“It’s colder out there, than it is in here …”
Yes, in Australia, winter swimming actually exists right across the country. The pools are often toasty-oasty warm and there are some huge advantages to letting the kids splash around in their lycra, even on the dreariest of days!
While we wish trends would change – and we hope through such reasoning it will – usually swimming sessions are often less busy during the cooler months. Why? Winter sicknesses, expense, it interferes with other hobbies, it’s just too darn cold …
Well, whatever the reason … for those passionate parents, keen to keep the kids kicking during this period, this slightly off-season trend is great news for you, for two reasons:
- Not only will your child be safer in and around water through your persistence, in turn strengthening their swimming skills, ability and confidence, but …
- Every swimming lesson dollar you spend, has even greater value!
You see, in some places, due to the cooler season drop-off
- Attending kids may be offered more personalised, one-on-one time with their teacher (now, who would pass up this opportunity?
- As a result, children may progress more quickly in skills and confidence, due to the increased teacher attention
- Winter swimming kids will most likely maintain their touch of the water, and ability to remember and apply such life-saving skills, hugely preparing them once the warmer months roll around, and greater aquatic play is at large.
Did you know, most learn-to-swim pools are heated during the winter to around 32 degrees, and are often are located indoors? 32 degrees …
In warmer parts of the country, some pools boast the best of both worlds. Instead of hazing up swim centre windows and doors, they’re steaming with winter warmth in an outdoor setting. These pools offer fresh, unfiltered air, while swimming takes place beneath the warmth of the winter sun and blue skies.
Some facilities even offer poolside and change room heating, topped off with the good old hot showers.
Experience has shown, children who don’t swim during winter – or over a period of time – often lose their skills, have less swimming ability or even confidence; a realisation only discovered once water is reintroduced.
This sounds alarm bells for us, as kids who are not swim savvy could pose as a drowning risk to themselves. After a break, some kids regress quite significantly. Others take some time to reconnect. Then there are those children who still bare the confidence, but scare themselves in the process by forgetting what to do, once wet!
Shockingly, 18% or 49 people, drowned in winter last year; a statistic that can be reduced through better swim education and year round swimming lessons.
To help prevent a repeat of these devastating statistics, it is so important to keep up children’s water skills to ensure they stay SAFER, SMARTER, and STRONGER swimmers no matter the season, or aquatic environment.
Stats show, drowning is still the number one cause of accidental deaths in Australian children zero to four. If drowning doesn’t take a break – even during winter – why would you?