The Upper Valley, with its myriad rivers, ponds and lakes — not to mention swimming pools — offers plenty of opportunities to love to take a dip on a hot day.
But there also opportunities for those who are still getting their feet wet.
Organizations, including the Upper Valley Aquatic Center in White River Junction, offer swim lessons to children beginning in their infancy — the idea is that the earlier you introduce young ones to water, the safer and more comfortable they will be.
As part of that effort, UVAC will once again be participating in World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, a worldwide event next week sponsored by the nonprofit organization World Waterpark Association as a way to promote the importance of teaching children to swim. Beginning at 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 20, UVAC will offer free swimming lessons to children of all ages. And while World’s Largest Swimming Lesson focuses on children, UVAC is expanding on the idea by also offering free lessons to adults. Registration is required for lessons.
“One of the first things children need is a combination of comfort in the water and respect for the water,” Karen Cox, UVAC swim school director. “Learning to swim is key to being safe.”
Parental involvement, especially at a young age, is something Cox advocates for strongly. UVAC offers “Parent & Me” classes, which are for children ages 6-35 months old.
“I tell parents all the time that a lot of exposure is the key to being good in the water, and formal lessons when they can,” Cox said. “I do notice a difference with children who have a chance to work with us when they’re in that formative child stage.”
Diana Kiefer, of Hartford, enrolled her two sons in swimming lessons when they were each around 9 months old. Ian, now 9½ , took to the water right away, while Evan, now 7¾, was a little more hesitant.
“He was afraid of the water,” Kiefer recalled. She would sit with Evan in UVAC’s kiddie pool where “he would cling to me for life.”
But persistent exposure paid off for Evan.
“Little by little, in his own time, he would be comfortable in the water,” Kiefer said. “And now he’s like a fish.”
In addition to teaching safety, learning to swim taught Kiefer’s boys something else: confidence.
“It’s a sense of independence and accomplishment,” she said. “It’s good for their self-esteem.”
Ian is now in his second year on UVAC’s swim team, and the family goes swimming regularly.
“(Children are) so proud of themselves when they learn how to swim,” Kiefer said. “They’re proud to show you what they’ve learned.”
While it’s often harder for adults to learn to swim than children, it can be done.
“It’s a challenging journey for an adult, and I really applaud the folks who have done it,” Cox said. “We have some great success stories and it’s fantastic.”
One of those success stories is Shriram Jagannathan, of Lebanon, who started taking swim lessons at UVAC in his late 20s.
“I always had a fear because of a childhood drowning incident, and I was very skeptical of taking lessons,” he said.
Jagannathan started by taking an individual lesson before joining group classes, which helped him connect with other adults who were facing the same challenges.
“The first challenge is trying to accept the fear and want to overcome it,” Jagannathan said. “The second step is believing in yourself and going on.”
Throughout a year’s worth of group lessons, Jagannathan became more comfortable in the water, and his fear subsided.
To Cox, the real joy — with adults and children alike — is seeing them play in the water.
“That’s the beauty of it,” Cox said.
Editor’s note: The Hartford Fire Department also will be on hand for the event, and children will have an opportunity to interact with firetrucks. For more information or to register by June 18, visit https://uvacswim.org/news/worlds-largest-swimming-lesson/. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
