Business fills void in indoor pools

Nitro Swimming might not have become the two huge swim centers in Bee Cave and Cedar Park that they are today had there been many indoor swim centers when Mike and Tracy Koleber moved to the Austin area around 2000.

The couple moved to Texas for Mike's job. He said would make the transfer as long as he could coach swimming part-time. But when he looked for an indoor swimming pool, there were few to be found, aside from—The University of Texas' swim center and some YMCAs.

"So, I told my wife, 'We're going to build an indoor swim center,'" Koleber said. "I thought it was going to be easy."

But after using his life's savings on a plot of land that ended up not being enough space for both of the pools he envisioned in it, he was back to the drawing board.

"That's when my wife looked at me and said, 'Are you sure you know what you're doing?'" Koleber said. "That's when I said, "Yes. I just got my MBA in how to build a swimming pool."

With that, he obtained bank loans and began the process again.

In June 2007, the couple opened their first swim center in Cedar Park and in May 2011, they opened their second location in Bee Cave.

He said he hopes the second location will help accomplish several things, including national championship–winning swim team, having a second leg to stand on—"It gives us a Plan B"—and allowing them to reach more lives.

"We have story after story of parents thanking us for teaching their kids to swim," Koleber said, adding that knowing how to swim has saved many lives.

Nitro Swimming also gives back to the community by assisting Colin's Hope—a nonprofit that creates awareness of water safety—as well as allowing fire, police, sheriff's departments and military officers to use facilities for training purposes.

Nitro Swimming offers both swim lessons and swim teams. The lessons—Nitro 1 for learning basics and Nitro 2 for more advanced lessons—are taught in 30-minute increments.

The lessons are set up in stations so a child can progress through the next lessons as they make headway rather than waiting on a new class to begin. Lessons for Nitro 1 are kept to a student-teacher ratio of 3–1, with Nitro 2 at 4–1.

Nitro 1 classes begin at age 3. Parent-taught lessons are given for children between 6 months and 36 months old, and are primarily for getting children accustomed to the water.

"We create swimmers every day," Koleber said. "There's no group that is more important than others, whether they are beginners or on a team."

The swim center will also hold a water safety course to teach basic safety skills around water for those who can't afford swimming lessons in the spring.

Adult Swim

In addition to children and youth classes, Nitro Swimming also offers adult lessons and lap swimming. Adult lessons are 45 minutes, cost $86 per month for one lesson per week, and are offered on several mornings per week and on Wednesday evenings.

Nitro Swimming-Bee Cave, 15506 #D W. Hwy. 71, Bee Cave, 861-7946, www.teamunify.com, Twitter: @nitroswim