This Tri-Cities swim school taught thousands of kids for 63 years. It’s now closed

A Tri-Cities swim school that has taught thousands of students over multiple generations has closed — at least for now.

Marlin School of Swimming in Richland — that formerly was Chitty’s Swimland for decades — announced this month that it is closing its Richand school this summer after 63 years on Judson Avenue.

“Though we are pressing pause on business as usual for now, in the future we want to continue this legacy by preparing a new location for the future home of Marlin School of Swimming in South Richland where we plan to expand our offerings to even more community and family-focused activities,” said the announcement on the school’s website and Facebook page.

Attempts by the Herald were unsuccessful in reaching the school for more information about its future plans.

The home on Judson is not listed for sale and county records show that it still is owned in trust by family members.

For generations, Tri-Cities children and adults alike had been taught how to swim in the backyard pool in central Richland.

Helen and Howard Chitty — who were both teachers — replaced the lawn at their home with a 20-by-40-foot swimming pool in 1958. They called it Chitty’s Swimland.

A past Herald story said it cost nearly $9,000 to install and was only the third in-ground built in Richland.

Howard Chitty, taught physical education at Carmichael Middle School in Richland and was a longtime coach until he retired in the early 1980s. He died in 2005 at age 79.

Helen Chitty taught art, special education as well as kindergarten before become a substitute teacher and raising her family. She died in 2018 at 91.

In comments on a Herald story about her life, former students remembered doing parent-tot lessons with their babies, taking lessons themselves then their grandchildren taking lessons, diving for pennies as well as fishing for caramels from the bottom of the pool.

“I still smell chlorine for a second, anytime I eat a Kraft caramel,” wrote one reader who said she had lessons in the early 1980s.

Helen and Howard taught swim lessons for decades and their four children also eventually taught lessons as well.

The turned over the reins in 1995 to their daughter, Tamara Chitty-Marlin, who was an award-winning teacher, and remains the owner of the school. Some of Chitty’s grandchildren joined the team and began teaching swim lessons as well.

The National Swim School Association named Chitty-Marlin the national swimming teaching of the year in 1990.

She was one of only 36 recipients nationwide to have received the award, according to a Herald story.