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March 23, 2026
SISTER BAY – Rachel Stollenwerk said it became clear during the COVID-19 pandemic that northern Door County needed more opportunities for swim instruction.
When a local YMCA temporarily closed due to the pandemic in 2020-21, Stollenwerk said families sought her out, having known her from her previous role as a swim instructor there.
“They were getting somewhat desperate, asking, ‘Can you please teach my kids how to swim?’” she said.
Though she didn’t have a short-term solution at first, Stollenwerk said she agreed to help.
A solution, she said, soon emerged when area hotels allowed her to use their pools for small-group lessons during the slower off-season months of January and February.
“So, I was in different places, wherever they would take me,” she said. “I started with 18 kids in 2021, and by 2025, I had about 100 kids a week.”
Stollenwerk said growth was organic, reigniting her love for teaching after stepping away for a time.
“I really love working with all ages,” she said.
Recognizing that demand would continue to grow and that moving from hotel to hotel was unsustainable, Stollenwerk said she decided it was time to pursue a longer-term vision for swim instruction in the area.
“We started the planning process for an aquatic facility in Sister Bay in the fall of 2023, purchasing property,” she said. “Construction of the Peninsula Aquatics Center began in March of last year, and we officially opened in January.”
Three phases
Stollenwerk said a $250,000 Community Development grant administered by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation gave her vision a major boost, helping complete the first phase of the three-phase project.
Right now, she said the aquatics center features two, identical 15-feet-by-15-feet pools for small group instruction, individual lessons and rehabilitation services.
“We utilize dual-propulsion endless pool technology from the Endless Pool Company,” she said. “Each pool has two swim currents. You turn it on, and it pushes the water, allowing you to swim in place. It can be set at different speeds for different fitness and skill levels or other needs.”
Stollenwerk said one of the pools is set at about 88 degrees for use as a therapy pool.
One of them, she said, also has underwater treadmills that can be used with or without the swim current.
“That’s also a nice temperature for lessons, especially for the younger kids in the pool,” she said. “Our other pool is set at about 82 degrees for people who want to get their heart rate up for a workout or if they are in training.”
Stollenwerk said the 3,600-square-foot facility also has a sauna.
The aquatic center’s other two phases, she said, will begin once funding becomes available.
“Our goal is to accommodate more aquatic needs, so our second phase will feature an outdoor lap pool and splash pad,” she said. “The third phase will make our indoor space more multi-purpose with an indoor lap pool and an area for kids.”
Stollenwerk said the new facility is already attracting adults as well as youth, with people coming to swim, train or recover from injuries.
Just keep swimming
Stollenwerk said swimming has always played a major role throughout her life.
“I have a background in competitive swimming,” she said. “I have competed since I was a child. I have also coached different youth teams in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.”
Stollenwerk said she and her husband, Dan, moved to Door County in 2019 to assume ownership of Edge of Park Rentals, a bike and moped rental business in Fish Creek.
The shop, she said, is located at the entrance to Peninsula State Park and has operated in Door County since 1968.
Though she grew up in Elmhurst, Illinois, Stollenwerk said she used to work there during the summer when she was younger.
Her background in swimming, she said, eventually led to her teaching some classes at the local Y.
Now, Stollenwerk said she’s using that expertise to focus on youth-focused services at Peninsula Aquatics Center.
Other facilities in the area, she said, focus more on an older population, which makes sense given the overall demographics of the county.
“The other nearest facility for northern Door families is in Surgeon Bay, which, for many of the families up here, is up to 45 minutes away,” she said. “So, I think having this facility is really helping to offset that challenge for parents and support all different.”
Stollenwerk said despite living on a peninsula surrounded by water, northern Door County has offered limited access to swim instruction, even as the importance of swimming is widely acknowledged.
That is changing, she said, as younger, year-round residents and families boost demand for lessons.
“I think what has spurred a lot of the relocation here for families is the ability to work remotely,” she said. “It has greatly increased our accessibility to a lot more people. I think once people moved up here, they found out they liked it and didn’t really want to go back to the cities. Also, besides the tourism industry, we have our school districts, we have our hospital system and some other bigger employers.”
Stollenwerk said there is often a misconception that Door County’s only full-time residents are retirees.
“When I tell people I have more than 100 kids coming in, they’re shocked that even 100 kids are living here,” she said. “But there are plenty of kids. Our families kind of hide under the radar, because our tourism industry is so big and prominent.”
A variety of opportunities
Stollenwerk said lessons at the Peninsula Aquatics Center currently serve children ages three to 12, with plans to add competitive swimming opportunities for older kids.
Now open for a handful of months, she said the new facility is a welcome change from bouncing around from one hotel pool to another.
“I know families [I’ve been working with] are excited for this,” she said.
Stollenwerk said she is also meeting many new families interested in joining, with some now driving from Sturgeon Bay to attend classes.
“I feel good about providing the kind of quality instruction that moves people to take time out of their week and come up here,” she said.
More information about the new Peninsula Aquatics Center is available at swimatpac.com.
Supporting youth athletes
Stollenwerk said the Peninsula Aquatics Center isn’t her first effort to support youth athletics.
A few years ago, she said she launched a triathlon club for young athletes that includes a youth team for ages six to 10 and a junior team for ages 11 to 15.
“We have about 45 kids who participate in the program,” she said. “We want to give kids more athletic opportunities in the multi-sport or what some people call the silent sport realm.”
Stollenwerk said the youth triathlon club participates in the Door County Triathlon’s youth race.
“We wanted to organize something to help kids train for it, because there was an interest, but there really weren’t any training opportunities for them,” she said.
Stollenwerk said adult participants of the Door County Triathlon – which was ranked the No. 1 triathlon in the country by USA Today in 2023 – have also appreciated having access to the Peninsula Aquatics Center.
In addition to swimming lessons and therapy sessions, she said the aquatic center is open to members of the public who want to reserve swim time.
