with Pitchfork Aquatics, Inc. As the first licensee of Michael Phelps Swimming methodology in Arizona, Pitchfork Aquatics brings the industry leading swim instruction methodology to Arizona State University.
“Pitchfork Aquatics is a non-profit entity that will provide the opportunity for anyone in the Phoenix community to learn to swim, improve their fitness, or compete at their highest level through our programs in a safe, fun, and challenging environment”, said Rob Richardson, President of Pitchfork Aquatics. “The three Pitchfork prongs represent our core values of Safety, Fitness, and Performance, with a commitment to excellence in teaching, training, and talent in the pool and in the community.
The ability to offer Michael Phelps Swimming at Arizona State University is a significant educational and programming opportunity”, stated Julyann Hill, Swim School Director at Pitchfork Aquatics. “We all share a common passion to provide community outreach programs, and to support water safety and drowning prevention in our local community, and the Michael Phelps Swimming methodology will be an exciting complement to our aquatics programs”.
Michael Phelps Swimming (MPS), the proprietary methodology developed by Michael Phelps Swim School, offers industry-leading swim instruction programming to non-, new, and experienced swimmers of all ages and abilities. Michael Phelps Swimming, led by program founder and Michael Phelps Swim School Director, Cathy (Lears) Bennett, is a curriculum designed to ensure that each participant becomes comfortable, confident, and safe in and around the water. Classes include learn-to-swim, personal safety, stroke development, water sports and games, personal growth, and rescue skills, and are available in group lessons, private instruction, camps, clinics, and other select programming.
“I was first introduced to the sport of swimming through the very same water-safety and recreational aquatics instruction developed by Ms. Bennett, and am proud to now be in a position to offer this great programming to even more people through Michael Phelps Swimming,” said Michael Phelps.
“It’s very exciting for us to bring the Michael Phelps Swim School programming to the Arizona for the first time,” said Cathy Bennett, Director of Michael Phelps Swim School. “The combination of our leading swimming curriculum, Pitchfork Aquatics, and the Sun Devil Fitness Centers provides a great opportunity to reach more people in the water and expand the sport of swimming.”
For fitness, Pitchfork provides an opportunity for children in a developmental setting to learn to swim, train, and/or compete at their desired level. “The transition from learning to swim to competing on a year round club team can be daunting”, stated Sam Hewson, Vice President of Business Development and swim league Coach for Pitchfork. “After researching the most successful club teams in the United States, and around the world, we found that those that provided a developmental team were better able to ease the transition and ‘grow the base’ into competitive swimming, as well as provide an opportunity to support improved fitness levels. With today’s busy lifestyle, a lot of parents can’t afford the time or money to have their kids jump into a full time program to swim 6 days a week. Pitchfork is providing an option to swim once or twice a week in a low stress environment, with fun aquatic and other sports activity”, said Hewson. “We think this will be a great opportunity for elementary and middle school kids to improve their fitness levels, meet new friends, as well as support other growing youth sports such as triathlons”.
The experienced instructors and coaches represent the best that have coached and competed at the Collegiate, National, International, and Olympic level, utilizing proven curriculum and techniques that produces results at all levels in and out of the pool. “The learn to swim and developmental group will provide a smooth transition into the Pitchfork Aquatics USA Swimming Club team that will begin practices after January 1st at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center on the Tempe campus. We aim to offer an overall experience of coaching, facilities, and results that is unmatched anywhere in the United States.
The learn to swim and developmental swim group registration is now open at www.pitchforkaquatics.org, and programming started on October 20, 2015 at the ASU Polytechnic fitness center. “Our plan also includes programming at the ASU West Campus fitness center location, and we will be offering Sport Camps at both locations during the December holiday and March 2016 Spring Break period”, stated Richardson.
