Qualified coaches deliver Belgravia’s GOswim program. Photo: Belgravia Leisure.
A local learn-to-swim program is doing its part to turn the tide on drownings in Aussie waters, just in time for summer.
Belgravia Leisure-affiliated venues will host their GOswim School Holiday Program, making it easy for Canberra families to make essential, life-saving water skills second nature this January.
In daily 30-minute lessons over five consecutive days – the equivalent of five weeks’ worth of lessons back-to-back – the intensive program allows learners to practise critical skills repeatedly.
“That repetition and consistency help enforce muscle memory, which is important if you find yourself in trouble,” Gungahlin Leisure Centre GOswim coordinator Jayd Arbalis says.
Australia recorded 320 drownings in the last 12 months.
Jayd says to turn this statistic around, the repetition of core skills is needed.
GOSwim students learn and practise skills in small, graded classes with a fully trained swimming teacher, and can progress through levels within the summer program sessions.
Lessons will cover water safety and survival skills such as safe entrances and exits, as well as breath control, submersion techniques, stroke development and floating.
“From 1 to 14 December, we spent the first five minutes of every lesson working on making sure our participants knew how to float,” she says.
“Floating not only buys a person vital extra time in a dangerous situation, but also stems exhaustion, increasing their chances of survival.”
Importantly, students can stay and play at the pool after their lesson, giving them the chance to double down on what they’ve learned while it’s still fresh.
Belgravia members who keep their memberships active over the school holiday period are entitled to one week’s free intensive swim classes at their venues, as well as access to the pool for family members in the same household. They’re encouraged to make the most of their free access to the pool in between, before and after intensive lessons.
“This is a handy concession because we have a lot of parents who bring children in for the intensive swimming lessons who can’t yet swim themselves,” Jayd says.
“They can hop into the pool with any other children in an area of the pool where they can touch the bottom and feel safe, and start to learn water awareness and gain confidence.”
Members can access Belgravia Leisure centres over the holidays. For more information, visit Belgravia Leisure.
