Our goal at SwimBox is to help you swim better, safer, faster, and injury free. Every one of our swim instructors has been in the swimming world the majority of their lives and has been trained with our swim lesson protocols. Our swim lessons and swim workouts are for swimmers of all ages* and abilities. We want everyone to know how to swim, let's get started!
BEN SKELDING
SwimBox Arlington
Ben’s swimming journey began at the age of 10 in Southern California and has not stopped since. Being one of the premier swimmers in Los Angeles he received a scholarship to swim collegiately at Howard University in Washington DC and has been in the area ever since, Ben became a fast West Coast transplant. Graduating in 2015 with a Bachelors Degree in Sports Medicine, Ben began working locally with the community to coach the DC Parks and Recreation Swim Team until he shifted his focus onto learn-to-swim athletes. Ben has worked with numerous businesses to develop his coaching style thoroughly and enjoys working with athletes of all ages and abilities. Away from the pool you can find Ben cooking something delicious or out and about in nature enjoying the sunshine. Ben, being out of the competitive side of swimming he knows so well, now derives his passion for his lessons from the years and years spent at the pool and the quality of swimming he knows everyone is capable of.
JARED MILLER
Jared Miller’s swimming journey began at the tender age of three, quickly advancing to his first swim competition a year later. As an instructor at SwimBox, Jared is known for his enthusiasm and dedication to teaching the art of swimming to novices of all ages. His illustrious swimming career at Howard University, where he currently still holds nine school records in freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly events, underscores his deep connection to the sport. Jared credits swimming with teaching him invaluable life lessons, including discipline, hard work, and perseverance, which have permeated every aspect of his life. Beyond the pool, Jared’s interests are as diverse as his talents; whether he’s strumming his guitar, engaging in sports like football, basketball, and skateboarding, or contributing to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Jared embodies a well-rounded individual whose life is enriched by his varied passions and achievements. His belief in swimming as a catalyst for personal growth, friendship, and essential survival skills informs his approach to coaching, making him a cherished member of the SwimBox team.
RYAN STRAKA
Ryan Straka, a recent George Mason University graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology, hails from Oakton, VA, where he embarked on his swimming journey in middle school. His passion for the sport led him to specialize in sprint freestyle and butterfly, competing for Machine Aquatics, the James Madison High School Varsity Swim Team, and the Marymount University Varsity Swim Team. Ryan’s experience extends beyond the pool; he honed his teaching skills as a swim instructor at Lifetime Fitness, where he introduced children to swimming and refined their techniques. His academic background in kinesiology ignited a fervent interest in biomechanics, particularly its application to swimming, fueling his desire to explore injury prevention strategies and enhance swim performance. At SwimBox, Ryan applies his deep understanding of the technical aspects of swimming to help clients achieve their personal goals, whether they are learning to swim for the first time or seeking to improve their competitive edge. Having been with SwimBox for over a year and a half, Ryan is committed to evolving as a swim coach, leveraging his expertise to foster a safe, effective, and enjoyable learning environment for swimmers of all levels.
Kelly mcgrath
Kelly graduated from Boston College where she swam on the Varsity Swim Team specializing in distance freestyle, IM, and butterfly events. She later earned her MA in International Education from NYU and has dedicated her career to higher education. Kelly is now an Assistant Director at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and also coaches age group swimmers with the Capital Sea Devils, where she’s been for the last 4 years. Kelly is a native of Garden City, New York where she competed for the club swim team Long Island Express and also served as an ocean lifeguard. Kelly loves working with clients of all swimming abilities and hopes her loves for the sport can be passed along to everyone she gets the opportunity to work with.
jordan overton
Jordan Overton’s swimming career began with an impromptu swim lesson in his youth, leading to four competitive years with the Theresa Banks Swim Club (TBSC) and setting him on a path to becoming a distinguished swim instructor and coach. Over the last seven years, Jordan has dedicated himself to the Aquatics Program at The Lowell School in Washington, D.C., where he has been instrumental in building their swim program. His genuine love for swimming and his commitment to sharing this passion set his lessons apart. Jordan’s approach, characterized by kindness and patience, enables him to connect with a diverse range of clients, from young swimmers refining their techniques to adults taking their first strokes. His continuous pursuit of personal and professional growth in swimming coaching is matched by his academic endeavors as a student at Bowie State University, where he is working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Writing. Joining the SwimBox Team, Jordan brings a wealth of experience, a passion for the sport, and a dedication to helping swimmers of all levels achieve their goals, embodying the transformative power of dedication, passion, and continuous learning in both his coaching and personal development.
Wallis Lahtinen-Hicks
Wallis brings extensive teaching experience and knowledge of kinesiology/ body mechanics to her swimming lessons and swim coaching instruction. She started teaching and coaching swimming in 2014 as a volunteer for the US Masters Adult Learn To Swim program (USMS ALTS). Wallis is a USA Swimming Certified Coach and Adult Learn To Swim Certified swim instructor. She coaches for The FISH swim team and Tsunami Master's in Tysons Corner. Wallis brings a unique understanding of both adult and young learners through her journey from recreational swimmer to competing as a Masters swimmer and open water swimmer. Her patience and kindness in her teaching lends extremely well to adult learn to swim beginners, competitive kids working on their stroke technique, and competitive adult swimmers looking to improve their efficiency and strength for meets, triathlons, and open water swimming races alike.
SYDNEY BRIGHT
Sydney graduated from Bridgewater College where she swam for 3 years on the Varsity Swim Team, specializing in sprint freestyle with degrees in both Political Science and French. She grew up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti where she spent her childhood swimming and continued to swim with the YMCA Alexandria Sea Dragons Swim Team when she and her family moved to the states. After graduating, Sydney moved back to the Washington DC area to attend graduate school at American University. Currently, she also coaches the junior and senior swim groups with NCAP. Sydney enjoys the process and mechanics of swimming and is eager to share that joy with others as they work together to reach their swimming goals.
Margaret Roulett
Margaret graduated from Case Western Reserve University where she swam on the Varsity Swim Team competing in both distance freestyle and breaststroke events. She later earned her MSLS in Library Science from the University of Kentucky and has dedicated her career to libraries and museums. Margaret grew up swimming for South Bend Dolphins and Irish Aquatics in South Bend, Indiana as well as the Firestone Akron Swim Team in Akron, Ohio. In addition to her work with SwimBox she is also currently working on her MBA part-time from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University as well as working as the Historical Public Records Analyst in the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress. Margaret loves working with people of all swimming abilities and is looking forward to helping swimmers create a strong foundation, get over their fears, and find the same joy she found with the sport of swimming.
LISSA LATELLA
SwimBox head coach & co-owner Lissa Latella started swimming at the ripe old age of 6 and has been living with pruney fingers ever since. She grew up swimming on local NVSL Swim Team the Dunn Loring Dolphins, local PVS club swim teams Potomac Marlins & Machine Aquatics, and finished out her swimming tenure on the Varsity Swim Team at the University of Mary Washington. After graduating from UMW, Lissa took up crossfit and dove back into competitive swimming for another year before hanging up her goggles and settling down with SwimBox for the long haul. Specializing in butterfly, breaststroke, & freestyle, her love of swimming is comparable only to her obsession with food, which she’ll definitely find a way to bring up during her lessons. Lissa likes to say that swimming has given her everything, and she loves to give back to the sport by sharing her knowledge, compassion, and devotion with her clients looking to fine tune their technique, improve their times & efficiency in the water, learning to swim for the first time, or simply wanting to gain that little extra edge over their competition.
Swim co-owner Coach Dominic Latella is the only US Masters Swimming (USMS) Level 4 (the highest certification available) certified coach in VA. He is an instructor for USMS Certifications and the USMS Adult Learn to Swim program, as well as the lead presenter for all SwimBox Certification Courses. Dominic has also been appointed twice - the maximum amount - as the lead swim coach for USMS High Performance Camp, in addition to working with the swimming rehabilitation and adaptive swimming programs at Bethesda Naval Hospital for the Wounded Warriors. Dominic’s philosophy focuses on the execution of proper swimming technique to achieve improved efficiency and prevent injury. This way of swim coaching allows swimmers to not only reach personal bests, but do so in a way that allows their bodies to keep up their love of swimming for a lifetime. Fewer injuries and happy swimmers are Dominic's favorite things to see.
*we do not work with children under the age of 7 unless they can make it across a 25 meter/yard pool on their own
Our Arlington, VA site is located right off of Route 29 (Langston Blvd) at the intersection of N George Mason Drive. SwimBox Arlington provides private swim lessons, private adult learn-to-swim lessons, and private swim training to Arlington, Alexandria, Washington DC, McLean, Falls Church, Fairfax, Crystal City, Rosslyn, Tysons, Annandale, all of Fairfax County, as well as accessible coming from Maryland as well.
Our private one on one swim lessons are perfect for adult beginners learning to swim for the first time, competitive age group swimmers working to prevent injury, refine their technique/efficiency & get those best times, masters swimmers, beginner, intermediate, and advanced triathletes, and everyone in between who’s just looking for a swim lesson at the highest caliber. We also promote TheHomeSchoolMom Home Schooling Resources!
