Hello! My name is Mackenzie Kester, and I own Swim Station LLC. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve Arkadelphia and surrounding areas by encouraging water safety in and around the pool and open bodies of water. I wanted to begin this first post by sharing what inspired me to begin Swim Station LLC and what I hope for the future of swimming and swim safety.

I began swimming very young through Infant Swim Resource or ISR. I greatly respect ISR and the peace of mind it can bring to communities and families at such a young age. I wanted to give this peace of mind to families and was determined to begin a swim school that did just that.

I began swimming competitively on the Oro Valley Swim Team in Tucson, Arizona when I was four years old under Coach Stan Valacer. I loved swimming and became extremely passionate about it very quickly. When I was around twelve, I had the opportunity to “volunteer coach” while learning much about the sport. When I was 16, I became a junior coach and began my official coaching career. That same year, I had the opportunity to teach swim lessons to two children in my area. I knew how important swim safety was, but I found joy in self-teaching and learning the best techniques, what ages children should learn each skill, and how individual lessons can be beneficial. Since then, I have focused on enhancing my skills, teaching capabilities, and knowledge and obtained my Water Safety Instructor certification.

I came to Henderson State University in August 2020 with no idea what to expect on a new team, let alone a new state. I had the honor of swimming under the legendary Coach Coak Matthews. I was so grateful for the opportunity to begin my college swimming career with amazing people by my side. I was fortunate to know Coak for a year and to meet so many people impacted by him. While he coached at Henderson State, Coak organized the swim lessons at HSU in Arkadelphia. He hired Red Wave swimmers to teach young children in the community and made a huge difference in water safety. When Coak passed in 2021, it impacted the current swim team, alumni, and the community of Arkadelphia as a whole. About a year and a half after Coak’s passing, I decided that swim lessons at Henderson State should continue positively and safely. I was thrilled to begin Swim Station LLC in January of 2023 with the support of Coach Scotty Serio, whom I was fortunate to swim under for the rest of my three years at Henderson State. I had the opportunity to compete in relays at the NCAA Division II meet at the end of my final two years of swimming. I knew my time as a competitive swimmer was ending, but I didn’t want my time around the pool to be over.

I enjoyed teaching swim lessons by myself for the first year and a half of beginning my company, starting lessons as young as six months old. I grew as an instructor and person while being so fortunate to get the support of the community of Arkadelphia. I knew I wanted to continue my education following my college graduation, but I wanted Swim Station LLC to thrive. I was so excited to hire competitive swimmers who have a passion for teaching water safety and a drive to inspire others to join the sport of swimming. I have a wonderful group of young adults who swim at HSU and the South Arkansas Sharknados Club swim team that practices out of Henderson State. While I pursue my Doctorate of Physical Therapy at the University of Central Arkansas, we will continue to grow while not losing the quality of our lessons.

I want to finish this post by expressing my gratitude to everyone who has aided us in our success as a company. I am extremely grateful for parents and guardians who have trusted us with their children or in teaching themselves. Our instructors continue to learn and work together to be the best instructors we can be.

Sometimes, swim lessons can be new and uncomfortable for children, which is completely normal. Sometimes, children cry or are upset for several reasons, especially our little ones. Maybe the water is a little colder than they are used to, their parents aren’t directly holding them or next to them, or they are just learning a challenging new skill. My parents love to remind me that I also cried when I went through swim lessons and graduated, not only safely but growing to love swimming. Learning new things can be hard, but new experiences are often known as life skills. Swimming is a life skill every child or adult should have access to. If we can save one life, we are making the impact we strive to achieve.

Please take a chance and enroll your child in swim lessons today. I am not yet a parent, so I cannot understand how hard it is to watch your child learn a skill that is new to them and may be challenging. However, I know the statistics on drownings, and we are here to prevent those statistics from happening to you. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue to impact others and hope you will be a part of our growing community!

Mackenzie Kester
Owner
Swim Station LLC