Book Private Swimming Lessons with Coach Madison

★ The Reserve Stingrays Summer Swim Team – Cary, NC (2005–2016)

• Was a swimmer for the neighborhood summer swim team from its inception in 2005 until aging out and going to college

• Prior to this, was on a different neighborhood swim team for two years, totaling 14 years of competitive swimming experience

• Received a medal for placing third out of hundreds of swimmers in the 50-yard short course butterfly event at Cary City Invitational Swim Meet

• Received the Coaches' Award in 2013 for having a strong season and being an exceptional teammate

★ Panther Creek High School Varsity Swim Team – Cary, NC (2012–2014)

• Was regularly a member of the women's relay teams during swim meets due to being one of the fastest swimmers on the team

• During the fall semester, practiced with the team five days per week in the morning before school

I was a very shy child growing up, so I understand that meeting someone new can be scary, especially when you will quite literally be leaving your comfort zone by entering a pool to learn from them. It can be an overwhelming process, so taking the first step by trusting someone to teach you is huge.

With an understanding of the courage it takes to learn how to swim, I will never judge an athlete for feeling scared or unsure and needing extra reassurance. I truly believe anyone can learn how to swim through kindness, patience, and understanding. Even just being able to tread water is a life-saving skill.

For those who wish to compete or are already competing, I competed all the way from kindergarten through early adulthood, so I am familiar with the learning challenges that each age group typically encounters. Together we can refine your stroke technique, dives, and flip turns to improve your speed and stamina, which is a game changer in competition. We will also discuss healthy habits that you can implement out of the pool to give you a competitive advantage.

I will always assess the current skill level and comfort of the athlete in the water at the beginning of a session. Maybe some lessons from a previous session didn't stick, and that's totally okay! Learning is a nonlinear process, so regular check-ins are crucial to ensure overall consistent growth.

After determining the athlete's abilities by asking them to demonstrate their current skills, I will offer feedback on how to improve their form and technique. If the athlete does not understand my instruction, I will adapt my instruction to suit their learning style, making the process as stress-free as possible. I will then slowly introduce new skills, repeating this process until they have mastered the skills that they sought to hone.

Safety comes first, so if a swimmer of any age—particularly little ones as they develop their fine motor control—appears to be struggling with a new skill, I will wait until they are more comfortable before asking them to perform it off the wall.

I absolutely loved the assistant swim coach for my neighborhood swim team, she happened to also be my babysitter! She is a fantastic instructor in the water and on the pool deck, and is great with kids. While babysitting, she always brought fun activities and spent the entire time engaging with me and my sister, so she's my inspiration for how I interact with children. I always looked forward to swim practice with her, and would love to give someone else that same feeling.

I was born and raised in North Carolina, but moved to Washington four years ago for a software engineer role, which is why my listed relevant experience is all from North Carolina.

I have seven years of experience in software engineering, but am currently taking a break from the field to recover from burnout and explore other career paths that I may find more fulfilling. I love working with children, teaching others, and swimming, which is why I am now offering private swim lessons!