WHO IS SEASTARS?

SEASTARS’ History and Mission Statement

SEASTARS is an acronym that stands for Supporting Education and Athletic Skills Through Amateur and Recreational Swimming

SEASTARS Aquatics is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and fostering the safety, success, and growth of children who are economically, physically and/or mentally challenged by providing individualized attention and education as a part of a structured competitive swim team program.

Programs span grades 1-12, with performance-appropriate curriculum designed to teach the skills necessary to prepare swimmers for key competitions. Within each program, SEASTARS educates swimmers on issues such as proper nutrition, healthy lifestyles and the negative effects of drug use. All programs are designed to keep the coach / swimmer ratio at a minimum.

SEASTARS is an incentive-based program in which children have a chance to earn their own equipment and swim gear through five basic areas of reward: sportsmanship, meeting or exceeding personal goals, academics, attendance, and community service. 

SEASTARS is offered as a year-round United States (USA) swim team and mentoring program. The team practices are held at The Salvation Army Pool, North “Q” St., Pensacola and any child that qualifies for free/reduced lunch and/or has Special Needs is eligible to participate. Tryouts are every Wednesday at 4:45pm.

Utilizing swimming as a vehicle to accomplish this goal, our programs are offered at no cost to the children or their parents. SEASTARS provides insurance on the pool deck and in the water, in addition to all expenses associated with swimming, such as suits, caps, goggles, and t-shirts. 

SEASTARS is the first program of its kind in the United States, SEASTARS has grown 625% since we opened our doors in 2005. We believe that our mission to introduce competitive swimming to children with mental and economical needs is an important one—and not just because swimming is an important lifesaving skill. Competitive swimming teaches children goal setting, responsibility, time management, the importance of nutrition, and fosters a love of physical fitness. For children with special needs, swimming is an important therapy, helping them gain balance and coordination, improve movement, overcome anxiety, and gain confidence. SEASTARS fosters an inclusive atmosphere and teaches acceptance of all children, regardless of disability or economic status. 42% of Caucasian, 70% of African American and 60% of Hispanic children cannot swim nationally. Drowning is the 2nd leading cause of child accidental death. On average 9 people die from drowning in the US daily. In September 2019 Coach Robin Heller was honored with The National USA Swimming Disability Swimming Service Award. The purpose of this award was to recognize significant contributions over several years by an individual or group to the inclusion of swimmers with a disability in USA Swimming programs or in the sport of swimming.

There were 352,528 USA Swimming registered athletes in 2019; SEASTARS had 88 swimmers registered in 2019. SEASTARS is composed of 27.27% African American, 15.9% Mixed races, and 4.5% Hispanic swimmers. According to USA Swimming statistics, SEASTARS services 25.94% MORE African Americans, 9.85% MORE Mixed races, and 1% MORE Hispanics. SEASTARS was also comprised of 36.36% or 32 Special Needs swimmers. We are the ONLY team in the country with demographics that provide the program for free. For the 2019 season, 75% of SEASTARS swimmers were at or below the poverty line which means that SEASTARS, a program that is free for all swimmers, introduces swimming to children who might otherwise be unable to participate due to financial limitations.

SEASTARS is made possible through donations from caring individuals and Private and Semi-Private Swim Lessons. This community support has a positive impact on ALL our youth. We value our relationships with each of our supporters, donors and sponsors.

We would like to personally invite you to review our updated website and scroll through our stories. We have a Video Gallery to help familiarize you with our programs. Meet our Instructors and Coaches on The Swim Lessons and Swim Team pages and set up your lessons or join our swim team! The Team Schedule is always updated, and we have a great Sponsor Page with various Sponsorship Opportunities. Thank you for supporting SEASTARS. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter through social media.

Thank you for visiting our website and your interest in SEASTARS. We also invite you to join us at practice. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to call (850) 418-0644 or (850) 418-0645.

SEASTARS’ FOUNDERS