Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training (FAST) is turning ONE! Join us for our First Year Anniversary Open House on Sunday, April 2, 2023, from 12 pm to 3 pm. This event is free and open to the public. FAST is in Southwest Ocala at 4635 SW 67th Avenue Road, Ocala, FL 34474.
Families are invited to spend the afternoon celebrating with us, enjoying outdoor swimming, spray ground access, and food from FAST Fuel Concessions. Guests are also invited to participate in free aqua aerobics, TRX, and yoga classes. Memberships, programs, swim lessons information, and sign-ups will be available for guests. The first 50 guests who sign-up for memberships, programs, or swim lessons will receive a FREE limited edition #FASTHLETE shirt. The FAST pro shop will also be open for your convenience to buy swim apparel so you can train like a champion and dress like one.
If you’re interested in training at the competitive level, the Falcons are FAST’s official competitive club swim team, with age-group teams ranging from 5 to 18 years old. During their first year of competition, the Falcons have won multiple awards, broken records, and signed college athletes. As a career club coach, Head Coach Allison Beebe understands the importance of creating an environment that emphasizes long-term athlete development and provides a strong foundation for all age-group swimmers. She has guided over 100 swimmers to compete at the collegiate level and has developed three US National Team swimmers, including Simone Manuel, who won an Olympic gold medal.
Whether you’re training for a triathlon, exercising for wellness, learning to swim, or looking for a sense of community, FAST offers a variety of swim programs and activities for athletes of all ages and abilities. Programming includes aqua aerobics, strength & conditioning classes, yoga, TRX, Masters swimming, swim lessons, and Cannonball Kidz. Cannonball Kidz offers FREE swim lessons for every third-grade student in Marion County, from learning to swim to skilled swimmers. FAST programming is coached under the Director of Auxiliary Programs, Gemma Fleming. Coach Gemma is a former competitive swimmer who represented Great Britain in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, FINA World Championships, European championships, and England in the Commonwealth Games. She is the former world record-holder in the 100m backstroke, an 8-time medalist in major international championships, and an inductee to the Hall of Fame at the University of Florida.
FAST is a venture of the Circle Square Foundation. Since opening in March 2022, the facility has hosted multiple meets ranging from local, regional, and state meets to age-group, high school, and collegiate meets. Swim clubs and training groups have traveled nationally and internationally to train at FAST, and USA Swimming has hosted multiple clinics for local and national swimmers at the facility. Thousands of local community members have enjoyed the facility through swim lessons, recreational and competitive swim, and birthday party celebrations. FAST is currently booking meets, events, and parties through 2025.
Trustee of the Circle Square Foundation, Kenneth Colen, speaks to the impact of FAST on the local Ocala and swimming community, “FAST is unique because it is large enough to train professionals and host large scale meets, but small enough to engage our local community through swim lessons, recreational swim, and community programs. FAST is truly for the betterment of the community as a whole.”
To join us at the FAST First Year Anniversary Open House, please register for this free event at FloridaFAST.com. All pre-registered attendees will be entered into a raffle to win FAST prizes. For event information, registration, directions, and inquiries on the Open House, please visit FloridaFAST.com and follow us on social media @swimfloridafast.