Director teaches community water safety at YMCA

Liz Schmidt was recently promoted from drowning prevention coordinator, to director of community water safety, for the YMCA of South Palm Beach County in Boca Raton. Swimming competitively at 6 years old, Schmidt developed her skills, and ultimately her career path, in and around water. She taught swimming lessons at age 14, became a lifeguard at age 16 and worked at marinas. She served as a canoe and kayak wilderness guide, and as a dive site logistics officer. Schmidt devotes her volunteer time to Sea Turtle Rescue as well as with Boating and Beach Bash for Individuals with Disabilities. She was recognized by Autism Speaks for work done surrounding the development of swimming lessons programming for Individuals with Special Needs. One of the main aspects of my job: Is alleviating fear of water among adults. I have to change clothes a lot — to attend a funder meeting in the morning, a staff training in the afternoon — and finish the day teaching a swim lesson.

Myth-busting

I’m not just by the poolside relaxing everyday: Simply put, this job is about teaching people to be safer around water. That could mean anything from having conversations with a parent who is nervous about their child’s first swimming lessons, to teaching lifeguarding/swim instructor courses, boating and beach safety, to raising money for programming.

On the job

People don’t know what they

don’t know: People say they don’t need the necessary safety equipment because, “it won’t ever happen to me.” I spend a lot of my day “myth-busting.”

Be persistent: It’s sometimes difficult to reach the communities that need services the most. I’ve been lucky to build great connections with aquatics professionals and social services agencies.

What’s new: How swim lessons are taught. We traditionally focused on stroke development, but now it’s about getting the swimmer to safety. Research shows that most drownings occur within 6-10 feet of safety. So, it’s safety first, then sessions on stroke development, swim styles. More photos & news: View/submit: People/hires, promotions; company news/community outreach, office parties, grand openings; business events/networking, seminars, workshops

LIZ SCHMIDT