Swim lessons: Staying afloat for a lifetime

Summer heat and swimming go hand in hand. Many parents enjoy taking their children to local pools to while away summer days. Before taking your young child swimming, it is important to adequately prepare them for the water.

Anita Vigil, program supervisor for the Abilene Recreation and Senior Services who taught lifeguarding for five years, said children should begin acclimating to the water as young as possible, even as early as 1 year.

Vigil said children don’t have to be proficient in swim strokes. It more important for the child, she said, to initially learn water safety and to be comfortable in and around water. There are other places with water besides pools. For example, on vacation, families want to be comfortable at the beach. Knowing safety guidelines can make a vacation more relaxing around water.

Some safety guidelines children should learn early are to be aware of slippery decks around pools, no running near the pool and glass containers are off-limits near water. So many signs come with written rules accompanied by pictures. Children can learn these symbols from an early age.

Jenna Purkey, head swim coach for the club swim team the Abilene Tidal Wave, agrees parents should expose their children to water early on to create a positive attitude about swimming. Purkey said there is no reason to not learn to swim.

“You can’t die from lack of piano lessons, but you can die from lack of swim lessons,” Purkey said.

Purkey said swimming is a total body workout with low impact on the joints. There is a low risk of injury, which is especially important for seniors. One of Purkey’s fondest memories was watching a 72-year-old woman swim the mile.

“It took her 45 minutes, but she did it,” Purkey said.

Lorraine Wilson, who co-owns The Dive Spot, Inc. with her husband J., said a common question she hears is “When should my child begin swimming lessons?”

Wilson sand her business, which offers swimming and scuba diving lessons, has its instructors follow American Red Cross curriculum guidelines, which state children as young as six months may begin lessons.

While Wilson prefers to begin at nine months, she said her staff is willing to teach younger babies according to ARC guidelines.

When parents are shopping around for lessons, there are several important things to look for in an instructor. Class size is important for children to receive maximum benefit. Wilson’s classes for babies are limited to no more than four per class. Parents are required to take classes with their child up to age 3. The benefit to a parent learning simultaneously is that when they take their child to a pool, they also have been trained to work with their child safely.

Swim instructors should emphasize the following as swimming goals: body position for streamlining, breathing and techniques for arm and leg movement.

Some parents feel that if their child can tread water, dive off the board, swim to the wall and play safely in water that they are fully prepared. Wilson emphasizes that spring is the least safe time for swimmers. Even if your child has had the best instructor, they haven’t been in the water all winter and they are out of the swimming mode. Some children overestimate their abilities. Wilson said all swimmers must reacclimatize to the water.

Wilson emphasizes that there is no reason for people not to learn, unless a person has been medically advised otherwise. Virtually any swim lesson can be adapted for those with physical limitations.

Swimming helps conditions such as fibromyalgia and arthritis. Wilson said swimming is a total body exercise, it’s easy on the joints and is excellent for cardiovascular conditioning. Many women do not have upper body strength. Swimming can help them tone arms, build muscle and strengthen the upper body.

Finally, Wilson points out that swimming is a life sport. Once a child is a swimmer, they will remain a swimmer.