About SwimRight Academy

Following his Olympic career, Lenny Krayzelburg turned his attention to a goal that extended beyond competition — building a program that would give children access to quality swimming instruction and water safety education. Recognizing the need for a high-quality program to teach children a lifesaving skill, Lenny started two swim academies in Los Angeles in 2005. The success in Los Angeles was contagious and led to a licensing partnership with the Jewish Community Centers (JCC), opening the first partner location in 2009 and eventually growing to 11 swim schools across the United States.

All instruction is delivered through the SwimRight® Method — a structured, proprietary curriculum developed specifically for early-learning swimmers. The purpose of the SwimRight® Method is to implement the swim-float-swim technique as a foundation, and then focus on providing children with increased confidence and knowledge that they are safe in and around the water. This unique swimming lesson approach is taught by certified, caring, and committed instructors who remain in the water with the children at all times. Our swimming lessons take students starting as young as 3 months old from the beginning stages of swimming all the way to learning all four strokes. Since its inception in 2005, our swim schools have taught tens of thousands of kids life-saving water safety skills in a safe and kid-friendly environment. Realizing the impact we have already made, but more importantly acknowledging an opportunity to make an even greater difference nationwide, in 2019, the organization relaunched under the name SwimRight Academy Championed by Lenny Krayzelburg and expanded its reach through a formal franchise model. Given Lenny's deep connection to the Jewish community, the original licensing model branded Lenny Krayzelburg Swim Academy will continue to exist, but will be reserved exclusively for JCCs across North America.
The name SwimRight Academy reflects what the program has focused on from the beginning — teaching children correct technique, safe habits, and the skills that last a lifetime.

After earning three gold medals in Sydney, Krayzelburg faced a difficult period marked by knee and shoulder injuries that limited his competition schedule. He returned to the Olympic stage in Athens and won his fourth gold medal, also serving as a captain of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Swim Team. In 2011, he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Lenny was born in Odesa, Ukraine. Krayzelburg was born in Odesa, Ukraine. His family left the Soviet Union and settled in Los Angeles, where he went on to build one of the most decorated careers in American competitive swimming. After retiring from the sport, he founded his first swim academy in Los Angeles in 2005 — a year-round program enrolling children from three months of age. The program's growth led to a partnership with the Jewish Community Centers Association, expanding the school's reach to locations across Texas, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts.

In late 2018, Krayzelburg restructured the organization under the SwimRight Academy name and launched a franchise program to extend the curriculum's reach nationally. Outside of SwimRight Academy, he has expanded into related fields — including aquatic fitness, open water events, and a healthcare company offering CPR, First Aid, and lifeguard certification courses.

Krayzelburg serves on the boards of Tikva Children's Home, which supports vulnerable Jewish children in Ukraine and surrounding regions, and the American Friends of Israel Sport Center for the Disabled. He also supports the Jessie Rees Foundation, which assists families of children with cancer, and serves as treasurer of the Michael Phelps Foundation, focused on expanding children's access to swimming. He holds a degree in finance and business administration from the University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles with his family.