By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Galveston County has more water than land mass, which makes swimming an essential life skill. What could be more fun in the summer heat than swimming lessons in cool water with your teacher wearing a traditional, lifeguard red swimsuit?
Taking swimming lessons in the summertime has become a tradition in Galveston County that fills the summertime blues along with building water safe children who grow up to become water safe adults.
“I have a great fear of one of my children drowning and so both are in lessons. I want to be sure they are fully able to swim and be safe in the water,” said the mother of 6-year-old Cole.
Cole is a very strong swimmer and was only able to distract his teacher, Lillyah Erickson, once from her swimming lessons as he shared about his grandpa and the new puppies. This is Erickson’s first year as a swimming teacher.
Astrid Bhagwandin a graduate from Clear Creek High School has been teaching swimming lessons for several years. “I look forward to coming to work at the pool. We are all friends here,” said Bhagwandin. Her students are responsive to her instruction as they focus on technique in her advanced class.
Thea Charvat echoes the other teachers in agreement that the swimming pool is staffed by people who she has come to trust and considers her friends.
The only male teacher, Chris Creedon, enjoys watching the students and their perspective as they progress with their learning.
Grace Delboccio is the pool manager at Walker Street Municipal Pool in League City and has been involved in aquatics as a lifeguard and teacher for six years. “Learning how to swim is all about building muscle memory and getting used to the movements,” said Delboccio.
“Our parent-taught class is one of our most popular classes,” said Delboccio. The parent-taught class is for infants six months and up, and the parents are in the pool with their young ones helping them acclimate to the water.
Swimming lessons at WSMP are available from the ages of three years old up to adulthood. Class size is limited to no more than 20. Lessons begin with very basic skills such as teaching students to submerge their heads into the water, open their eyes and blow bubbles.
Within the first two weeks, students begin learning basic swimming strokes with an emphasis on becoming water safe. Each session of lessons is two weeks and students can continue to move through the curriculum with additional sessions.
Classes are divided into beginning, intermediate and advanced. As a student progresses through their program, their teachers begin to focus on developing the swimmer’s skills. There is a fee for lessons.
One 12-year-old smiled as she shared how much she loves swimming and has been taking lessons for three years.
A father enjoys brining his son to swim lessons. “This is something for the kids to do in the summer and you can never be too safe in the water,” he said. His son has been taking swimming lessons since he was nine months old.
Swimming lessons haven’t changed much over the decades. Even with smartphone apps, you still must get in the water, get wet and follow the teacher’s instructions to learn how to swim.
Lessons for each class are scattered throughout the pool.
Kids clinging to the walls of the pool while the teacher calls out a student who swims toward the teacher and a lifeguard watching over the children on the wall is part of the summer tradition. Teachers guiding students as a child begins to learn the backstroke is another familiar sight.
One thing that has changed is the requirement of parente to remain at the swimming pools during a lesson. “We don’t allow children in for lessons without their parent or guardian being in the pool area,” explained Delboccio.
Teachers using encouraging words, such as “good job buddy,” and “you got it, keep going, I know you can do it” along with tossing floating objects out for the swimmers to retrieve makes up part of the fun of swimming lessons.
Splashing around in the water and hanging out with other kids without worries about getting a report card, add to the relaxed atmosphere. While students are having fun learning, they are building a life-long skill that will lead to years of safety and enjoyment.
