Olympic Medalist Tom Dolan To Open Swim School In Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA—Olympic Gold Medalist Tom Dolan will open a Falls Church area swim school in February. It will be located at the Willston Centre II, 6112-A Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church.

Classes are offered in four levels: learn-to-swim, stroke development, stroke enhancement and adult swimming. Through the lessons, Dolan and staff aim to work on proper swimming technique, which can allow children to learn faster and ultimately swim longer distances.

"The education side of swimming is so much deeper than just having kids in the water," says Dolan. "It’s teaching the life skill of learning how to swim."

Other key parts of lessons are "increasing awareness" and "reducing drowning." Dolan, who was diagnosed with asthma at age 12, also raises awareness about asthma.

The new swim school will join the Tom Dolan Swim School in Dulles. Designed by GTM Architects, the swim school is being created from two spaces at the shopping center. The building will feature family changing rooms, on deck showers, 90-degree pool water, sound proofing, open parent viewing areas and play spaces for siblings.

Dolan won back-to-back gold medals in the 400 Individual Medley in at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2000 Sydney Olympics. Dolan also won a silver medal in the 200 Individual Medley in 2000 and held the 400 Individual Medley World Record for nine years. He won two gold medals at the World Championships, was a 14-time US National Champion, and is inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

After his runs at elite swimming competitions were over, Dolan turned to educating families with young children on the swimming as a life skill. His Dulles swim school opened in 2012 as he sought to fill a need in the DC area. Dolan, who grew up in Arlington, lives in Falls Church and has four young kids.

Families can register for 2019 classes by visiting www.tomdolanswimschool.com or calling 571-933-8944.

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