It’s been well argued that one of the key elements of success is passion and this is certainly exemplified by the founder of Dolphin Aquatic Centre and Dolphin Swim School, Aderoju Ope-Ajayi, as she shares the secrets of her breakthrough in a hitherto unchartered territory, reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.
Swimming is said to have a great therapeutic effect and founder of novel Dolphin Aquatic Centre and Dolphin Swim School, Aderoju Ope Ajayi has stressed the inherent benefits in the sport whether at competitive or recreational level.
“Swimming calms and centres you,” explained the ever smiling Ope-Ajayi. “While you are in the water there is a sense of peace, calmness and isolation that brings serenity.
“Swimming is also the only sport that can be done by anyone whether you are physically impaired or not. It’s easy on the joints and works almost all the muscles in the body.”
Yet Ajayi, a former champion in her younger years, has turned swimming into a ground-breaking business model and her efforts in breathing life into swimming was rewarded last year as one of the three award recipients in the sports category of the BMCE Bank of Africa-funded African Entrepreneurship Award.
“I realised that that there was a gap that, if it not addressed urgently, might have a huge social impact,” declared the gold medallist in the Nigerian University Games (NUGA) and the West African University Games (WAUG) during her undergraduate days at the University of Lagos where she reportedly studied cell biology and genetics. “Water safety instruction is slowly becoming the norm in our society, however cultural and religious preferences still stop people from exploring this sport and learning how to be water safe.
“People are afraid of water. It can be real, imagined, inherited; they are afraid. There are a lot of misconceptions about swimming that need to be corrected.
“That’s one of the main aims of the Dolphin Swim School. We want to de-mystify swimming and make it accessible to as many women and children as possible.
“My business was set up to bridge that gap. We are the first swim school in Nigeria that teaches women and children exclusively how to swim with a team of female instructors.”
Ope-Ajayi would yet be the first to admit that her rendezvous with swimming was fortuitous but for the guidance of her father and erstwhile national swimming trainer, the late Y.A Amodu, who she described as ‘the coach of all coaches.’
“It is true that swimming was not a popular sport at the time I started but my dad introducing me to the sport was a huge factor,” she hinted. “He (my dad) taught me all I knew about swimming; he encouraged me, pushed me and made me love the sport.
“After which I built an enduring love for swimming. I learnt to ‘live in water’, as we call it.
“This means being so comfortable in water and enjoying everything that has to do with swimming and aquatics.”
Of course, there is no pecan without pains and Ope-Ajayi admitted she had challenges along the line but her tenacity over the years has been a huge factor as she strove from being an athlete to a swimming entrepreneur.
“It was a challenge keeping the focus (to be a swimmer),” stated the Federation Internationale De Nation (FINA) certified expert. “We had to train almost every day, sometimes twice a day.
“For a young person, that’s a lot of time that could be spent doing other young people stuff. That was hard. Also having the shape of a swimmer which is not necessarily understood by other children of your age.
“But my best memories (as an athlete) were being part of a team; the swimming community is very close knit and we all know each other and look out for each other. I loved going for swim meets with my team mates and just bonding.”
Be that as it may, Ope-Ajayi as an athlete did not hover too long in the pool due to some other pertinent factor she explained during an animated session with Endi’s World:
“I started off competitively with age group swimming for as far back as I can remember up until university days. In there, you try to fit in the leisure part of swimming as much as you can.
“But I had to make a decision to quit swimming and focus solely on my studies because in Nigeria, it’s extremely hard combining both (academics and swimming).
“When I went for the NUGA and WAUG Games, lectures and all were going on and catching up wasn’t as easy as I thought. My course advisor had to sit me down and made me decide which to go for. I kind of evolved into being an instructor; family and friends tend to ask me to teach them as they know this is what I’m very good at.”
Of course, passion is one of the factors towards undergoing a successful enterprise and Ope-Ajayi was enthusiastic about making a huge impact with one of the least popular sports in Nigeria even as she reckons that swimming is a veritable enterprise.
“I want to expand the business across several locations,”she said after her announcement in Morocco last December as one of the award recipients.“ We will also launch an online water safety instructors training portal and sport advancement programmes in targeted locations.
“This experience has shown that sport businesses in Nigeria can be viable and have the potential to make impact not just in Nigeria but in Africa and around the world.
“Swimming is not only a life-saving skill, it is a tool to build healthy communities, ensure sport advancement and job creation in Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, Ope-Ajayi is of the view that anybody interested in investment on swimming can follow her business model:“ It doesn’t take a lot to start the business of swimming. First, one needs to be trained as a water safety instructor and lifeguard. Once certifications are in place, you can work with a swim school to gain experience before setting up yours.
“Dolphin Swim School is the first swim school in Nigeria that teaches women and children exclusively how to swim with a team of female instructors. We are in three locations and counting in Lagos and in Abuja FCT,” she noted.
