Skokie JCC offers early Olympic excitement

Meet four-time Olympic Gold Swim Medalist Lenny Krayzelburg, one day only, Sunday, January 12, 9:30am to 12pm at the Mayer Kaplan JCC in Skokie. Krayzelburg will be in Skokie to launch the Lenny Krayzelburg JCC Swim Academy (LKSA) exclusively at Mayer Kaplan JCC Skokie. Krayzelburg will be speaking about his inspiring life and Olympic accomplishments at 10:30am.  The presentation is open to the public and will be followed by a question and answer session. Bring family and friends for autographs and photos with Lenny and to hear him talk about his innovative swim program.

Throughout the morning, children can receive a free swim evaluation and two FREE swim lessons when they register for a LKSA swim program. Reservations for evaluations are encouraged.

“Kids want to spend time in the water, so making sure they are water safe is one of our main objectives. With our method, children develop a sense of comfort in the water, and then we teach strokes,” Krayzelburg said.  Students 3 months and up first learn basic skills, then mastery of the four competitive strokes; freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.

Since 2005, Krayzelburg’s highly successful, exclusively-JCC, learn-to-swim program has taught thousands of children water safety and the importance of knowing how to swim. His inspiration came from the excitement he observed of children taking swim lessons while he was training for the 2004 Olympics in California.

“JCC selected the Lenny Krayzelburg program because it’s based on best practices and the most advanced thinking in the field. Low teacher to student ratio gives each child the personal attention they need to be successful,” said Jacqueline Keane, JCC Chicago Assistant Director of Wellness.

 “JCC Chicago’s partnership with LKSA’s high quality swim program of safety and skill demonstrates our commitment to supporting the diverse fitness and wellness needs of individuals and families in our community, and expands on JCC’s commitment of service to families in the northern suburbs,” said Alan Sataloff, JCC General Director and CEO.

Krayzelburg and his family emigrated from the Ukraine to Los Angeles in 1989. LA’s Westside JCC provided opportunity for Krayzelburg to hone his skills and for his family to explore their Judaism. Krayzelburg’s first major swim competition was the 1990 Maccabi Youth Games. In 2001, fresh off his three Olympic gold medals at the 2000 Sydney games, Krayzelburg skipped the World Championships, opting instead to join the U.S. Team of the World Maccabiah Games in Israel, where he won a pair of gold medals. His fourth Olympic gold medal came at the 2004 games in Athens.

“The World Maccabiah Games was my first experience in Israel,” Krayzelburg said. “It was a special time to be there as a Jew and I learned more about Jewish culture and history.”

To reserve your free swim evaluation, contact Kirsten at 773.516.5855 or kconner@gojcc.org, or register at gojcc.org/evaluation.

Lenny Krayzelburg has held five backstroke world records. He won his first gold medals at the 2000 Olympic Games, setting records in two of the three events. Krayzelburg is a member of the International Jewish Hall of Fame and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2011. He has won numerous other titles and gold medal victories in various events.

JCC Chicago is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring a strong and vibrant Jewish life and community for generations to come. Bringing Jewish values to life for more than 24,000 participants, more than 1.4 million times each year, JCC Chicago touches, engages and connects all segments of the Jewish community at all ages and at all stages of life. Visit gojcc.org for more information.

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