Splashing toward a safer summer

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Youth in the local area are learning how to splash their way to a safer summer.

According to Bridget Keating, through swimming lessons conducted at the Fort Scott Municipal Swimming Pool each summer, area children can learn how to swim and how to stay safe while doing so.

"It (swimming lessons) is very beneficial," Keating said. "We not only teach them how to swim, but we teach them the rules of water safety in general. It's not just about the swimming. It's about staying safe."

At least 250 children are enrolled in the swimming lessons offered at the local pool this summer, according to Keating. The lessons, which last for two weeks for each session, help teach the youth a variety of different skills depending on the level they are enrolled in. According to Keating, there are eight different levels, which range from pre-swim to level seven. The lessons are taught according to the American Red Cross's guidelines, and concentrate on different skills at each level. For instance, for a child to pass level two, he or she must learn to float. In level three, the swim lesson participants learn how to front crawl, back crawl and dive. Keating said as the youth make their way into the upper levels, they are taught more of a conditioning swim, and they begin learning the different swim strokes, such as butterfly stroke, breast stroke and side stroke.

The instructors, who are responsible for teaching the local youth how to swim safely, are one of the reasons the program is so successful, according to Keating.

"What makes it run really well is the instructors," she said. "They do a good job. My instructors are great. The kids love being in the pool, and they (instructors and children) interact well together."

About a week before swimming lessons began, the instructors attended a week-long course taught by Keating in order to learn about strokes, safety procedures and how to properly interact with the children. Keating said she and the instructors do the best job they can to offer area children the best program possible.

"We do the best we can with the facilities we have," she said. "We do everything according to the American Red Cross. They give us everything we need to go over the skills we need to learn."