Mmmm… few things in life rival the feeling of weightlessness, of flowing smoothly through clear, crisp water of a swimming pool, or the sensation of ocean waves rolling over you as you paddle in the surf of a warm sea.
Swimmers already know these pleasures and the many benefits of swimming, but millions of people have never learned to swim. Children who never learned to swim often grow up to develop a fear of water and therefore never know the divine pleasure of this multifaceted sport. In this month’s cover story, we’ll tell you how to choose your own perfect swimming hole and how to get your feet wet if you’re just getting started.
Swim your heart out
The benefits of swimming are many – it gives your whole body a work out. Muscle strength, endurance, cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility and posture are improved at the same time. Your cardiovascular system gets the best boost, as the body’s use of oxygen improves when swimming without overworking the heart.
The more fit you become and the longer you are able to swim, your body begins to respond -- resting heart and respiratory rates are reduced, resulting in more efficient blood flow to heart and lungs. Losing weight and swimming go hand in hand as swimmers burn as many calories hourly as runners who run six miles per hour, but without the sometimes damaging results of high impact exercise. Swimming is like the Mary Poppins of exercise – practically perfect in every way except for one thing…. not everyone has a pool in their backyard. So where do you go to swim?
Where’s the water?
Some people have trouble locating a place to swim laps and enjoy water aerobics. When you look up swimming in the phone book, you’ll find tons of listings – for pool manufacturers and pool supply companies, that is. You can look up “swimming instruction” and subsections entitled “swimming pools – private” and “swimming pools – public” but unless you belong to a country club or have your own pool, the best places to start are local gyms, fitness outlets and community organizations. The YMCA and the Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Department are great places to begin you search for the perfect pool.
Of the 18 YMCA branches, many have pools ranging from four to eight lanes and operating hours start in the early morning and continue until late in the evening. The YMCA’s charge a higher monthly fee because they offer significant additional exercise opportunities, equipment and locker rooms.
The following YMCA branches have pools:
Dowd
Harris
Johnston
Lake Norman
Lowe’s (Mooresville area)
Simmons
Siskey
University
Uptown.
Both the Harris YMCA and the Siskey YMCA have masters programs which cater to the 18 and over crowd. All telephone numbers are listed in the business section of the white pages under YMCA of Greater Charlotte and online.
The primary pool operated by the County Park & Recreation Department, known as MCAC (Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center) is located at 800 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (corner of MLK, Jr. Blvd & South McDowell Street). It provides eight lanes when set up as a 50 meter course (length) part of two days per week, or 22 lanes when its set up as a 25 yard course the remainder of the time. There is also a shallow warm water pool with four lanes, one of which is ramped, where children and adults can receive elementary swim instruction or just swim as they wish. The Aquatic Center opens at 5:30am and closes at 9:00pm five days a week. For specific information, call the Aquatic Center at 704-336-DIVE [336-3483] and push 0 when the prompts come up to be connected to the front desk for more information.
Numerous age group programs are available in Charlotte which typically accept children from six years up to high school seniors. The Mecklenburg Aquatic Club has a 50 meter by 25 yard pool at the Charlotte Latin School campus in south Charlotte plus the use of another 50 meter pool x 25 yard pool in the Huntersville area. Call (704) 847-5335 for more information on these programs information. And, there are many neighborhood swim clubs which are open in the summer months for people who live in those places. If you’re over 18 and find that you like the water, consider joining the nation’s biggest adult fitness swimming group - United States Masters Swimming (log onto USMS.org for information.) The annual cost in North Carolina is just $35.00.
Kids and swimming… get the facts!
There is no doubt that every child should learn to swim. But when is it too early? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that formal swimming lessons not begin until age four which is when they believe children have developed enough to learn to swim. However younger children can be trained to enjoy the water as well. Aquatic programs for infants and toddlers are wildly popular with parents and kids and are a good start before formal swim lessons. This also benefits parents because they, too, need to properly learn how to be safe around water.
It’s important to note that these types of programs do not decrease a child's risk of drowning – and nothing can substitute for adult supervision. Experts agree on the following:
Starting swim lessons early is unlikely to help children learn to swim faster.
Drowning rates are the highest among children who are one through two years of age. Swim lessons do not 'drown-proof' younger kids.
Children should constantly be supervised in water, whether they know how to swim or not.
Even with floaties or life vests, always practice 'touch supervision', which the American Academy of Pediatrics describes as a caregiver being 'within an arm's reach or able to touch the swimmer at all times.'
Finding swim lessons in your community
The American Red Cross is a great resource for Learn-to-Swim classes. These classes provide instruction for swimmers of all ages and abilities and include:
- Water Entry and Exit
- Breath Control and Underwater Swimming
- Buoyancy
- Changing Direction and Position
- Treading
- Swimming on Front, Back and Side
- General and Personal Water Safety
- Helping Others
There are six learn-to-swim levels:
Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills: helps students feel comfortable in the water and to enjoy the water safely.
Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills: gives students success with fundamental skills.
Level 3: Stroke Development: builds on the skills in Level 2 by providing additional guided practice.
Level 4: Stroke Improvement: develops confidence in the strokes learned and to improve other aquatic skills.
Level 5: Stroke Refinement: provides further coordination and refinement of strokes.
Level 6: Swimming and Skill Proficiency: refines the strokes so students swim them with ease, efficiency, power and smoothness over greater distances. Level 6 is designed with "menu" options. Each of these options focus on preparing students to participate in more advance courses, such as Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard Training. These options include
1) Personal Water Safety
2) Lifeguard Readiness
3) Fundamentals of Diving
4) Fitness Swimming
Start getting ready for swimming this summer right now, so when the warm weather comes around, you’ll be ready to dive in!
-- Edited by Kelly Gray |
