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Did you know that drowning is the leading cause of death among children under 4 and the second leading cause for children under 12? This alarming statistic deeply troubled Marina Mentzel, a highly experienced and passionate swim professional. Drawing from her extensive background in competitive swimming and water safety, Marina recognized the need for a significant change in the way children learn to swim and prioritize water safety.
Marina, driven by her passion and unwavering dedication, founded urSwim with a focus on providing swim instructions, lifeguard services, and pool management services, all focused on safety. Her goal was twofold: to offer high-quality swim lessons and to make water safety a top priority.
Word quickly spread about the effectiveness of urSwim's high quality swim lessons, and demand grew rapidly. Marina realized that this success could extend far beyond her local community. She believed that families across the country should have access to the same level of swim instruction and water safety, regardless of their location. To achieve this, she developed a franchise model that would allow urSwim to serve communities far and wide.
Our Story
We invest in hiring the best aquatics team, ensuring our instructors and lifeguards are experts in their fields.
Skilled Aquatics Staff:
Our focus is on teaching survival floating, treading water, safe water entries, and exits, ensuring safety in and around the water. Once mastered, we focus on technical stroke development and endurance in the water.
Water Safety is Our #1 Priority:
We tailor swim programs to meet the unique needs of students, both children and adults, offering private and group swim lessons.
We tailor swim programs to meet the unique needs of students, both children and adults, offering private and group swim lessons.
Delivering Superior Swim Experience:
At urSwim, our values guide every aspect of our services.
Our Values:
Meet Your Swim Captains
Marina Mentzel is a dynamic leader shaping the aquatics management industry. A former competitive swimmer, Marina founded urSwim in 2011 with a deep love for swimming and a passion for sharing it with others.
Under her guidance, urSwim has delivered over 80,000 swim lessons and earned industry recognition. Marina's journey includes graduation from programs like the Tory Burch Foundation (2022), All Raise (2020) and Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business (2018). She actively advocates for small businesses as a member of the 10KSB NY Voices State Leadership Council.
Beyond her professional life, Marina holds degrees from The George Washington University and The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill School of Law. She resides in East Patchogue with her husband, Jesse, and their energetic children, Harbor and Grant. As a devoted mother, she's driven to ensure water safety for all families.
CEO of urSwim
Marina Mentzel
Brenna Dowd is a driving force behind our operational excellence. Brenna joined urSwim in 2014 as a dedicated swim instructor while pursuing her degree in Communications with a focus on Cinema and Photography at Ithaca College.
As a former captain of the Ithaca College Women's Swimming and Diving team, Brenna achieved All-State and All-Conference honors, earning the title of E8 Sportswoman of the Year in 2015. Under her leadership, the team achieved four undefeated seasons and four UNYSCSA titles. She continues to be involved in the competitive swim world as a certified USA swimming coach for several teams in both New England Swimming and Metropolitan Swimming. In 2022, she was nominated by her peers to represent Maine Swimming in a Women Coaches in Governance program. Brenna's creative spirit and ability to capture the essence of urSwim propelled the brand forward when she returned as the Director of Creative Content after graduating in 2017.
Today, as the Director of Operations, Brenna ensures the seamless operation of urSwim. Beyond work, she enjoys documentaries and embarks on thrilling hikes with her adventurous dog, Buddy.
Chief Operating Officer
Brenna Dowd
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