PARENT YOU SHOULD KNOW
A Conversation with Tom Dolan
The two-time Olympic gold medalist has been teaching local kids
how to swim for nearly a decade
BY PJ FEINSTEIN
8 Washington FAMILY JUNE 2021
What is your favorite part
of the day?
The morning — although I’m not a morning
person, thanks to years of swimming way
too early in the morning. I drive my kids to
school each morning. It’s a special time and
a great way to start the day. We have routines
we follow, like calling out restaurants or
places we pass on our drive. The kids also
love to sing songs on our way. I love hearing
their stories and sharing fun messages and
thoughts to set up the day.

What’s the most challenging
time of the day?
The transition at night from work to daddy
time and bedtime. I think all parents can relate
to this. It’s not easy to compartmentalize
those tough workdays when I walk into the
house, switch to playtime with daddy and
help get four kids ready for bed. I want to
be as present as possible for those bedtime
conversations with my kids.

What do you love doing
with your kids?
I love playing with them! We love soccer,
baseball, tag and whatever game we can
think of in our backyard. My kids share my
wife’s and my competitive spirit, so they love
any race or game against me.

What do you do that
embarrasses your kids?
Since my kids are still young, I have not
reached the point of embarrassing them. I
know it’s coming soon, though! I’m sure I
will be a significant source of embarrassment
for them, just like all parents.

What are you looking
forward to this summer?
Swimming! My kids love swimming in our
summer pool, and we love going to Bethany
Beach to swim in the ocean. This summer,
in particular, we are looking forward to
traveling for the first time in over a year.

What do you want for
Father’s Day?
I coach my son’s t-ball team. What a
Father’s Day gift it would be if my team of
4- to -6-year-olds actually listened to me!
Even if just for one game or practice. Other
than that dream, just some nice weather so
I can go on a hike or play in the backyard
with my kids. n
PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM DOLAN
T om Dolan recalls a conversation with
a parent of one of his young students
shortly after opening his first Tom
Dolan Swim School in Northern Virginia.

The 5-year-old had just gotten comfortable
putting his face in the water, and his father
wanted Dolan’s help mapping out strategies
to ensure his son would get into college on a
swimming scholarship.

“He probably didn’t want my answer,”
says Dolan, who suggested that the dad
give it some time “I’m really big into having
kids try a lot of different activities and
seeing what strikes their little personalities
and passions.”
Dolan, 45, isn’t in the business of creating
the next Tom Dolan — a swimming superstar
who set two world records and won two
gold medals and one silver in the Olympics.

Instead, his goal since 2012 has been to teach
kids to be safer swimmers and to help them
build important life skills along the way. He
doesn’t even have aspirations for his own kids
— Hannah, 7; Nora, 6; Fitz, 4; and Connor, 3
— to become competitive swimmers.

“What I hope is that they find something
that they truly love, and that their passion
for it runs as deep as my passion was, and
will always be, for swimming,” Dolan says.

“Whether that’s playing an instrument
or playing chess or finding it in a sport —
that comes without any judgment from me
whatsoever.” The father of four and his wife, Maryellen,
live in Falls Church, about two miles from
where he grew up in Arlington. He keeps
his Olympic medals at home, much to the
delight of his children, who will randomly
ask to see them.

“I’ll always say to them, ‘Guys, you can
always look at them. Because it’s not about
the metals. It’s about the stories that Daddy
shares with you about what I did to get to this
point to be lucky enough to have these, and
that’s what you need to learn,’” says Dolan.

In March, Dolan sold his eponymous swim
school, with locations in Dulles and Falls
Church, to Big Blue Swim School. He’ll stay
on as president of mid-Atlantic operations,
a transition that will allow him to continue
sharing his passion for swimming with
the community.

Washington FAMILY spoke to the busy
dad and entrepreneur about the highs and
lows of parenthood.