Course complete, Y.M.C.A. swimmers show skills
With over two hundred miles of coastline, scores of cayes, dozens of rivers and countless lagoons and ponds, Belizeans should be comfortable in the water. But humans are not fish and many of us must be taught to overcome our basic fears. That’s exactly what’s been happening over the summer at some hotel pools in the city.
Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
We are not sure just how many of these children will go on to be lifeguards, but today they over came of one their biggest hurdles: learning to swim. It took three weeks of intensive training by the Young Men’s Christian Association to equip the boys and girls with the lifesaving skill.
The children went through different levels of instruction ranging from the use of floatation devices to full fledged swimming. Most importantly, the kids also learned proper breath control; a skill that will now help eleven year old Aaron Ghazi enjoy more time in the water.
Aaron Ghazi, Eleven years old
“Like I couldn’t swim for long periods of time before and it was hard for me to keep up when swimming.”
Eight year old Tyler Woods is one of the younger students who mastered the techniques that will now give him the confidence to venture out of the pool and into the sea.
Tyler Woods, Eight years old
“The side stroke is like when you swim, but then you have to bend your arms like that and then you have to count one, two, three and then put your head to the side like that and then do one, two, three and like that”
Taejha Young, Volunteer, Y.M.C.A.
“Having basic swimming tips is going to help them. Just basic tips and knowing how to do their strokes is going to help them with any swimming crisis.”
Each year the Y.M.C.A. teaches children between the ages of three and fourteen how to swim and be safe in the water.
Taejha Young
“It’s very disciplined, so you learn discipline, self confidence and ways to help yourself.”
Close to seventy children participated in the 2007 summer programme.
Today the swimmers were each given a report on their progress.
Taejha Young
“Remembering the kids learning to float, how excited they were after they learned. After that they basically just pushed on and as long as they had at least one good moment they kept on pushing, they persevered, they never gave up.”
Like eleven year old Javier Keme, who is not only a much stronger swimmer, but is also armed with a choice of strokes.
Javier Keme, Eleven years old
“Front crawl, breast stroke, side crawl, floating on my back, floating on my stomach.”
Juel Lewis, Seven years old
“They teach you how to swim and it’s fun.”
Jacqueline Godwin
“So the first time you stepped into the pool, you weren’t scared of the water?”
Juel Lewis
“I wasn’t scared of the water.”
Throughout the sessions volunteer lifeguards kept a watchful eye on the students.
The Y.M.C.A. swim classes were conducted at the Princess and Radisson pools.
