based on 357 ratings.
What our clients think of us!
The following comments were submitted by our customers when asked to provide feedback on our service. In the interest of transparency, we present these comments as provided except that personally identifiable information has been hidden unless the reviewer has requested their full name be included with the review. No unfavorable comments have been removed.
Very friendly staff and clean facilities
Evrevening
My daughter is actually learning how to Swim. The instructors are Knowledgeable ands very patient with the children. Classes always Start and end on time.
Our instructor was a bit impersonal and it being our first time I felt she could smile a little and correct us in a more upbeat manner.
Thank you for giving us feedback. As instructors we sometimes get focused on the operation of the class and forget to channel our "Inner Game Show Host." I gave my coaches the Mr. Rourke speech -- "Smiles, everyone, smiles." They are all in their 20s and had no idea what "Fantasy Island" was but they got my basic point.
bigger swimming pool
Thank you for posting this comment. We frequently have questions about the size of our pools at the Swim Studio at 2222 N. Elston Ave. (15' x 15' for the uninitiated).
The classes that we teach at the Swim Studio are on two extremes -- either early learn-to-swim or our higher-level stroke refinement. When working with new swimmers (like your son), we are working on floats, glides, and swims that don't go longer than about 5 yards (i.e., the length of the pool). Our philosophy is that short, accurate swims the ingrain a movement pattern are better than longer swims where the last 5 yards are a hot mess. On the other extreme, it helps higher-level swimmers because they can swim over a mirror and get rapid video review of their strokes.
We also find that the combination of the more compact pool size, benches to stand on, grab bars to hold on to, and the warm water temperature, we can make the children more comfortable. The smaller pools also are a lot less distracting to children than a large pool with lots of activity and noise going on.
Finally, when we move into the classes where we are developing the competitive strokes (Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly), we move our classes to a conventional pool where we can do longer swims and work on deep water skills. By that point, children (and adults) are comfortable in the water and are ready to push the length and difficulty of the swims.
The first teacher we had didn't introduce the class to new things.
Friendly, easy
Good staff and warm water. Easy appointments.
Yesterday was our first lesson….we had a great time. The only thing I wish was done better was the explanation of the activities -- specifically the stations …. we weren't really sure what to do & didn't realize that the coach didn't tell the parents when to move to the next station with their baby…the other parents ended up showing us what to do….
Thank you for letting us know. We went over your comment in our next staff meeting and we reviewed how to (a) identify on our class sheets who the new parents and children are and (b) to make sure we go over the holds, the program for the class, and have the "veterans" demonstrate the activities for you to get you up to speed.
While I love our Blue Dolphin parents and how they include and help out, yes, we need to do that ourselves. :-)
Student to instructor ratio.
Individualized instruction.
The instructors are great. It is the location. Much too far north.
I was not disappointed, per se. I would have gotten more out of my lesson if the instructor had: (1) given me a general overview of what I needed to work on after seeing me swim for the first time, (2) provided a general overview of what we would be working on during that particular lesson, (3) explained why she was having me do a certain drill before asking me to do it, and how it related to something that I needed to work on, and why it would be helpful to me, and (4) given me suggestions of what/how I should practice on my own before the next lesson.
I felt that what we covered during the lesson was not worth what I paid for the lesson. Perhaps I would not feel that way, however, if I understood why I did certain drills, what was accomplished by them, and how they are helpful to my stroke.
While we never like to get a poor review, it was very helpful for us to read. I went over your comments with the coach who taught your next lesson and we made sure that we were much clearer on the purpose. I like to claim that our coaching staff are "the why guy's," so I want to make sure that we back that up.
I understand that you also shifted to 50 minute lessons from 25 minute lessons. The longer lesson is usually a better fit for our adults because it gives more time for analysis, instruction, and next steps. We're glad that you have kept on with us.
Great learning environment - nice warm, clean pool and friendly staff
Communicate regarding schedule challenges more thoroughly. Didn't know coach was going to be late until 9 minutes into session.
Convenient times and places, helpful staff. And my son learned how to swim very well!
easy to schedule. warm water. good teacher
I like the place its just to far.
Convenience in terms of location, billing and level upgrades.
Today there were 3 classes at one time. It was extremely organized and neither class interfered with the other. This was the not the case months ago as it was a disaster sometimes.
Always keep us informed and the instructor is friendly and on time.
Friendly staff and small class size.
The accessibility and timing of the classes. We loved our infant class teacher and the other families were fun to be with too!
courteous staff and coaches, making learning fun, commitment to quality services
Later and more weeknight times at swift, if possible.
The staff is great, teachers are awesome and love the small classes
Email information as to how child is progressing in class.
Thank you for your feedback. Comments like these have led us to do major changes in our assessment process. We'll be initiating a new assessment process at the end of this session (ending November 15th).
During assessment week, the children will be given a dolphin indicating whether they passed the class, are moving to the second module in the class, or need to work for another month on the current skills. We want this little dolphin to be a vehicle for us to dialogue with our parents about progress and next steps. In parallel, we will be distributing class fact sheets to our parents, so it's very clear what the children are working on in the next month.
Poor communication.
We're very sorry about the circumstance behind the comment, namely our action of switching of a coach out of a class after you specifically registered your child to work with that coach.
We know that your time is valuable and that you adjust your schedule to make it to specific classes with specific teachers. I understand that the girls are enjoying coach Rachel F. now, but we dropped the ball initially and we need to be more careful.
Thank you for sticking with us through the coaching change.
Great pool, great instructors. It's a fairly miserable location for observing parents, because it's so brutally HOT.
I like the small group size and the structure of the class. It's perfect for little ones. I just wish the instructor wasn't constantly changing and if it must for us to be informed.