Swim Lessons

Youth Swim Lessons

Classes offered for ages 5 and up from beginners to advanced and are taught by YMCA/American Red Cross certified lifeguards.

Skipper Swim Lessons

Classes offered for ages 6 mos. to 5 years and are a Parent/Child program

Lifeguard Certification

Class is offered for age 15 and older for American Red Cross Certification
Class is offered for age 16 and older for YMCA Certification. 
All participants must be able to swim 500 yards and submerge to 12 feet to be registered in class.

Developmental and Student Centered Approach to Teaching Swimming Skills

All swimming lessons are under the watchful eye of our YMCA Swimming Instructors

Each class offers five components

1. Personal Safety – Every student participating in our program needs to become safety conscious around water
2. Personal Growth – Our classes are structured and conducted so that each person improves his/her own self-esteem.
3. Stroke Development – Becoming a good swimmer takes time and practice. Students are encouraged to build endurance, perfect strokes and set goals to move on to the next level.
4. Water Games and Sports – Games can promote wonderful opportunities to use skills in new and different ways and create "teachable moments" for real-life situations.
5. Rescue – With proper training, even young children can perform basic, non-swimming rescues and perform simple aquatic emergency care.
    

Level Descriptions

1. Polliwog - Orientates swimmers to the water teaching water safety and use of PFD's. Swimmer learns to float on front and back, recover, boating safety, front, back and side paddle, submersion skills, ball dribbling and danger recognition.
2. Guppy - Students learn about diving safety, treading, increase knowledge of PFD's, front & back alternating paddle stroke, rudimentary breathing, front & back somersault, swim to the surface, equalize pressure, jump into pool from one meter board, dribble, pass, and shoot the ball, rescue techniques and rescue breathing.
3. Minnow - Increase diving safety techniques, boating safety, treading water, endurance increased while swimming 25 yards (front crawl, backstroke, sidestroke, breaststroke), boat capsizes, swim with clothes on, shallow-water blackouts, self-discipline and goals, rotary breathing, synchronized skills, and Heimlich Maneuver.
4. Fish - Skin diving safety, currents, increase endurance in swimming skills, sun safety, leg cramps, teamwork, advanced water sports, refine strokes, open turns, paired synchronized swim, wet ball, preventing accidents and basic First Aid.
5. Flying Fish - Backyard pool safety, water park safety, healthy lifestyles, adventure & risk concepts, endurance and refining of all strokes, synchronized movements, increase endurance ball handling, rotary kick, flip turns and refine rescue breathing techniques.
6. Shark - Safety for tubing & rafting, open water, rough water, starts and turns, learn inverted breast stroke, refine stroke for individual medley (IM), group routine for synchronized swim, 5 minute wet ball game in deep water, ice rescues, First Aid for heat/cold disorders, review rescue breathing.
7. Porpoise - Increase leg strength, enter boat from deep water, disrobe and inflate clothing, leadership, problem-solving, increase speed of strokes, 200 IM, synchronized swim routine, hyperventilation, carry 10 object & swim 15 yards, perform stride entry and review the steps of rescue breathing and First Aid.
    

Our Philosophy

• Build a foundation for lifelong appreciation of aquatic sports and activities.
• Incorporate character development.
• Provide education for students and parents.
• Increase understanding of how and why we can swim.
• Increase safety awareness for participants and parents.
• Provide family activities that reinforce learning from class.
• Increase boating safety awareness.
• Ensure the students safety.

For more information on our classes see our online reservation page or please call the Community Recreation Center at 406-727-6099 or the Park and Recreation Office at 771-1265.