DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — While Northern Door already has swim programs, Rachel Stollenwerk saw a need for more options that focused on high-quality instruction.
She began teaching swim lessons during the pandemic and, over the years, held classes at various hotel pools around the area.
Watch below to learn more about the new aquatic center in Sister Bay:
"It didn't allow us to have year-round time," Rachel Stollenwerk, owner of Peninsula Aqautic Center said.
She realized the community needed a place where people could keep learning all year long.
"I had always had the idea of building a facility to service the demand that was in the area," Stollenwerk said.
Last month, that idea came to life with the opening of the Peninsula Aquatic Center in Sister Bay.
"We have a lot of seasonal people that come in." She said, "we have a lot of great instructors that might only be here for three months, so my goal has always been to be consistent and reliable for the people that live here."
Sarah Meyers has been bringing her kids to Rachel’s lessons for the past five years, and she says the new center is already making a difference.
"I'm just really excited to see how it grows, changes, and impacts the community as a whole," Sarah Meyers said.
Her kids can now take lessons at their own pace, throughout the year.
"I just can totally see the potential for the kids up here. It's very hard being a local up here because a lot of things are catered towards the tourist," Meyers said.
The center has already enrolled over 100 students in its first month, and Rachel hopes it will keep fostering a culture of swimming in Northern Door.
