The owners of a swim school have opened a second location in Newmarket to better serve their clients in York Region.
Newmarket residents and co-owners Farhad Shabani and Moe Salehi will host the grand opening of Swan Swim School at 17215 Leslie St. this Saturday, Aug. 10, from 3 to 6 p.m. Their school in Markham has reached maximum capacity.
“It’s pretty exciting and really a dream come true for us,” said Shabani. “We have been looking for a space to start offering lessons because we already run our program in Markham since 2018. We got into a position where we didn’t have much more space to offer for our students, so we were actively looking for a place.”
The grand opening will feature food and ice cream trucks and prizes for children.
Shabani met Salehi after they immigrated to Canada from Iran. They opened their Markham location after realizing they had a similar educational background and passion for teaching people how to swim.
“I have been working with him since a few years back,” said Shabani. “We were co-workers but we found that we shared the same passion and started slowly teaching together. “We saw that we are a good combination and team. Since then, we have been working together in this field.”
The school offers programs for all ages and levels of swimmers, including children and families, competitive swimmers with stroke refinement, and adults seeking an individualized program tailored to their needs.
The indoor pool in Newmarket is 25 metres long and seven metres wide.
“We (knew) there was a huge need to offer a swimming pool and provide swimming lessons,” said Shabani.
Shabani trained to be a lifeguard when he was 14 years old in Iran. His family moved to Canada in the early 2000s. He joined the Lifesaving Society, a charitable organization with programs to prevent drowning and water-related injuries. He has worked as a swim instructor, lifeguard and pool manager throughout his aquatic career.
He studied industrial design in university with a thesis on teaching children to swim and created a device called Mantiro enabling novice swimmers to stay afloat.
Salehi has multiple degrees in physical education and sports science, occasionally teaching at institutions within York Region District School Board. The pair opened their first location in 2018.
