A “Dive” into Our History

Monday, 08 June 2020

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Our beginning was simple. We were just a family with a passion who wanted to share our excitement with our community. We always loved the water and at a young age, I earned my SCUBA dive certification when I was 9 years old, which further spurred my family's love of all things SCUBA and swimming. That's when my parents decided they wanted to venture into the aquatics business. Atlanta Swim Academy was created by my family, and this culture lives on as the entire ASA team has grown to be one big family, joining together to teach children of the East Cobb community the joy that comes with swimming.

In the Beginning…

We started with one pool, a desire to teach swim lessons, and the wherewithal to build Atlanta Swim Academy from nothing. The academy and I grew up together in a way, as I went from being a lifeguard to a swim instructor to assisting in business operations and becoming a Certified Pool Operator (CPO). In 2006, we shifted to primarily providing swim lessons, which is when my parents retired and passed the reigns to me. I have been the owner of Atlanta Swim Academy ever since.

In 2019, I joined the Board of Directors for the United States Swim School Association (USSA). I've always had a passion for collaborating with fellow swim schools, but the USSA gave me the resources I needed to work with the best swim schools in the United States. I have loved the opportunity to share ideas and help ASA be the best it can be.

Over the course of 35 years, we have added two pools and aimed to always be in the know when it comes to pool technology. We have automated pool systems of which can be operated from our computers and phones, 24/7 pool monitoring, and an ability to maintain a perfect balance in pool chemistry. Our program is competitive, as our students have doubled over the last 10 years, and we continue to expand. We have everything swimmers need to learn to safely enjoy the water, and while that certainly contributes to the success of ASA, that's not what makes us who we are.

Owner, Brad Grzelka (Right), and father, Ron Grzelka (Left)

Our Culture

If you come into ASA, you'll see more than a swim academy – you'll see the buzz of managers, supervisors, administrators, instructors, and facility engineers working hard to make this the best experience possible for our students and their parents. We have an incredible team that more closely resembles a family than co-workers. We put time and resources into making sure our 60+ employees are receiving the proper staff development and training to help us better serve our ASA swimmers.

However, it doesn't stop there. We love getting our employees involved in various charitable causes. Community is important, and I feel compelled to give back through ASA. We coordinate yearly events such as the Underwater Tree Lighting, the collection of candy for troops and veterans for Halloween, fundraising activities for the Hope Floats program, and more! There's nothing like seeing the community come together and we're so thankful to be a part of it.

Lastly, we're so grateful for all our customers who have faithfully supported us over the past 35 years. You are the reason we have made it this far and keep pushing forward even amid adversity. I'm proud of this Academy and I hope it continues for another 35 years. Perhaps you'll even see my children take the helm and continue the legacy.

As you know, we had to close our doors because of COVID-19, but we're happy to announce that our doors are now open! We've put an abundance of thought and effort into making sure our facility is as clean and safe as possible. We feel it is important for our little ones to learn the importance of water safety, and we're thrilled to be able to offers swim lessons and classes again, especially as we go into a season when kids are spending more time in the water. If you don't live close enough to participate in lessons at Atlanta Swim Academy, we encourage you to find a swim school near you and get your kids enrolled as soon as possible. For more resources, you can visit the website for United States Swim School Association.

We look forward to seeing you at lessons again, whether it be now or in the future. We love our ASA family!

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Brad Grzelka

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