Ivana, how did you approach the world of swimming?
«I always answer“ being born in the water ”, in fact my family is of Dalmatian origins, so we grew up in contact with the sea. My mother was Olympic champion and my father European water polo champion; as a result, we children were raised by the pool and we all practiced swimming at a competitive level ».
Specifically, what goals have you reached?
«Until about ten years ago I was competing for the Swiss national team, with which I also achieved a Swiss record and participated in great competitions. A path that then led me to get on the podium at the world and European master swimming championships, obtaining first place in both ».
Practicing a sport and teaching it, however, are two different things ...
«With Swiss Olympic I followed the entire training path to become a coach, also doing an internship in the national team as assistant coach for the junior Europeans. In previous years I was already helping my mother during the summer swimming lessons. Once my competitive career was over, I did not abandon my passion for sport, I worked for the Confederation at the Tenero Sports Center, where I helped young elite athletes to combine their studies with their sporting commitments ».
How did the idea of opening Mantapool come about?
«I did a three-year training as a mental coach and I realized even more how important it was to find a balance between your body and your mind. Hence the philosophy of the new swimming pool: an elegant and serene place where you can spread tranquility, like a manta ray (our logo) swimming in the ocean. So the main idea is that the people who come are comfortable doing the activity they have chosen; the keywords are well-being, tranquility, attention and quality ».
How is this new project different?
«What we feel we can offer to customers, being such a particular place, in a context like that of Palazzo Mantegazza, on the 2nd floor, in via Riva Paradiso 2, it is a matter of focusing a lot on quality rather than quantity. The courses in fact take place in small groups followed by qualified and certified monitors who can really give their best. People are followed so that everyone can achieve their goals, a bit as if everyone had their own trainer. All while remaining within a very competitive price range ».
What services do you offer?
«The range of services starts at the base of aquafitness courses, or disciplines such as the base of aquafit, hydrobike, cirquit and iron mix. These disciplines, with different intensities, are aimed, for example, at firming the body and draining liquids through aerobic work. Then we have private lessons, which can be classic swimming, but also one of our courses, for both children and adults. Another service is pool access, by purchasing a free admission. Another peculiarity is coaching: in fact, we consider it very important that when we teach, we can also leave something on a human level. Finally, there are special events, for example if a company is interested in doing a team building activity, it can book a course that is prepared ad hoc for the occasion. For more specific information and updates we have also opened one Instagram page "manta pool"».
Finally, what are the benefits of water sports?
«Water is a particular environment; in fact it is suitable for practically everyone, starting from the child who wants to learn to swim, from young children who want to do physical preparation, reaching to touch injured people or elderly people who can no longer have a high intensity in the activity and in the water can lower this tension. I would like to dispel the myth that “in the water you get bored”, for all age groups it can be fun and very stimulating ».
