Coronavirus. Corona. SARS.
We are all tired of hearing about COVID and most of us are ready to leave it behind in 2021.
Negative connotations aside, I would like to share a positive story that resulted from the outcome of this infamous virus, which inevitably led me to the greatest job that somehow found me amidst the chaos!
Hi, my name is Ms. Kelsey, and I am the instructor supervisor at Houston Swim Club's newest location in League City.
Growing up, I was the water baby. I competed on our local swim team every summer, swam for club during junior high, and made varsity swim team freshman year and throughout high school. I finally stopped competing after making it to regionals my senior year and went straight to college. I graduated from Sam Houston State University with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology, which if you are not aware, is the study of exercise.
After college I went to work "temporarily" at another swim school and ended up falling in love with coaching and the kids I taught. Five years later, I was still there! Although I had not planned for this to be a long-term career, I stayed, mainly because of the positive feedback I got from parents and the bonds I had made up to that point. Some of the babies that had started out in my parent-child classes had been coming for so long that they had advanced into my upper-level classes. I literally watched these kids grow up and hone their swimming skills. In addition, I felt that I had a lot of knowledge and experience to pass on to the newer instructors coming on board.
More importantly, I did not want to abandon my babies that I had grown so attached to!
Then COVID happened.
Like many businesses around Houston, our pool was temporarily closed due to local restrictions. As the weeks rolled on, I finally got a call from my old employer saying that we were reopening, but we would need to have a one-on-one meeting first. Fast-forward to the meeting, I was told my old company was retiring its swim program and that the two new faces sitting in the meeting with us would be my new employers.
Long story short, Ms. Tracy was opening the newest Houston Swim Club location in our very own building!
It would be the same pool I had taught in over the last five years and she would keep all the current staff that accepted her offer for employment. I would be learning a new curriculum, have new policies and procedures, new supervisors, basically new everything!
Oh, and we would be opening in two weeks. SURPRISE!
I am assuming my face gave away how completely caught off guard I felt because the new site director said, "She looks scared." Honestly, I may have been a little intimidated. I thought this was supposed to be a one-on-one welcome back meeting!
Little did I know, while I was internally freaking out at that meeting, that it would be the best thing that could happen to me career wise. Especially since half my friends were jobless at the time; I was lucky! And to think something as negative as COVID helped make that meeting possible.
Right away, I admired the core values HSC stands by, discovered how great their organization is and how smoothly they run their family business, and witnessed pleasant management creating happy employees!
Oh, and did I mention the curriculum is amazing!?! They have one of the best teaching methods I have ever seen! My favorite part of our program is the float test that students take to pass our Goldfish level. I remember the first time I got to experience a float test and thinking to myself, WOW! It was such an emotional experience to see a tiny 3-year-old being dropped into the middle of the pool, fully clothed with shoes on, and float to the side safely without anyone saying a word!
In my experience, I have noticed other swim schools can be excessively hands-on, where the buoyancy, or the feeling of the water holding you up, is replaced with a piece of equipment or instructor assistance. But a floating object would not be there if a child accidentally fell into a body of water. I have observed the false sense of security beginners have when using any type of flotation device.
In my opinion, it is only logical to teach water safety in the controlled environment that is simulated by Houston Swim Club’s Float Test.
In addition to the great curriculum, HSC has the perfect mix of lifesaving skills swirled into a fun filled atmosphere for not only me, but the kids as well. In October we invited the kids to come to swim class wearing their Halloween costumes and gave them goodie bags, and had pumpkins floating around the pool while we taught. Although floating pumpkins sounds crazy, this created a positive memory associated with water for the little ones who got to float on top of them and the older kids that used them as kick boards. During Thanksgiving, we had an employee lunch where every staff member brought a dish, and we ate like a traditional family would at the dinner table. Throughout December, we had a Christmas tree in the pool that every swimmer could “decorate” with their own glow bracelets. Most of my students would dive to the bottom of the pool to retrieve the bracelets like diving rings before hanging them on the tree.
Every opportunity is taken to make swimming more fun and enjoyable while still teaching respect for the water. This type of atmosphere speaks volumes for a brand-new student that is slightly nervous. Or even at the other end of the spectrum, for a child who has been traumatized by the water. By having this safe, nurturing and fun learning environment, it can relax the most nervous child a lot more quickly and effectively.
Another, more personal reason Houston Swim Club is the place for me is the respect I have received from management. Ms. Kara shows appreciation to staff by not only verbally telling us or writing CVIP's (Core Value Incentive Program), but with little surprises such as our favorite candy bars slipped into our lockers alongside a handwritten note.
During teacher appreciation week, she made every single employee a gift basket with their favorites to let us know we were valued. Even when having to discipline, she does so in a polite professional way without embarrassing that person, yelling, or making them feel dumb. If you are lucky like I was, you may even experience her "trunk sale". We don't actually pay anything, there are just boxes of clothes she had in her trunk from a closet purge that she let me look through before donating. That kind of thoughtfulness is hard to find!
The owner, Ms. Tracy, has also been an excellent role model and director. Not long after opening the League City location, she recognized my worth and gave me a management position as instructor supervisor!
Tracy has personally improved my assertiveness in my actions and still guides me upward even to this day! Because of her, I personally believe that I add value to her family business and there are continuous opportunities for growth. The confidence and positivity I have gained from working with this group for the last eight months has overflowed into my daily thoughts and I would like to thank them for recognizing my potential and helping me achieve a high sense of self-worth.
At the end of the day, I am fortunate Houston Swim Club found me because I can honestly say it has brought me joy to escape to work every day. Happiness, to work for such awesome people, exhilaration to be able to teach HSC’s lifesaving skills, and bliss to be part of the big family that HSC has offered me.
After all; Everyone’s Family at Houston Swim Club Swim School.
Thank you, HSC, for finding me!
If you're looking for an incredible place to work, I'd love for you to join us! You can fill out an application online!
Written by Kelsey Webb, Instructor Supervisor, Houston Swim Club League City
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