Rancho Mission Viejo Update

We are inching closer to our big day and we are starting to get excited because this is starting to get real. There is so much to do internally as we prepare to go from one year-round swim site to two. We have started to put together job descriptions for the new site and we have preliminarily started to hire some key team members and soon, training will start!

I want to thank everyone who has made it out to our open house events. It has been great seeing new and existing swim school families and we look forward to continuing these events through April. For families that have come out once, please continue to visit us as we will have new construction to share every week. We will be on-site every Saturday in the month of March and April, from 9:00-12:00 pm. The address is 28206 Airoso St. Rancho Mission Viejo, CA 92694. Come visit us, we look forward to sharing all of our new updates with you.

Our buildout is also going well and without major interruption. Most of our HVAC work is in place, as is the duct work, the sprinkler system, insulation, and we are getting started on the plumbing, electrical, and framing. Soon, our walls will be in place and it will be time to drywall. Then, in about two weeks, the pool guys will show up and start digging the hole where eventually, we will build a beautiful pool for our swimmers to thrive in.

The Founder’s Club is really starting to gain traction and we have imposed a deadline of April 30th to join this club. By joining the Founder’s Club, you will be taking advantage of discounted swim lessons, discounted registration, and priority access to our schedule. You will also be invited to the grand opening which should be a very fun event for parents and kids. Being a member of the Founder’s Club will have future advantages as well and those details will come out soon.

I look forward to being in touch!

Felipe Delgado

Message from our Founder

Spring Is in The Air

How much has been lost over the past year? What if we looked at it as “what have we gained during the past year?” The first thing that comes to mind is perspective. What things deserve your undivided attention, what things deserve shared attention, and what deserves no attention at all? For me, this is where I gained perspective.

Over the past year, being present has taken a new meaning. The ability to multitask is a trait that has historically been praised but in my opinion, multitasking in certain situations is just an excuse for not being present. Let’s take family for instance. I have now conditioned myself to put my iPhone away the minute I walk in the house. Trust me, it’s not easy. Like an addict in his first days of treatment, it took me some time to get used to the idea of not having access to my significant other (my phone, not my wife) for an extended period of time. I figured that on any given weekday, I spend approximately 11 hours per day with my phone, which is longer than I will spend with my wife and kids. In comparison, I get approximately 2 hours of time with my wife and kids before we put the kids to bed in the evenings. That’s it, two hours per day. It means that if you put five weekdays together, I still spend more time hooked to my phone in one day than will I spend with my wife and kids for the entire week. That’s nuts! So, I made myself small and unimportant, put the phone away, and just became present. Yeah, the first few days were hard but as the saying goes, nothing that’s easy carries much value (or something like that). My family is the reason for my being so giving them that time has really put things into perspective for me and has taught me what’s truly important in life.

Over the past year, life has not been easy on our children, as well. They’ve had to learn new things and have had to make adjustments, just like us. For most of our children, the past year has been pretty sedentary, with many of the activities that we become accustomed to being stripped away from us. Getting our kids off of the couch after being conditioned to “just stay home” is not easy, but as parents, we know it’s right. This summer is looking very promising as many of the activities that we once had in our lives start to come back. Personally, my kids are swimming, playing t-ball, soccer, and taking music lessons. As life slowly starts to make a turn for the better, as parents, we must start to reacquaint ourselves with these activities. I’m happy to say that Evolution Swim Academy will be offering its seasonal swim activities, just as we have done in the past. Our seasonal swim lessons and spring swim team start now and summer sports camps in June. In June we will also be opening up our new swim center, Evolution Swim Academy Rancho Mission Viejo. It’s going to be a busy spring and summer for us, and we wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

Perspective has taught me that we have to prioritize, multitask when appropriate, and just let some things go. I’m better today at all three than I was prior to the start of the pandemic. If there was ever a silver lining it is this, we should all be appreciative and grateful that life gave us this restart. Some of us didn’t get so lucky but for those that did and get to continue on this journey that we call life, let’s agree to do it better. Let’s agree that this version of ourselves needs to be better than the last because if we forget the past, good or bad, we are bound to repeat it.

Take care and have a great April.

Felipe Delgado | Founder & Olympic Partner | Evolution Swim Academy

Summer Fruit Chopped Salad

A fresh salad loaded with fresh and whole ingredients like avocado, Gorgonzola cheese, and grilled chicken topped with a tangy dressing.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and lay the bacon slices on the rack. Roast the bacon for about 20 minutes, until nicely browned. Allow to cool. Then crumble, chopped, or serve in strips!

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

  • 1 large head of crunchy romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped OR 5 cups mixed greens
  • 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
  • 1 cup cooked bacon, chopped
  • 1 cup granny smith apples, chopped
  • 1 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1 cup grapes
  • 1 cup mandarin oranges
  • 1 cup strawberries, chopped
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 3/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
  • 2 avocados, chopped

For the Dressing:

  • 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2/3 cup good olive oil

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, toss together the greens, chicken, bacon, apple, red onion, grapes, oranges, strawberries, walnuts, Gorgonzola cheese, and avocado.
  2. For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, maple syrup, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
  3. Toss the salad with just enough dressing to moisten. Serve immediately.

Level Highlight

STARFISH 2

Our starfish 2 level is heavily focused on the main safety aspects of all our lessons.

Students will learn how to grab the wall after being submerged, practice climbing out of the pool unassisted and how to independently find their back float by rolling to a float. Children learn through play and this level incorporates ring dives, humpty dumpty mat jumps, bubble blowing and lots of ice cream scooping. Independent, confident swimmers start here!

Employee Highlight

Meet Aria! 

With seasonal lessons on their way, let’s meet Evolution Swim Academy’s “Queen” of our Ladera seasonal site, Aria. She taught many hours out at Ladera last season and is so excited to get back out in the sun for some fun! Aria is currently attending UC Santa Cruz studying computer science with an emphasis on game design. Thanks to this crazy year, we’ve been blessed to keep Aria on staff since she has attended virtually all school year. Aria considers herself a huge nerd and feels this helps her relate to her students due to the frequent common interest of video games. It leads to easy conversations with her students that helps strengthen their student coach relationship. Aria’s ability to relate with her students translates to them being good listeners whether they are talking about a fun game or their swim technique. When Aria’s not busy with school, coaching, or playing video games, she loves taking care of and riding horses. Aria is also passionate about singing and was a member of one of the best high school choirs in the country, making her lucky enough to get to tour the world singing. Her greatest joy in teaching swim is seeing a child’s growth and progression both physically and mentally. She feels that a child’s progression through our curriculum reflects their success as well as her own. Her work also feels like preparation for parenthood one day, which she is grateful for! 

Seasonal Swim Lessons

We offer multiple seasonal locations throughout South Orange County.

Ladera Ranch | Oak Knoll Clubhouse

Beginning March 29th

  • Monday and Wednesday Afternoons
  • Saturday & Sunday Mornings
  • Spring Break Accelerator April 5th-8th Mornings

Rancho Mission Viejo | Hilltop Clubhouse & The Ranch House

Beginning March 29th

  • Tuesday and Thursday Afternoons
  • Saturday & Sunday Mornings
  • Spring Break Accelerator April 5th-8th Mornings

Laguna Niguel | Nellie Gail Ranch

Beginning May 31st

  • Monday-Thursday Afternoons
  • 2 Week Accelerators Monday- Thursday Afternoons until August 12th

Aliso Viejo | Renaissance Club Sport

Beginning May 31st

  • Saturday & Sunday Mornings

Morning sessions: 9:00am – 12:00pm | Afternoon sessions: 3:00pm – 6:00pm

Rancho Mission Viejo | Open House

OPEN HOUSE AT THE NEW RANCHO MISSION VIEJO SWIM SCHOOL

March Dates:

  • March 6th, 2021
  • March 13th, 2021
  • March 20th, 2021
  • March 27th, 2021

Hours:

  • 9:00am – 12:00pm

Information:

  • Our open house events will offer families an opportunity  to tour the unfinished Rancho Mission Viejo facility, learn about our programming, and register for our Founder’s Club. We will be hosting the open house events every Saturday morning in March 2021. We look forward to seeing you there!