LOCAL swim instructors have been taking primary school students through their paces, building their confidence, swimming ability and learning water safety strategies at the Cootamundra Heated Pool.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Lifeguard Sascha Baldry says the 10 day intensive water safety course is aimed to equip children with essential skills. Each day instructors delivers a new safety message, and then they teach survival sequences in the pool.
Cootamundra Public School principal Bill Godman says that being able to swim is an essential life skill.
“The Australian outdoor lifestyle demands that we have those skillsets to enable us to go swimming in the beach, swimming in the river and swimming in the backyard pool,” Mr Godman said.
By all reports the swim course has been a worthwhile endeavour so far; Mrs Baldry says Cootamundra Public School Year Two students, who are halfway through the course, are making progress each day.
She would like to communicate that it’s imperative the children learn to swim without goggles so they have confidence to stay afloat in a dangerous situation.
“I know that some parents are concerned that we are asking the children to swim with their goggles off but if you associate being able to swim with wearing goggles, you won’t be able to swim without them,” Mrs Baldry said.
“Some of the children say they can’t swim without goggles, and if they fall into a small body of water they wouldn’t have goggles on.
“In this course we ask them keep their head out of the water anyway; students are treading water, floating on their back, and practicing survival backstroke.”
Year Two teacher Todd Kable says he’s anticipating more progress for the upcoming week.
Stockinbingal Public School students have just completed the two week school swimming and water safety program and according to principal Colin Trickett it was a success.
“The students have been really enjoying their time in the new indoor pool and the benefits are already showing,” he said.
Mr Trickett would like to thank the instructors Helen, Sascha and Terrina “for their caring expert tuition.”
The school would also like to thank the Cootamundra Sports Foundation and Stockinbingal Public School Parents and Citizens Association for helping to fund the program.
