Swimming Lessons Save Lives

When it comes to adults who never learned to swim, you have the determined and the frightened. Some people are both. Some are swimming a special three-nights-in-a-row series at Heather Farm Park this week. Volunteers from Walnut Creek Masters are teaching them to lean into the water and kick hard to move their hips up in the water and be more buoyant. The following news release came from the active Walnut Creek masters.

From Walnut Creek Masters:

Kelly Siu grew up without the opportunity to go to any pools or live near any lakes or rivers.

“Therefore, at age 40, I still wanted to learn how to swim as part of my bucket list,” she said.

She’ll be joined by a 70-year-old who almost drowned and therefore never used the pools she owned in two residences and a 45-year-old who has taken countless traditional lessons but could never get the breathing down.

These and umpteen other adults are learning to swim this week with volunteers from Walnut Creek Masters, a 30-year-old adult fitness swimming club headed by award-winning coach Kerry O’Brien. While watching “traditional” lessons at Heather Farm Pool, O’Brien observed that instructors placing an emphasis on breathing right away – instead of making skittish adults comfortable in the water first – just had students sputtering water and frustrated.

His approach will be tested on a one-to-one teacher-to-student ratio on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday  when 15 students are taught by members of the Masters – all volunteers. When the team put out the offer of free lessons to Walnut Creek residents through the city newsletter The Nutshell, 45 responded – showing the great need of adults who don’t know how to swim.

For a look at the trend, see this feature by the Wall Street Journal online. An estimated 37 percent of US adults can’t swim 24 yards.