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JOIN THE
PORT ST. LUCIE SWIM SQUAD! 

We teach No Sweat Swimming for your breath, brain & body.

The Swim Squad was founded twenty years ago by Coach Deni and her son Casey when Casey was a lifeguard at Ravenswood Pool. The Swim Squad was originally only a youth program.

We focused on preparing young swimmers to compete in high school by learning the basics of competitive swimming. We became known for developing superior stroke technique in all four competitive strokes and we became a feeder program for USA swim teams.

As the program developed over the years, many Jensen Beach high school swimmers and former members of the Swim Squad volunteered with the team, and some stuck with it and became very capable assistant coaches. That allowed us to start an adult program several years ago.

Tuesday & Thursday Evenings
16 Lessons

June 11 - August 6, 2024
Group 1K
7:15 - 8:00 PM

Kids 6-10 (must swim 25 yards without stress)             

Group 2K
8:00 - 9:00 PM

High School Athletes & Kids 11 & up (swim 100 +yards) 

Group 1A
7:15 - 8:00 PM

Adult & Teen Beginner Swimmers
(no pre-requisite)      

Group 1R
7:15 - 8:00 PM

Adult REFRESHER or Intermediate
(can't yet swim 100 yards with rhythm breathing)  

Group 2A
8:00 - 9:00 PM

Adult Swimmers & Triathletes -  swim 100+ yards  

Adult Groups

Adult Group 1

In Group 1, we offer a fun, effective program for adult beginners, and a process for the intermediate swimmers who were beginners last time, to get two regular swim practices per week and to further improve their skills and begin to call themselves swimmers.

Adult Group 2

In Adult Group 2, our high-level athletes from the triathlete community, the running community, and from Cross Fit have found that we can help them swim better and faster, with less effort than before. For some this is about competition. For others, it’s about fitness, weight management, and stress relief.

 $15-$30 OFF for former members and second family member

Youth Program

Swimmers In the youth program learn or improve all four competitive swim strokes in only sixteen nights. High school swimmers can prepare for their fall season, and athletes from any sport can use our swim program as cross-training. Many athletes have done this over the years. At Jensen Beach, we had a swimmer named Jesse who swam with us mainly to prepare for his primary sport which was wrestling. In the process, he became a terrific swimmer! Some kids go on to USA Swimming and others come back to us year after year - to swim, to volunteer, and sometimes to become paid assistant coaches. All of our coaches have been through our program as swimmers when they were younger and they all know the method they’ve been trained in that we continue to use, with enhancements each year. The youth program includes two groups-beginning and advanced competitive swimmers.

Our Beginners (1K, for kids) must have completed kindergarten and be able to swim one lap (25 yards) without stress. That is the length of Ravenswood Pool. They don’t have to look pretty,  that’s our job! We know little kids, and we know that they tend to get distracted or go underwater if we do much talking when kids are in the pool. To give them the best possible instruction, we run the Beginner group this way-In the fifteen minutes before we get in the water, we teach the breathing, brain, and coordination exercises that make it easier for them to focus. In fact, these exercises are helpful for working on other challenging tasks including homework. We teach or review the skill and have swimmers go through the motions on land. We find that they learn complex skills quickly when we do it this way, which only makes the lessons more enjoyable for them.
 

Youth Group 2K, is for middle and high school swimmers who can swim at least four laps. That’s 100 yards. (A lap is one way in swimming.) High school swimmers have greatly benefitted from the superior stroke mechanics they learned from us, and by getting this head start over the summer. It was this summer program that helped build the Jensen Beach High School team over the first four years, from thirteen kids who could barely swim to a team that challenged the most competitive teams in the area in many races. We help high school athletes use swimming for cross-training. Put up teens in the youth group and you (mom and/or dad) come to swim practice with them all summer. Guaranteed accomplishment.

Adult Program 
Beginners through Elite Athletes

We offer a Beginner class for adults who cannot swim at all or cannot swim a lap without stress. Approximately half of the adults in America can not swim 25 yards to save their lives. We are out to change this dangerous statistic.
 

Adults come to us to swim or swim better. Some are triathletes and some are mere mortals! A few are former competitive swimmers but most are not. They discover that our program serves as a refresher class or provides the instruction and coaching they never had. At least not how we teach swimmers to fully utilize their breath, brain, and body to swim well.
 
The easier you can swim, the safer you are and the more you will enjoy it. The more you swim, the more amazing benefits you get. Swimmers report a significant mood lift, including feeling good in and about one’s body. In addition to perfecting freestyle for distance and speed, adults learn some alternative strokes including a modern, quicker breaststroke and a fast, easy, efficient form of sidestroke that is great for safety and distance. These strokes are rarely taught well enough to be useful for adults. Triathletes and all adults find that using a variety of strokes promotes better muscle balance than swimming freestyle only. And this leads to less pain down the line. The variety contributes to making swimming the pleasurable and beneficial activity it is, especially once it becomes easy to do it well.
 
When you can swim well enough to really enjoy it, you have an activity that will make you feel fit and fabulous at any age!

Our adult beginner swimmers

See the video TC Palm did on our summer program for adult beginners.

Adults come to us to swim or swim better.
HALF OF ALL ADULTS IN AMERICA CANNOT SWIM 25 YARDS WHEN THEIR LIVES DEPEND ON IT! 
Twenty-five yards is the distance the Red Cross recommends that everyone can swim for their own safety.

No one on the Treasure Coast has the credentials, years of experience & record of success that Coach Deni has teaching adult beginners and teaching elite athletes to swim much better.
Maybe you could use a Refresher class?

The Swim Squad will participate in the Aaron Vaughn Frogman Swim & Run in Jensen Beach on Saturday, June 24, 2024. This is an awesome family event that we have participated in every year. An ocean swim practice will be held two weeks earlier. It's ok if you are not ready to swim in an ocean race; please plan to attend and cheer on your teammates in this moving, patriotic event. 

Join us this Fourth of July morning in Vero Beach for the RACE TO THE WRECK

Experience the thrill of the Fourth of July morning in picturesque Vero Beach as we invite you to join us for an unforgettable race to the wreck. This exhilarating event promises an exciting adventure filled with action and camaraderie.

The Race to the Wreck has been a cherished July Fourth tradition, attracting hundreds of water enthusiasts. Participants engage in various water activities, including swimming, kayaking, paddling, and snorkeling, as they make their way to the SS Breconshire wreck—a significant landmark located just a quarter mile from Sexton Beach.

During the Race to the Wreck, the participants form a spirited flotilla, navigating the waters with enthusiasm and patriotic fervor. As they reach their destination, they come together to raise a celebratory champagne toast to the American flag planted on the wreck. This heartfelt gesture allows them to reflect on the freedoms and privileges they enjoy in their idyllic paradise.
 
This event not only provides an exhilarating physical challenge but also serves as an opportunity for individuals to connect with their community and embrace the spirit of togetherness. The Race to the Wreck encapsulates the essence of July Fourth, blending adventure, history, and the joy of celebrating America's birthday.
 
Join us as we continue this longstanding tradition, honoring the past, reveling in the present, and cherishing the freedoms that make our patch of paradise so special. Be a part of the Race to the Wreck and experience a July Fourth celebration like no other.

"I learned more about improving my technique from Deni in one lesson than I have to work with others. Her knowledge and expertise make her one of the very best swim coaches on the Treasure Coast. Don’t delay. Call Deni today!”


Cynthia Farlardeau,
Vero Beach Florida Ironman & Endurance Enthusiast

PRIVATE LESSONS available by arrangement in Port St. Lucie. Message or call
Coach Deni at 772-285-5917.

Trial Lesson $75
Package of 6 Lessons for the price of 5- $375

!

Deni Gillespie

Founder & Head Coach
Professional Coach since college, with 25 Graduate & Undergraduate Credits in Sport Science & Aquatics
Coach Deni Gillespie is the founder of the Swim Squad and the creator of the Breath, Brain & Body swim system we use. Locally, she built the Jensen Beach High School team the first four years and helped the team quickly grow into a local contender. Her business is called No Sweat Swimming. Coach Deni is an innovative coach who loves teaching people to swim or swim better. Her love of the sport of swimming began at age 8 and led to the profession she has enjoyed since becoming a lifeguard at age 15.Just this spring, at almost 70 years old, Deni took the Lifeguarding course again and became recertified in Lifeguarding. Deni is also a licensed occupational therapy professional and the owner of Swim Prescription Aquatic Therapy. Coach Deni is a certified USA Swim Coach, and a United States Masters Swim Coach and Adult Learn to Swim Instructor.She has been a certified American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor for more than fifty years.

 Amanda Simmons

 

For those of you who just joined the Swim Squad 1n 2022, we can understand why you might be concerned about how good the Swim Squad will be this year, without her! Coach Amanda will be in training to become a federal law enforcement officer for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee. 
 
Amanda will be at the FWC Academy in Tallahassee. She will be home some weekends and we are hoping that coach Amanda will be able to join us for the 3 Saturday events we have on the team calendar. We wish her well as she takes on this big challenge. Coach Amanda expects to be back with us for the summer of 2024! 
 
Please don’t let her absence dissuade you from signing up this year! Although we will miss Coach Amanda and Coach Cassidy who is taking a trip to Iceland, we are fortunate to have several former Swim Squad members who know our breath, brain, and body swim system and want to help, too.

 Ryan Johnson

Ryan Johnson, or “Coach RJ” as he is also known, has been involved with the Swim Squad for most of the past 14 years. He swam with the Swim Squad since the age of ten and became a volunteer while in high school. RJ has been an assistant coach with us for many years.RJ is also an EMT and last summer he worked as a Martin County ocean guard, where he rescued a sixty-year-old man and towed him 200 yards!

This year he is also working as a pool manager for St.Lucie County.RJ has competed in the Aaron Vaughn Frogman Swim every year since the beginning. He usually swims the 5K. That is 5,000 yards. You and your children will be glad to learn from RJ. Please come and support our swimmers at this remarkable event in Jensen Beach.

 Swim Squad Scholarship

This year, we are establishing a Swim Squad scholarship in the Johnson Family name. Parents Barry and Kerri Johnson and their son Ryan (RJ) tragically lost their youngest family member Andrew in October of 2021.Both boys swam with us every summer for about eight years and the family participated fully in everything we did. 

The Johnson Family has played a vital role in the growth of the Swim Squad. Not only do we share the pain of the loss of their unforgettable son, but we also want to honor the entire family for the huge role they have played with the Swim Squad. 
 
We are offering a scholarship to a high school swimmer who is going into their sophomore year. We will ask high school swim coaches for nominations. The criteria is that it should go to someone who truly wants to do this, and cannot afford it but has already proven to a high school coach in their freshman year that they are reliable and will follow through. It should go to someone who will be at all practices, barring an emergency. Last, of all, they should agree to swim in the Aaron Vaughn Frogman swim, with the scholarship covering that entry fee as well. Any distance including the 200-yard sprint is a fine accomplishment!

Contact us 

Fill out the form and send to Coach Deni

Call Coach Deni Today!

Providing instruction for adult beginners through elite athletes in Martin, St.Lucie & Indian River Counties for the past twenty five years.

772-285-5917

See our various videos at: 
Swim Squad with Deni Gillespie 
on Facebook.

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Contact us

Ravenswood Pool, 400 Ravenswood Lane
Port St. Lucie, FL 34983, USA

+(1)(772) 285-5917

CoachDeni@NoSweatSwimming.net

Copyright © DeniGillespie 2022. All rights reserved.

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