Wouldn’t it be great to have a team of health experts guiding your fitness and nutrition? Well, that’s exactly what members get at the Atlantic Coast Athletic Club.
With two locations plus Adventure Central, which includes a small-scale waterpark, the club works with physical therapists, nutritionists and personal trainers to help members improve overall health. Specific skills goals are published and communicated to learn-to-swim class participants to help them find the right class, track their growth and celebrate their successes.
In addition to a wide range of adult courses, the club offers the children’s Dolphin program: Dolphin Babies, ages 6 months to 3 years; Mini Dolphins, 3 to 5; Dolphins, 5 and 6; Mighty Dolphins, 7 to 9; and Teen Dolphins, 10 to 17.
But learn-to-swim sessions are just the beginning. More than 8,850 patrons take part in water aerobics classes each year, and water therapy programs now cater to more than 1,500 participants, including children with special needs.
The club reaches out to the community through a quarterly program guide and traditional advertising. Most recently, the facility launched a marketing campaign with a local pizzeria, which attaches promotional fliers to its pizza boxes. ACAC also donates use of its pools to the Charlottesville/ Albermarle Rescue Squad to train its dive team for emergency water rescues.
For families, ACAC hosts fun events such as Family Swim Time and Dive In Movies on Friday nights. Competitive types can join youth swim conditioning to fine-tune their strokes or take Masters Swimming competition training and even synchronized swimming classes.
The club’s newest location downtown includes an activity pool, warm-water therapy pool with water-resistance jets, a hot tub and an infinity rooftop pool. Additionally, the indoor pools have been converted from chlorinated water to saltwater systems to protect patrons’ skin. — I.H.
