Kilpatrick Athletic Center Offers Free Adult Swim Lessons in April
Raising Safety Awareness through U.S. Masters Swimming Initiative
To save lives and raise awareness about swim safety, the Kilpatrick Athletic Center is offering free swim lessons in April to adults in the Berkshire tri-state area. In 2013, U.S. Masters Swimming launched its campaign April is Adult Learn to Swim Month through its Swimming Saves Lives Foundation.
To bring awareness to the high drowning rate in adults, the organization sponsors the Adult Learn-to-Swim initiative at the Kilpatrick Athletic Center and other aquatic facilities nationwide every April. The Center for Disease Control reported that drowning death rates between 1999 and 2010 decreased in every age group except for adults ages 45–84. Free individual swim lessons will be held at the Kilpatrick every Sunday afternoon and Wednesday evening throughout the month, beginning Sunday, April 3 and ending Wednesday, April 27. Registration is required.
The Center for Disease Control estimates that 37 percent of U.S. adults could not swim to safety if they fell into water above their heads. Championing the cause of teaching adults to swim, Bill Meier, the swim and aquatic safety coordinator and coach at the Kilpatrick Athletic Center, developed the April is Adult Learn to Swim technical guide and introduced the initiative to the Berkshire community in 2013.
Bill created the Adult Learn to Swim instructor’s training manual with a grant from the Swimming Saves Lives Foundation. His training technique—adopted by United States Masters Swimming and other organizations—is now a nationwide program. More than 400 people across the United States have completed his Adult Learn to Swim course. With the help of the Kilpatrick staff, U.S. Masters Swimming launched its Adult Learn-to-Swim Instructor Certification Program in 2015. Drawing upon Bill’s expertise, along with other nationally recognized experts, the curriculum includes five basic water competencies identified by the American Red Cross.
Over 25 adults participate in the Adult Learn to Swim Month program each year at the Kilpatrick, and more are expected this year, according to Bill. Following the 2015 free Adult Learn-to-Swim event at the Kilpatrick, he said, “It was just one of the best things we ever did.”
Throughout the month of April—on Sundays and Wednesdays—members of the PaceMakers Masters Swim Team at the Kilpatrick Athletic Center will volunteer their time to teach one-on-one swim lessons to adults 19 years old and over (individuals must pre-register). Free lessons cover basic swimming techniques for beginners and advanced safety instruction for those with greater proficiency.
Participants are invited to help improve the efficacy of the program by completing an entrance and exit survey. Survey participation is not mandatory. Register or learn more about the April is Adult Learn to Swim Month program.