Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Gabriela Soraggi Matthews
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Ana Gabriela Matthews
Best known as “Coach Gabby”, she is an experienced international swim coach and competitive swimmer. Coach Gabby was proud to return to the Athens Bulldog Swim Club in Athens, Ga to launch the Bulldog Swim School in 2021. Gabby comes from Mission Viejo Nadadores where she started as their Wet Side Manager on July 2019, then promoted to Swim School Director in October 2019-2020. Gabby is also the S.O.M.A. Aquatics USA Founder/CEO/Head Coach which was opened on May 2019. Before that Gabby spent almost 10 years as an Assistant Aquatics Director at Gulliver Schools. Her first 3 years she worked as an Assistant Coach for both Gulliver Schools Varsity Team, and Gulliver Swim Club. In the summer of 2013, Gabby was promoted as Gulliver Schools Assistant Aquatics Director/ Swim School Supervisor. In August of 2016, Gabby was promoted as Assistant Aquatics Director/ Swim School Director. Gabby participated in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as a field of play assistant.
Brazilian born, Gabby’s passion for swimming runs in the family; she is the daughter of former Brazilian National Coach Fernando Soraggi. Gabby is a USA, Red Cross & ASCA level V certified coach. On the coaching side, she has taught swim lessons to all ages and skill levels, from babies to special needs, and to adult swimmers. She has worked as a competitive swim coach for the last 26 years in various US and Brazilian Swim Camps and Clubs, including Soraggi Swimming School, Pinheiros Swim Club, Hebraica Swim Club, Esporte Clube Uniao Suzano, Mogi das Cruzes University, Jack Nelson Swimming Camp, Golden Tigers Swim Club, Gulliver Swim Club, Athens Bulldogs Swim Club at UGA, University of Alabama Swim Camp, and at the University of Hawaii. From 1995 to 2002 at Esporte Clube Uniao Suzano, she assisted Head Coach Sebastiao Alvaro Galdino with the National Group, where swimmers qualified for South American Games, World Championships, and the Olympics Games.
Gabby is the former Head Swim Coach at Brenau University. She reinstated the program that had been deactivated for over 20 years, and recruited quality student/athletes from all over the world (i.e. – Brazil, Croatia, Scotland, Australia, USA, and others). The Brenau University swimmers achieved 2007 – 2010 NAIA Academic All Americans & NAIA Daktronics Academic Awards Winners. Coach Gabby was named the 2010 NAIA Nationals Buffalo Fund Five Star Champions of Character Award Winner. She became the first woman in the history of Brazil to ever coach at the collegiate level. Gabby was also the Golden Tigers Swim Club CEO/ Head Swim Coach and owner, where she administrate the company dealing with bookkeeping, recruiting, scheduling, logistics, and coaching.
Gabby graduated with a PE Bachelors from University of Mogi das Cruzes, SP – Brazil in 2002. The 2002 P.E. class was the first one to ever research and defend a collegiate thesis in the history of UMC. Gabby presented her book, Water adaptation for babies from 5 months to 2 years old earning the highest grade as an honor student. Her book was inducted to the school library where other P.E. students can use as research for their projects. In 2009 Gabby earned her M.S. in Science with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from Brenau University, Gainesville – GA.
As a swimmer, Gabby swam age group from 1987-1995. Gabby was city champion on the 50 free, 100 free, 50 breast, 100 breast, 200 IM, and all relays. She also placed 5th at Georgia Games on the 50 LCM freestyle, Atlanta-GA/CCAC MAKOS Swim Team 1994. Gabby also participated in State Championships Finals, Sao Paulo State/Soraggi & Suzano Swim Team, SP-Brazil. In 1999 – 2002 Gabby swam College Varsity for FMU University Sao Paulo & UMC University Mogi das Cruzes-SP, Brazil. At P.E. College National Games Gabby was 3rd place on the 50 free and 1st place on all relays for 3 consecutive years.
Gabby is happily married to Jarrod Benjamin Matthews since 2006, and has a daughter Athena Soraggi Matthews born in 2013 and a beautiful dog name Lucy Soraggi Matthews born in 2020.
Coach Gabby’s quote: “I believe that with hard work and smart swims, one can achieve personal best results. A swimmer must always exceed their limits in order to reach their desired success.”
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It is not easy to come to a different country and learn another culture and adapt to different ways to view/live life.
Some of the struggles I faced were: language barrier, faith and religion, being homesick all the time (I still miss my homeland every day), treating health conditions with doctors I didn’t grow up knowing, financial struggles with the money exchange for example: the dollar in my country Brazil right now is 1: to 5.5, racism and harassment.
I want people to know that I am very thankful for my struggles. It helped me to develop into a stronger woman and mature in my faith. I also learned how to write, read and apeak fluent spanish while I was a waitress in Athens, Ga back in 2004-2005 at my favorite restaurant Cali & Titos! These sturggles openned a lot of doors for me to develop skills I never knew I had, for example working at the best hair salon in Athens, Ga – Bella Sallon. I can’t thank enough for my former employees for the wonderful opportunity. They have no idea how they impacted my life, how the helped shape me into a strong woman, and how I carry these values and lessons to this day.
I also thank the Lord for allowing me to endure and conquer various challenges because in my faith and beliefs, my Lord’s bible states on 2 Timothy 3-14: “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings-what kinds of things happened to me, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go form bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have graduated with a Bachelors in Physical Education from the University of Mogi das Cruzes, SP – Brazil and have a Masters in Science with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership from Brenau University.
I am also USA Swimming, Red Cross, Aquatic Facility Operator, SwimAmerica Director & ASCA Level V certified coach.
I was named the 2010 NAIA Nationals Buffalo Fund Five Star Champions of Character Award Winner. I became the first woman in the history of Brazil to ever coach at the collegiate level.
I am the founder and responsible for developing and impleting brand new swim school curriculums in 3 different states: Golden Tigers Swim Club & Swim School (Gainesville, Ga), Gulliver Swim School (Coral Gables, FL), my own program SomaAquatics USA (Miami, FL), Mission Viejo Nadadores (Mission Viejo, California) and now our awesome Bulldog Swim School by ABSC (Watkinsville & Athens, Ga).
Though I have coached all levels of swimming, taught in schools, won awards and you would say I am a very well rounded coach, yet my passion is learn-to-swim. Seeing a child go from having fear and anxiety to coming in, jumping in the water, surviving and hugging me saying :” I love you coach Gabby” is my best reward every day! A majory of these children will go on to swim either on their summer leagues or year round swim teams, then middle school and high school, then college and maybe the Olympics one day?! What an awesome thing to testify! Watching adults that had long-term trauma and fear, finally survive by themselves and conquer old fears and anxieties, then to hear they took they dream trip to Jamaica with their loved ones, or did their first masters swim meet or finally got to jump off their boat with their children, it’s just a blessing from God. And that’s why I have been doing this for 30 years now 🙂
I am so thankful for my mentors that first believe in me and gave me an oportunity to grow both personaly and professionally. I was able to be where I am today due to their constant belief in me and guidance: Dad: Fernando Soraggi, Mom: Monica Fisher, Donald Gambril, Jack Nelson, Sebastiao Alvaro Galdino, Marta Hannah, Todd Charles, Harvey Humphries, Jonathan Foggin, Sam Freas, Jentezen Franklin, James Sweeney, Jeff Poppell and Mark Schubert. Thank you! Obrigada!
I believe what sets me apart from others, is that I truly was called by God with a gift to teach/coach swimming. I am energetic, creative, resorceful, very responsible, firm yet loving, dependable and very loyal to my work peers and institutions. I also work as a substitute teacher where I collect new ideas each day from students and teachers of all grades; it’s a great teaching tool to implement in all my programs, and I am very thankful to my school of heart JJ Harris in Clark County for not only alwoing to teach, but also for partnering with me to give swimming scholarships to our students grades K through 5. I am absolutely in love with my profession! It’s a long term relationship and I hope that the Lord gives me the physical and mental health to do it for many years to come until he calls me home.
How do you think about happiness?
Jesus love and grace makes me happy every day! On good days and bad days, his unconditional love lifts me up and I intentionally try to emulate his love, though I often fail because I am a human and a sinner.
1 Corithians 13: 47 (my favorite verse!)
“Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
I use to think that my profession was my identity; it took me years of prayers and reflection because I was Gabby, the swim coach! LOL… Little I knew that God’s plan was to bring me to the US to shape my faith and to introduce me to the love of my life, Jarrod Matthews. He is my best friend, my husband, the father of our miracle child Athena Soraggi Matthews, the manager of our swim school, and the most amazing human I’ve ever met! Our relationship is far from perfect, but we fight on the same team and together we just celebrated, 18 years strong!
I am so happy and blessed to have healthy and an amazing father Fernando Soraggi (81 y/o), an awesome mother Monica Fisher (not saying her age shell get mad, LOL) and best friend, brother and godfather to my daughter, Fernando Soraggi (46 y/o). Yes we are all educators and coach swimming, it’s in our blood!
Oh, I sure love dancing, the beach, movies, hiking, travelong to all places, barbecue, pasta, whiskey, wine, community and family time.
These things make me reeeeealy happy!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.athensbulldogs.com/page/bulldog-swim-school
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bulldogswimschool?igsh=bWd4cmYyYmw1bjI1&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/LNcj1vohfd6h4oJh/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
