Webster Students Build Confidence and Make Waves with Free Swim Lessons
Students bobbed up and down in the water, practicing floating and swimming to the pool wall, while advanced swimmers practiced swimming the width of the deep end pool, safely in life jackets.“Who remembers what I said is the safest place to be if you go underwater?” SCSD Head Swimming and Diving Coach Ed Curle calls out.
“On your back!” a chorus of 4th graders answered.
“That’s right! Take a deep breath, relax, and you’ll float up!”
Webster 4th graders were in their third and final week of swim lessons at Grant Middle School – an opportunity offered each semester, which Coach Curle is eventually hoping to expand to reach all SCSD students. Through the lessons, students participate in three 45-minute American Red Cross swim classes, led by Coach Curle, as well as full time SCSD lifeguards and part-time SCSD employees – several of whom are former SCSD swimmers themselves!
On the first day, students are observed to gauge how comfortable they are in the water and their current swim abilities. Then, they’re split up into small groups where they are taught according to their ability level.
“Our goal is ultimately to help get every 4th grade student into swimming,” Coach Curle said. “We want them to get comfortable in the water, learn Red Cross swim skills, and for more advanced swimmers, learn how to improve their strokes. I’m really looking at this as a stepping stone. The kids can go home, talk about what they learned, and hopefully want to continue swimming from here! It’s great for them to be exposed to the water at this age, to learn water safety, and to learn the swim basics.”
Sean Kisselstein, a PSLA at Fowler graduate, is one of the part time swim coaches. Today, Sean is completing the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems program at Mohawk Valley Community College – in which he has just one semester left before graduation.
“These lessons make a great baseline in terms of learning to swim,” he said. “I fell in love with swimming in middle school, and I haven’t been out SCSD pools since! The art of competitive swimming is dying out. I want to bring it back. Exposing kids to swim at this age is a great first step! My goal is to help other students discover a passion for swimming.”
Avrielle Blank, a 4th grade student at Webster, has discovered that passion.
The morning of her final swim lesson, she walked around her school building with shorts over her swimsuit and goggles perched atop her head.
“We’ve been learning how to swim without kicking,” she says proudly, pressing her palms together, arms extended over her head. “Like this – we look like a rocket ship! We’ve been practicing jumping into the pool, and learning how to get in and out of the pool safely. My mom has been teaching me to swim at home – I like going under water! The coaches are so nice and I’m learning a lot from them. I’m hoping to join a swim team when I get older… but I’m not going to dive into 12 feet of water yet!”
In addition to teaching young students about water safety, Coach Curle mentioned that all student athletes who participate on the SCSD Swimming and Diving teams are encouraged to take lifeguarding training, which is offered as part of our Physical Education programming at Nottingham and Henninger. There are plans to expand to additional SCSD high schools in the future. We’re proud of Coach Curle and the other staff who are leading these important activities for our students!
