When Summer Is Over, Move Your Swimming Indoors

Whether you are seeking swim lessons to improve your family's safety or just a great workout, the Campus Recreation Center has you covered throughout the year.

“We offer swim lessons for kids as young as 6 months old, not just in fall semester, but all year-round,” says Carol Wolkoff, assistant director for aquatics at the Campus Recreation Center. “According to the Centers for Disease Control, research has shown that children who participate, even in the young age range of 1 to 4 years old, are less likely to drown than kids who haven’t.”  

The American Red Cross recently released survey results with startling information about adults in America and their ability to swim. Although 80 percent of adults who responded stated they knew how to swim, only 56 percent said they could perform all five of the basic skills the Red Cross says could save their life in the water. “That’s a frightening statistic," says Wolkoff. "We offer multiple swimming classes for adults every semester. I just hope everyone knows that it is never too late in your life to learn how to swim."

Adults who already know how to swim can progress through the beginner and intermediate levels on the Rec Center Masters Swim Team, and anyone 18 or over is welcome to join. Some members are cross-training, and others just want the social camaraderie of swimmers with similar goals. Wolkoff says a number of team members are training for triathlons, while others have previous swim team experience, but previous experience on a team is not necessary. "They are really a wide variety of ages, skill levels and goals,” she adds.

And beginning this fall, the Rec Center is offering a diving class taught by experienced diving coaches. All levels of diving abilities are accepted, while participants must be at least 6 years old.

Finally, you don’t need to be able to swim to enjoy the benefits of a water workout. The facility also offers Hydro-Fit, an aquatics fitness class that takes place in deep water. Class participants harness the water’s resistance for a challenging workout. Due to the depth of the pool, the course provides great exercise without the impact on your joints that other fitness classes would have. The instructor provides floatation devices for all participants, so everyone, regardless of swimming ability, can take advantage of the program.

All Campus Rec swim lessons are taught by American Red Cross Water Safety Instructors. For more information on aquatics classes and programs, or additional offerings at the Campus Recreation Center, visit uc/edu/campusrec/programs.