Meet Jessica Goode | Aquatics Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Goode and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My swim experience began at the tender age of 6months when I was first introduced to the pool. I formally learned how to swim at the age of 7 and continued to swim for Rockdale County and my high school Cross Keys. At the local YMCA I became a certified swim instructor and began teaching swim lessons at 15. My journey didn’t end there as I was encouraged at 17 to begin training for the 2004 Olympics where I was faced with adversity and real-world discrimination. Over the years my passion for aquatics and teaching has never left. In 2007 I realized many of my friends were having children who couldn’t find lessons to learn how to swim. I began providing swim lessons for my friends and family and in 2010 and I turned my private passion into an LLC. Since 2012 I have continued to work with private residences along with friends and family providing quality swim lessons. It has never been about the money for me because I believe learning to swim is an important skill everyone should learn regardless of the affordability factor.

My primary focus still is serving my community that does not have access to swim lessons in the area. I have been giving private lessons in Dekalb county since 2010. Clients were eager for lessons but, I did not have a primary location to house my lessons and could only service those with access to a pool. The lack of a primary pool location created a huge barrier of reaching the masses.

Goode Strokes Swim School LLC was incorporated in 2012 in Decatur, GA. It began as a mobile swim lesson service to help family and friends learn to swim. Since then, the company has grown its clientele exponentially to where expansion is necessary. The demand has exceeded the capabilities to be efficient in delivery. Starting with 6 clients in 2012 by 2022 Goode Strokes Swim School LLC has worked with over 600 clients in 3 states which all have learned how to swim. The company is excited to begin the process of opening a location in Lithonia GA specifically, the Stonecrest area with target open date of June 2023.

64% of African American children have little to no swimming ability, according to USA Swimming, compared to: 40% of white children. Black children (ranging from 4 to 14) have 7.6 times higher drowning rates than white children, and they are more likely to drown in public pools and open bodies of water while white children are more likely to drown in residential pools, according to the CDC.

Metro Atlanta is saturated with swim schools with 0 in an affluent underserved community. Goode Strokes Swim School LLC would be the first of its kind to open in Lithonia, GA to promote water safety skills, offer swim lessons, stroke technique as well as bridge the gap of swim school accessibility among black indigenous people of color.

My last testimony as a YMCA Aquatics Director was teaching a young black boy who wanted to learn how to swim in 2021 and realizing his own potential. I encouraged him to continue to learn even when he wanted to give up. He eventually gained the confidence to want to pursue joining the swim team under my advice. Once he was on the swim team I still coached and supported him through the season. He ended many races in last place his first year on the team and even though it was discouraging I reminded him of his journey and what it would take to get better. One year later he was winning 1st place ribbons at his races. He was so inspired by his progress that he mentioned to me about continuing to train to gain a college scholarship. When he turned 16 years old, he joined my staff as a swim instructor. I am so proud of his determination to not give up and his trust in me to push him to his potential. His name is Cornelius. To me that is a full circle experience as to what I received as a young black girl learning to swim.

I am excited for the opportunity to be considered because as a young black woman who has faced a lot of adversity being in this field, I want to be an inspiration and role model to future minority swimmers.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Goode Strokes Swim School LLC was incorporated in 2012 in Atlanta, GA. It began with an idea of to help family and friends learn to swim. Since then, the company has grown its clientele exceptionally to where expansion is necessary. In 2012 there were 3 clients by 2022 Goode Strokes has worked with over 500 clients. Social Media pages on Instagram and Facebook share the major accomplishments of the clients as well as the growing clientele. The company is embarking on expansion looking for a dedicated location to meet the needs of the community and promote water safety to all areas with little to no access.

As a woman of color and lesbian in a male dominated industry, I have always had to prove myself. I have been faced with constant nos for loan approvals and investor help and rather than be discouraged I put my mind to work. Since I was unable to immediately open my location, I took another route of educating myself on all fascist of the business. I learned water chemistry and pool equipment at Leslie’s pool supplies as a Commercial Assistant Manager, learned management skills as a Manager at City Year, and above all learned how to run, manage, and sustain a swim program at the YMCA as an Aquatics Director. Currently, I am a Director for Child Aquatics with ancillary for adaptive programming at Swim Revolution. All of my professional experiences have taught me to persevere and never give up. In the Aquatics industry as a black woman, you are automatically spoken to as if you are not knowledgeable. I constantly educate myself and keep up with changes in the industry. I have had a passion to open my own swim school location since 2010 and I am so proud that it is finally happening.

I am so excited to offer aquatics to a community who not only deserves the access but is in desperate need of access. The drowning statistics are staggering from whites to minority children. I want the next brown girl or brown boy to know they can live out their dreams of being a competitive swimmer by taking the beginning steps of learning how to swim.

Goode Strokes Swim School LLC is planning on opening a location in Lithonia GA by end of 2023.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would encourage my friend to visit Stone Mountain Park, Helen Ga, take a walk on the beltline, and stroll through Little Five points. For rainy weather check out the High Museum of Art or one of the many indoor amusement places like Andretti or Main Event.

Favorite places to relax is the local speak easys, Piedmont Park, or Krog street. For a quick bite to eat at 2 Spicy Burritos for tacos and breakfast at Waffle house or Chik Fil A. In the evening take a drive down Peachtree Street to see a show at the Fox Theatre and grab dinner at any of the fine restaurants.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Omar Thompson for believing in the dream Go Fund me donations for supporting a minority owned business

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