Hi ,

         

        I  am Taylor Walker , some know me as Ms. Taylor . I have lived in Orlando, FL my entire life. I am a wife and a mother of two. As young as I can remember  I have always been in the water never wanting to leave as it was my form of therapy. My mother took notice of my abilities and encouraged that I try out for the swim team. As I developed as a swimmer my competitive spirit intensified. I  craved being more involved, I began guiding others. The YMCA Coach noticed my abilities and recruited me as a Lifeguard. My perspective of the water evolved into helping others to understand that they are in control of themselves in the water. As I became a  veteran lifeguard my boss realized that I would make a great swim instructor.  I stepped into that training not knowing that my purpose was meeting my passion,  where my ultimate goal set the standards of my mindset , that anyone  can be taught no matter the limitations.

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      As a swim instructor there was no limit to as far as I could go. Training students for the Junior Olympics. Increasing their stroke development which increased their speed and endurance. As an instructor, I came across a young boy who was paralyzed from the waist down. Another instructor and I put our heads together to develop a training program for him. By the end he was able to swim and enjoy the water as if he had no disability. Training individuals with physical and mental disabilities has been an exciting challenge for me as I love to use new techniques to see what works best. I have enjoyed seeing how my techniques have worked with individuals with Autism, Dementia, even PTSD from trauma experienced within a body of water.

 

   In my journey my first born was starting school , as a single mother at the time  I wanted to be more available to his schedule and that led me to try another occupation in the office setting (which in hindsight God has a funny way of adding more skills to your resume). Working in the office setting allowed me to learn about  business operations. I learned how to deal with families more in depth outside of just 30 minutes. This opened up my eyes to recognizing and directing families within different aspects of their lives. 

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     For me, 2020 was a spiritual shut down to awaken my purpose.  The black community has suffered enough trauma related to bodies of water. My mission is driven by my competitive spirit and that is to establish a refuge for the black community to learn to embrace water and all of the benefits it has to offer. Following in my great-grandfather’s footsteps I plan to honor him by continuing his unknown legacy.

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     My late great-grandfather who was  an inspirational black swim coach to all minorities in his area, the Warren Hawkins Aquatic Center ,was named after him. He was known for being a tough, knowledgeable, detail oriented coach who saved many lives through his impeccable ability to train. His impact in the community inspired me and as I have grown and increased my skills, my dream was now to open up my own Swim Academy and share my knowledge with others  to ensure that being in the water became a place of refuge for them. So here I am now, Coach Taylor ,Swim Instructor ,and owner of The Olympian Fortress Swim Academy, LLC.