YMCA offering free introductory swim lessons

Of all the scary statistics on childhood drownings, this may be the scariest: 80 percent take place while adults are supervising.

That’s why the YMCA of Central Florida is offering free introductory swim lessons for kids ages 4 to 12, while educating parents and caregivers about water safety.

“It’s not like you see in the movies,” said three-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines, vice president of aquatics for the Central Florida YMCA. “There’s not a bunch of screaming, and it can take as little as 60 seconds. … It’s as simple as you going to answer your phone or answer the front door, and a child can slip in the water and be gone.”

The YMCA’s “Safety Around Water” program, open to the public, is designed to be a first step in preventing drownings — the second leading cause of accidental death for kids 1 to 14 years old. Parents and caregivers can register their children for four halfhour classes April 24-27at any of 20 local YMCAs, from Cocoa to Lake Mary. The deadline to register is April 19.

“We really want to get our education out there, not only to the children, but also to the families,” Gaines said. “It breaks my heart when I read about drownings because I know there’s a cure. And the cure is two simple words — swim lessons.”

Unfortunately, he said, 70 percent of black children in the U.S. never learn to swim — nor do 60 percent of Hispanic children or 40 percent of non-Hispanic white children. And if kids don’t learn by age 10, chances are high that they never will.

Gaines, who grew up in Winter Haven and set 10 world records in swimming from 1978 to 1984, has made reaching those kids one of his missions as an adult.

To sign up for classes, go to watersafety.ymcacf.org, text SWIM to 407-641-2280 or go to your local YMCA.