Michael Phelps, the name is enough for those passionate about swimming. The former competitive swimmer holds to his credit several medals and Olympic accolades. His swimming schools have successfully coached several next generation swimmers. Eastern India’s first Michael Phelps Swim School in collaboration with Merlin Group is housed within Princeton Club. As the school turns 1 this year, My Kolkata takes a look at its journey so far.
Michael Phelps Swimming India kicked off its journey in the sub-continent in 2015 and started its first Swimming School in eastern India in collaboration with Merlin Group at Princeton Club in 2022. The school’s objectives are simple -- to provide high quality lessons and over the top customer service.
Michael Phelps School in collaboration with Merlin Group
Talking about the year-long liaison, Riyaz Nazir Kazi, chief operations manager – Pan India- Michael Phelps Swimming India said, “The Michael Phelps Swim School (MPS) has grown and expanded rapidly after COVID – 19, which highlights the importance that swimming has no parallel in terms of health benefits. MPS currently operates over 20 schools all over India and has completed one year of successful operation in Kolkata at Princeton Club with around 500 participants currently enrolled. The city has responded well to the world’s first structured swim programme and the growth is about to multiply many folds in the coming years.”
The pool with a depth of three to five feet is located outdoors and is 20 by 13 metres in diameter. It’s open between 7 am and 11 am and 3 pm and 7 pm from Tuesdays to Sundays.
“The association with Michael Phelps Swimming has been a revelation for us and gives us a chance to provide our members and the residents of Kolkata an experience of the international-level swim programme at Princeton Club. We are proud and excited at the same time to present a swim programme by none other than the champion swimmer himself, Michael Phelps, arguably the most decorated athlete of all time with 28 Olympic medals along with other accolades. We look forward to a long-lasting collaboration with Michael Phelps Swimming and helping create champions of the future,” said Sanjay Karmakar, manager operations, Princeton Club – Kolkata, Merlin Group.
Expansion plans
The school is already on its way to have a second home in the city. Giving a sneak peek about it, Kazi mentions, “Michael Phelps Swimming is already on its way for a second centre at RISE Sports Republic which is a big sport city being developed by the Merlin group at Rajarhat in the coming year. We aim to regain the swimming culture of Bengal which has always been of the highest level and among the best in the country.”
Fee Structure
The school currently runs two programmes for swimmers. The Gold Programme spreads over four to five months and consists of 48 sessions. Each session has a duration of 40 minutes. The regular package costs Rs 20000 plus taxes but an offer price comes for Rs 15000 plus taxes. The Silver Programme spreads over two to three months and consists of 24 sessions. Each session being 40 minutes. The regular package costs Rs 16000 plus taxes while the offer package is pegged at Rs 12000 plus taxes.
Curriculum
Providing high quality swimming lessons and creating next generation champions has been the primary aim of the school. To match with its vision, the school has developed a high-end curriculum for its students which borrow on Phelps’ personal learning methodology. “It is a learn-to-swim programme for all ages and abilities! Swim classes include water skills, personal safety, stroke development etc. Safety is the building block of the programme at all levels. The top priority of the curriculum is to ensure that each participant has an opportunity to be comfortable, confident and safe in and around the water. This programme has been carefully constructed over 30 years to focus on building comfort, confidence and a feeling for the water in each child. Michael Phelps learned through the same methodology in his early days and the rest is history.” stated Kazi.
The swimming lessons have five core levels. From Level 1 – Get Wet which is a parent- child class for children below 3 years to Level 2 pre-beginner which is the first level of swimming without parental involvement. Level 3 – beginner is all about making the participants more comfortable with water while Level 4 is advanced beginner which is all about freestyle skills and strokes. To conclude, Level 5 is intermediate, which is the highest level of learning. Talking about the innovative Level 1, Kazi mentions, “This enables the kids to get water skills and learn swimming the right way from its first step while also enhancing their cognitive mental growth. This creates a bond between the parent and the kid building strong understanding and relationship from the early part of a child’s development stage.”
One can get in touch with the Michael Phelps Swimming School for further details on enrolment at https://www.michaelphelpsswimming.in/center_details.php?id=36
