Testimonials

This student is proud of his accomplishments!

I wanted to thank you for the absolutely wonderful experience you provided [my four-year-old daughter] for her first swim lessons. We're so grateful! [She] transformed from being terrified of ever getting her face wet to being a little fish going underwater and so excited about playing in the pool and trying her new skills. Such a transformation! And she is already saying she can't wait to go back next summer. As someone who myself still has bad memories of swim lessons from my childhood, I'm just so happy that this experience was so wonderful for [her] - thank you!!
- A Hillsborough parent 

I just wanted to thank you for [my four-year-old's] swim lessons. It went SO much better than I anticipated. I approached this prepared to be satisfied with him merely accepting the idea of having a swim lesson, something he was previously unable/willing to do. And he did that and soooo much more. He learned a bunch of skills, gained a ton of confidence, and came to really look forward to his lessons and feel excited about what he was learning. Your approach - gentle but firm and very structured - is exactly what he needed, and the way you built the skills on each other and were able to read what he was ready for and push him just enough was really effective. He has such a solid foundation for future swimming, and the skills to stay safe in the water this summer. Thank you so very much for everything. I'm sure we'll be back for more!"

-A Hillsborough parent

"Thank you so much for your great swim instruction! We went to a pool party yesterday and my girls felt so much more confident in the water than they ever have before."
-A Hillsborough parent

"Amazing! I'm so grateful! I'm a believer in your methods and I am so impressed with his improvement and thankful for how much he has loved this time with you."

-A Hillsborough parent


"In two short weeks my fearful six-year-old would put his head under water! We were so thankful for Julie's help."
-A Hillsborough parent

"[My twelve-year-old daughter] learned so much with you, and most importantly, she learned to love swimming. This kid refused to put her face in the water just a couple of years ago! I am so grateful that [she] had a chance to learn from you! You are a wonderful teacher and I feel blessed to get to know you."
-A Durham parent

Before lessons, this student
disliked going underwater, and
would pinch his nose.
Here, he happily
retrieves a diving ring.

"I wanted to...thank/praise you for teaching [my five-year-old son] to swim. I've been amazed and impressed at how quickly he has learned and how excited he is every day to go. Thank you for being a wonderful teacher...worth EVERY penny!"
-A Hillsborough parent



"Many thanks go to Julie for such a fun and rewarding experience!  Initially, I had reservations about taking swimming lessons and had it on my "to do" list for quite a while.  I always pictured young children at summer camp.  I had no idea that swimming lessons could be just as beneficial for me, an older adult grandmother.  Before registering, I saw Julie in action teaching a child and an adult.  Her patient and kind personality combined with her teaching style convinced me that I could benefit greatly from her instruction.  

"Julie has the ability to simplify the goal of learning how to swim into individual components. In my very first lesson, Julie saw I was kicking incorrectly.  I had no idea I was doing it in a way that caused me to use more effort than is needed.  We sat on the pool steps and she showed me the correct way to flutter kick.    

"I have progressed and learned from Julie new skills that continue to improve my swimming technique, but I will be returning over and over again to the pool steps to practice the correct way to flutter kick.  Each instruction, whether it was taught in the very beginning or taught as I progressed, increased my enthusiasm and joy for swimming.  Every new step is so much fun to learn about and practice.  For me, another benefit for spending time in the pool is overall wellness. Each instruction has increased my muscle tone as well as flexibility in the pool and on land!

"Julie, you are the best!  I appreciate your enthusiasm for swimming and wanting to share it!"
-A Grateful Swimmer, age 62

I teach students what to do if
they fall into deep water fully clothed.

"My two girls have taken swim lessons for 2 summers with Coach Julie, and we wouldn't even consider going anywhere else! Coach Julie is so skilled and knowledgeable, and she tailors each and every lesson very individually to each child. She makes extensive notes at the end of class so that she can be prepared for the next skills the child is ready for, and you truly feel like you are getting a very valuable service with her.

"And even more importantly to us, she was so kind, so caring, and so patient. One of my girls was a little shy and nervous about her beginner lessons, and Coach Julie was so sweet with her. She followed my child's lead with what she was comfortable with, but at the same time, Coach Julie really encouraged and pushed my child just enough, too. If my shy little girl could feel comfortable with Coach Julie, ANY child would!

"Last, one of my very favorite things about Coach Julie's classes is that she always makes safety a top priority. She is very careful with children in the pool, while still being very fun, and she instills a lot of safety techniques in them. Having one "pre-swimmer" in our family, that really was a huge concern for us, but Coach Julie really has us all feeling a lot safer in the water. We couldn't recommend anyone more highly than Coach Julie. She is just wonderful!"
-A Hillsborough parent



"I signed on for swim lessons with Julie with the hope of swimming a bit faster and stronger. Upon completion of a series of 8 lessons, I am swimming a bit faster and stronger and am considerably more efficient.

"Prior to signing up for the lessons, I had observed Julie instructing a 3 year old on one occasion and an adult that did not know how to swim on another occasion. I observed her attention to detail along with her ability to communicate effectively with whomever she is instructing. It is clear she takes her job seriously and enjoys helping people of all ages embrace their swimming challenges.

"What I gained most from my series of lessons was an overview of proper swimming technique. From hand entry, stroke follow-through, breathing, kicking, turning, alignment, and a whole lot more. Yes, there were some immediate results along with a lot of technique info that I learned which I will continue to work on and practice for efficiency moving forward.

"The skills I gathered exceeded my expectations. I would recommend Julie for swimming instruction to anybody at any level. I plan to recommend Julie to teach my 2-year-old granddaughter to swim when she approaches 3 years old."
-A retired adult who describes himself as seeking challenges, with a desire to stay fit!


"[My daughter] loves the water but was not able to swim without an adult in the water because she could not dog paddle for long. In the time frame of [eight lessons], she gained a great deal of confidence in the water as she started doing the basics of strokes, breathing to the side, and building stamina. Julie did a great job not only verbally communicating with her but showing her physically how to move her body and helping her adjust and make her form better each time. By the time the [eight lessons were] done, I knew she could swim and stay afloat without help. She had fun and never wanted to get out of the water. In [eight more lessons] she became an independent swimmer. Thank you so much, Julie!!"
-A Mebane parent

This student learned to don a
life jacket in deep water.

"As an adult who always wanted to get better at swimming but never knew how, Julie has been a huge help. Her one-on-one lessons were totally customized to my needs, and when I didn't understand something, she was always ready with another approach or description. In two weeks I'm already swimming faster and with more ease, and I'd recommend her lessons to anyone."
-A Hillsborough student, age 37



“We are beyond grateful for Coach Julie! Our girls have been working with Coach Julie for several seasons and she has transformed them from comfortable water waders to avid members of our summer swim team at 6 years old! Coach Julie has worked with each of our girls on a one-on-one basis to allow them to grow within their own strengths and give attention to areas they find challenging. She has so many great skills, learning songs and fun tricks that have helped our girls gain their confidence in the water and provided us peace of mind as parents. When we started, we were looking for safety and survival skills-never would have imagined them swimming as they are at 6! We look forward to ongoing summers with Coach Julie as our next pair of littles grow and advance their swim skills too!”
-A Graham family

No more life jacket needed in the deep end!

"Julie taught me how to swim as an adult. Despite my desire to learn to swim, I was genuinely afraid of the water at the beginning of my lessons. Julie knew just how much to push me to help me overcome my fear. Now I feel comfortable swimming with my kids and I’m not afraid to go canoeing, kayaking, or boating. Julie knows her strokes and she is a great teacher. I even completed a one-mile open water swim after she taught me to swim!"
-A Mebane student

"Being a non-swimmer myself, because my mother was and was afraid for me to be in the water, I believed that it was important for my [four-and-a-half-year-old] daughter to learn to swim. Since my daughter was somewhat fearful of the water at first, I stayed close by during class to show my support. I was able to witness first hand Coach Julie be encouraging and patient with each child.

"My presence in class did not seem to help as my daughter's participation and progress was slow and my frustration high. I really wanted her to learn. Coach Julie was supportive of us both and shared some possible solutions with me for the problem based on her years of teaching. After our discussions, I decided to step back and stop coming to class. 

"With Coach Julie's continued encouragement and positive attitude, my daughter made a great turn-around. She began to love swimming and felt more confident in the water. She even began pretending that she was Coach Julie at home in the bathtub at night while teaching her bath doll to swim! Coach Julie made the lessons fun and engaging for the young students by incorporating games and songs into her teaching of the various basic swimming techniques. Also, her gentle and calming demeanor has my daughter referring to her as 'the best swim teacher in the whole wide world!' 

"Thank you, Coach Julie, for sharing your water skills and safety with my lil one....valuable lessons that she will be able to carry with her for a lifetime. We're looking forward to what you and my lil one will accomplish this summer!"
-A Mebane parent

"Julie, My humble thanks to you for your patience in teaching an old 78 year old woman such as myself (HA HA HA) the technique of swimming. Your ability to do so, and your professionalism are to be admired."
-A Durham student

This lesson graduate uses their strong swimming skills for mermaiding.