This profile of Darla Bartell, Owner, Bullfrog Swim School, was published in the “How She Leads” supplement from September 2021.

Swimming is a recreation and sport like no other. And knowing how to swim can make the difference between life and death. The owner of Bullfrog Swim School Darla Bartell keeps that in mind when designing her swim lessons. 

“Unintentional injuries, such as a drowning, are the No. 1 cause of death for toddlers,” she said. 

Bartell said that because so many houses have pools in the Central California, it’s even more important for everyone to know how to swim. Bullfrog Swim School teaches students who are infants (who are walking) all the way up to adults. 

Bullfrog Swim features the I CAN SAVE MYSELF learn-to-swim method. Bartell created the method and owns the rights. She credits her college degree in child development, which helped her in designing this method with children in mind. She always loved working with children and babysitting when she was a teenager. She enrolled to be WSI (water safety instructor) certified at Fresno City College in 1994.

Her I CAN SAVE MYSELF learn-to-swim method is only available at Bullfrog Swim School. On average, it takes ten 30-minute private lessons for children 3 years and older to accomplish their three goals for new swimmers. 

“The I CAN SAVE MYSELF learn-to-swim method has three goals for new swimmers- swimming with independent-reliable breaths, back-floating with kicks, and how to save yourself if you fall into a pool. On the last day, students jump into the pool fully clothed to show they can save themselves if they fell into the pool,” she said.

Every instructor is hand-picked by Bartell and trained extensively in the I CAN SAVE MYSELF learn-to-swim method. 

“We believe instructors are made, not born,” she said. “We are continually training throughout their employment.”

She has been in business for almost 12 years. Bartell owned a swim school for 10 years in Santa Monica where she taught some of the children of the famous how to swim. 

Bartell taught Sylvester Stallone’s daughter, Sugar Ray Leonard’s kids, Jack Nicholson’s grandsons, Barry William’s son (Greg Brady from the Brady Bunch), Jennifer Grey’s daughter (Dirty Dancing), Angela Lansbury’s grandchildren (Murder She Wrote), John Ritter’s daughter (Three’s Company), Julia Sweeney’s daughter (Saturday Night Live), and Garcelle Beauvias from Beverly Hills Housewives for adult lessons, just to name a few. 

She decided to move back to her hometown of Clovis in 2005 to raise her son and be close to family. 

“Los Angeles is a great place to live single but terribly difficult to live as a new mom with no family nearby,” she said. “I always loved Clovis and I missed my family terribly. Best decision that I ever made.”

Bartell purchased the former location of Jan Thomas Swim School this year. Ironically, she learned how to swim at the same location when she was 4 years old. Before relocating to the new property, she was renting hotel pools and traveling to student homes. 

“The day the news hit that Jan had the property up for sale, everyone I knew called, texted and tagged me on Facebook about the story. I brushed it off because I didn’t think there was any way to make it happen but a few weeks later, Jan called and asked me to come over,” Bartell said.

She said they talked about the property, which led to a great arrangement to lease the property with the option to buy. Thanks to Fresno First Bank and CenCal, she was able to work out a deal in which both of them were happy. Bartell purchased the property in the spring.

“Parents and onlookers are more than joyous when they see this life saving success,” Bartell said. “It really touches you when you see a little toddler climb out and yell, “I CAN SAVE MYSELF!” 

All the students at Bullfrog Swim learn their motto, “Ask to get in! Don’t push your friends in and SAVE YOURSELF if you fall in!” Once those three goals are accomplished, students can choose to move forward and be introduced to strokes — freestyle, backstroke, breast stroke, butterfly, flip turns and treading water. 

Lessons are private but students can share with a friend for no extra charge. During the summer, home lessons are offered for no extra charge. It is closed for the holidays starting on Thanksgiving and is open again in February. 

It is located at 1849 N. Willow Ave. in Clovis.  For more information call 559 281 8650 or go to bullfrogswimschool.net