Bring on That Summer Feeling, Take a Jump in the Pool

It's been a long winter. Are you ready for an early spring? There is no better way to make it feel like summer than to take a dip in a pool. If you live in the town of Haddam or Killingworth, there are many HK Rec Aquatic programs to choose from that make swimming fun and affordable for all and will help bring on that summer feeling faster.

Robyne Brennan, Assistant Director of HK Recreation and the person who oversees these water programs, is also a Certified Lifeguard Training Instructor. "We are fortunate to be able to use the HK High School Pool for our Aquatic program," says Brennan. "I have been associated with the HKRec program for over 16 years and a lifeguard instructor at the pool for 15 of those years."

Josh Medeiros, who is certified as a Water Safety Instructor is the primary instructor for most of the children's swim classes. Brennan is quick to mention that "while Josh supervises, there are many high school students who help with the children's swim classes. The ratio is 1 instructor for every 4 students in these children's classes. This is good training for the high school students as well as provides increased supervision for the children in the pool," she said.

If you have never been to the pool, the facilities are quite nice and the pool is spacious. A recent visit during a designated "family swim" time found plenty of room in the pool for both serious lap swimmers as well as some families with kids who just wanted to paddle around for a while.

As far as programs, there are classes for pre-beginner children all the way up to Masters Swimming for adults. There is Lifeguard Training, Lap swim, family swim, exercise swim classes, a Parent/Tot class and even a kayak class!

The Parent/Tot swim class is a good starting point for young children. Parents must accompany their children in the pool. It helps children feel more comfortable in the water. It is also a good social time for parents with their youngsters aged 9 to 36 months.

Once a child has graduated from parent/tot class and importantly is able to get in the water with just an instructor, no parent, they can move up to the next level of pre-school swim. It is a group instruction setting for children who are toddler aged up to 3 years old.  

"The swim programs for younger children may use barbells, kickboards or noodles to help children feel more comfortable in the water. All of these items are provided by the facility," Brennan said.

After these two more introductory classes, swim lessons for those aged 4 and older are based on confidence level, rather than age. There are many levels to choose from depending on how confident the swimmer is judged to be. All of the following classes are within the Children's Swim Program:

• Pre-Beginner (PB): For ages 4 & up, who have no experience swimming and who need a swimming aid.
• Beginner (B): Completed Pre-Beginner and can swim without a swimming aid.
• Advanced Beginner (AB): Completed Beginner & can swim the Crawl & Back Strokes.
• Intermediate (I): Completed AB and can swim Crawl, Back, & Elementary Back Strokes.
• Swimmer/Advanced Swimmer (S): Completed Intermediate and can swim Crawl, Back, Elementary Back, Breast, & Side Strokes.

Brennan stressed that "each of these lessons have a limited number of spots. In fact, she stated that "most of the March swim classes are full at this point, but April classes still have room."

In addition to children's classes, there is a wide variety of adult classes starting with a basic level and on to a more advanced class. There is also a mastery level swim program for adults which as their program states is "open to adult swimmers (fitness, triathlete, competitive, non-competitive) who are dedicated to improving their fitness through swimming - one of the best forms of aerobic exercise. An excellent activity for anyone who wishes to get and stay fit."

For other swimmers, there are drop-in swim times, family swim times and opportunities to do laps. There is also an Aqua Aerobics class and a senior swim class.

For more advanced swimmers, there is the lifeguard training class which Brennan teaches. This class is for those students want to become certified  lifeguards, and for those who need to be certified in CPR for the Professional Rescuer, AED, & Standard First Aid. Class fee includes book, pocket mask, & certifications. For this class, students need to be able to swim 300 yards continuously using crawl & breast strokes; swim 20 yards, retrieve a 10 lb. object from a depth of 7 feet, & swim back with that object.

The last program offered is Advanced Kayak Practices. Kayakers can work on rolling techniques while in a warmer, less turbulent pool. They will also work on rescue variations and scenarios and advanced bracing techniques. Euro and traditional Greenland backgrounds, river or sea kayaks welcome.

For information on all the different times, as well as how to register for any of these programs, go to the HKRec website at hkrec.com. With such a great facility in our town, and so many different ways to enjoy it, it's easy to get a jump on summer while winter is still blowing outside.