Swim Lessons

Parent/caregiver participation required. This class is about water discovery, fun and basic safety skills. Songs and games will be used to engage in kicking, splashing, blowing bubbles and back floating. Children of all ages are welcome. Lessons are 25 minutes for 6 weeks. **This class is recommended for children under 3, but can be appropriate for older children who have experienced a water trauma and would benefit from having a caregiver with them in class.

For children age 3-8 who are not comfortable with their face wet or leaving the side of the pool without assistance. Students will practice safety skills such as floating, bobs and climbing in and out of the pool. They will also work towards swimming independently with their face wet and jumping into deep water unassisted. Lessons are 25 minutes for 6 weeks. Children older than 8 should be automatically started at Stroke Development Level 1.

For children who are comfortable getting their face wet, fully submerging under water and can push off the wall independently. Students will work on freestyle and elementary backstroke with an emphasis on arm technique, kicking, and breathing without stopping. If your child is not ready to swim away from the wall of the pool independently, please enroll them in our Intro to Swim class. Lessons are 25 minutes for 6 weeks. Children older than 9 should be automatically started at Stroke Development Level 2.

For children who are comfortable underwater, can swim 10-20 feet without assistance. Students will review freestyle and backstroke with an emphasis on proper streamline, side-breathing and backstroke arms. If your child is not able to swim past the flags (15 feet) please enroll them in Stroke Development Level 1. Lessons are 25 minutes for 6 weeks. Children older than 12 can enroll in our Teen and Adult classes.

For children who can swim a full length of the pool unassisted. Students will learn breaststroke and review freestyle and backstroke forms for improvement. Treading water and introductory diving practice will also be taught. Students that cannot swim full laps or in the deep end of the pool should enroll in Stroke Development Level 2. Lessons are 25 minutes for 6 weeks. Children older than 12 can enroll in our Teen and Adult classes.

For children who can swim the entire pool length and back without stops. Students will review freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and diving for proper technique before beginning to learn butterfly and flip turns. Students that cannot swim breaststroke already should enroll in Stroke Development Level 3. Lessons are 25 minutes for 6 weeks.

Swim Team Prep:
For swimmers who can swim freestyle and backstroke proficiently as well as full laps of breaststroke and butterfly. If the swimmer cannot swim all 4 strokes already, they will be asked to move to an appropriate Stroke Development class. Students will focus on improving stroke technique along with diving and flip turns. This class will be run like a swim league practice with drills, laps and outside-of-water instruction. Participation is not a guarantee that a swimmer will be eligible to join a year-round competitive swim team. Lessons are 60 minutes and will be taught in the Main pool of the Swim Center.

Swim Team Clinic:
For swimmers who have taken Swim Team Prep or done Summer Swim Team, can dive safely in shallow water and swim all 4 strokes to some degree. Students will focus on improving technique, speed, and endurance, as well as racing dives, flip turns and open turns. This class will be run like a swim league practice with drills, laps and outside-of-water instruction/coaching from the pool deck. Participation is not a guarantee that a swimmer will be eligible to join a year-round competitive swim team. Please note, lessons are 60 minutes and will be taught in the Program pool which is colder that the main pool.

Adult and Teen Beginner

For swimmers who are not comfortable in water deeper than standing depth. Lessons are tailored to the participants of each class with an emphasis on safety skills, floating, treading, and improving stroke technique. Lessons are 25 minutes for 6 weeks.

Adult and Teen Stroke Development

For swimmers who can already swim at least 10-20 feet without stopping and want to improve technique and gain confidence in deep water situations. Lessons are tailored to the participants of each class. Lessons are 25 minutes for 6 weeks.

For interest in Advanced Adult stroke development, please look at our Masters program or consider enrolling with one of our Personal Swim Training coaches.

Junior Guard Prep

The Junior Guard program is an opportunity for children 12-14 to learn the skills, techniques and practices of actual lifeguards. Through games and drills, we will demonstrate many of the whys and hows of lifeguarding while preparing them to pass the water-screening test required for all lifeguards. Participants will receive instruction in a number of lifeguarding skills including water safety, public relations, facility operations, first aid and introduction to CPR in addition to practicing basic surface level rescues. *This class will not offer CPR certification.

Lifeguard Prep

Lifeguard Prep is a 1-day training program to develop the swim skills necessary to successfully pass the lifeguard water screening required to apply to work as a lifeguard. To participate, you must be 14 years and 11 months and able to swim across the entire pool without stopping. We will work with you to improve your swim efficiency, treading, and the feet-first surface dive used in the water screening. To provide the best training experience, class sizes are limited. This class will be offered throughout the lifeguard hiring season and can be repeated as necessary.

This class is a two-part clinic to enable parents/guardians to learn more about how to work on water safety skills in their own time and at their own pace. Private instruction can be costly, and challenging for swimmers who need to also develop a relationship with their instructor. We want to empower guardians of anyone who might need extra help on their journey to water safety. This class will be offered on Wednesday evenings at the Columbia Athletic Club – childcare will be available at the KidSpace on site.

• Part 1 is Adults only. This portion will work on the skills of the trainer-to-be, how to model skills, how to hold the student and how to discuss the skills involved. Childcare will be available at KidSpace, located upstairs by the main entrance. Class sized will be limited and please arrive early to handle check in and locate the pool (downstairs) if you have not been there before.
• Part 2 is with your swimmer, to test out the skills you have learned in part one but with guidance and assistance from our staff available to assist, demonstrate and answer questions as they arise. We hope this class will create space for families that otherwise struggle within a traditional swim lesson model and the financial burden of private instruction.

For swimmers who have taken Swim Team Prep or participated in a swim team, summer or year-round. Participants will be expected to swim regular sets of 100 yards (across the pool 4 times). This class is intended for swimmers who are interested in maintaining their swim skills or hoping to build endurance while improving technique. This class will be run like a swim league practice with coaches out of water and instruction from the pool deck. Lessons are 60 minutes and will run for 4 consecutive weeks except when following HCPSS school closures limit us to 3 weeks in December and April. Participation is not a guarantee that a swimmer will be eligible to join a year-round competitive swim team.

For swimmers of all ages. Lessons are tailored based on each individual’s age and goals. You are welcome to sign up for multiple time slots if you prefer 30 minutes of instruction but also note that 15 minutes of intense direct instruction can be enough for our younger participants. Lessons run for 6 weeks.