- April 19, 2024
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There was time for fun during the lesson.
Instructor Danielle Smithgall helps Ahja Gadson with her life jacket. Photos by Wayne Grant
The kids eagerly participated when asked to kick their feet.
Floating was part of the lesson.
The children lined the pool.
The Ormond Beach YMCA swimming pool was filled with the happy voices of children on June 24 as they took part in the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson. There were plenty of staff members on-hand as 86 kids, mostly from the YMCA Summer Day Camp, learned some basic lessons to help them be safer near the water.
It was the world’s largest because lessons were also taking place at 500 locations in 20 countries. In 2015, there were 38,170 participants.
The Ormond Beach pool was an official site for the annual event, which seeks to bring attention to the need for children to learn to swim. Drowning remains the leading cause of unintended injury-related death for children ages 1-4, and the second leading cause of accidental death for children under 14, according to a YMCA press release. Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children aged 1 to 4, yet many kids do not receive formal swimming or water safety training.
Ginni Hiers, district aquatic director for the YMCA, said the goal for the 30-minute session was to show some basic steps for safety around water, including how to enter the water, getting the face wet and floating.
