FINS Swim School CEO Liam Goudeket said swimming is a life skill that should be taught to children at a young age to avoid accidents. It’s also a skill that requires consistent practice to prevent regression.

“Drowning is the number one cause of accidental death for children under 5, so we saw a need in the community and an opportunity as a business,” he said.

Founded by his parents Bill and Kathy Goudeket in 2000, FINS Swim School has grown from a single location in Spring to seven locations across the north Houston area.

The inspiration

Liam Goudeket traces his passion for swimming back to his childhood, inspired by his father who was a former college swimmer. He, along with his sisters, joined in the family sport by forming a swim team of their own as children and following in their father’s footsteps.


Liam Goudeket further immersed himself in the sport in 1997 by giving swim lessons to neighborhood kids in the Tomball area where he grew up.
Prior to opening FINS Swim School, Liam Goudeket said his parents Bill and Kathy Goudeket taught swim lessons at an outdoor pool in 1998 before purchasing the building where JCOSA was. (Courtesy FINS Swim School)
Prior to opening FINS Swim School, Liam Goudeket said his parents Bill and Kathy Goudeket taught swim lessons at an outdoor pool in 1998 before purchasing the building where JCOSA was. (Courtesy FINS Swim School)
FINS Swim School came about after Liam Goudeket’s parents at a swim convention met the former owner of JCOSA, George Campbell's Olympic swimming academy, who sold the swim school to them. They went on to rename the business with a concept focused on safety.

After wearing several hats at his parents' business and years of dedication, Liam Goudeket took over as CEO of FINS Swim School in 2024.

Diving in deeper

FINS Swim School offers a guarantee that students will move up a level after five lessons.
At FINS Swim School instructors are required to pass a background check and go through an extensive interview process. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
Instructors are required to pass a background check and go through an extensive interview process. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
Lessons range from $27-$38 each. Though Liam Goudeket said the most effective age to learn to swim is from 18-24 months, swimming is a skill that can be taught at any age.


“The most important thing is going to be water safety,” Liam Goudeket said. “[Swimming] is a life skill, unlike any other activity that a child might learn.”
  • 7827 Spring Cypress Road, Spring
  • 3707 College Park Drive, Conroe
  • 6900 FM 1960, Humble
  • 16634 House & Hahl Road, Cypress
  • 4161 Riley Fuzzel Road, Spring
  • 30340 FM 2978, The Woodlands
  • 14654 Spring Cypress Road, Cypress
  • www.swimatfins.com