Hosting Major Swim Meets Helped Boost San Antonio’s Learn-To-Swim Programs

Josh Davis VIVA SWIM For Life learn-to-swim program

Photo Courtesy: San Antonio Sports

The impact of hosting four major swim meets at the Northside Swim Center in 2015 likely exposed a lot of young children to the sport that might not have otherwise had the opportunity to see some of the best in the world in peak form. The result was a major increase in interest for swim lessons in the city, according to a new report.

The VIVA SWIM For Life initiative, created through a partnership with USA Swimming and San Antonio Sports, began this year with a goal to teach thousands of children how to swim through lessons provided at 50 pools across San Antonio. The learn-to-swim program began last April at the U.S Masters Swimming nationals, where hometown hero Josh Davis was one of the swimming celebrities to host clinics and make novice swimmers feel like Olympians. Other Olympic heroes such as local favorite Jimmy Feigen and Make A Splash ambassador Cullen Jones took part in the program in various ways.

The VIVA SWIM For Life program ran from March 1 to August 31, when the number of people taking swim lessons in San Antonio increased by more than 8,000 in one year. The program offered 2,880 free lessons at various outdoor pools to underprivileged children. According to the report, all swim lesson slots were filled at the 50 locations this year. After completing their lessons, children were encouraged to sign up for USA Swimming teams to continue their improvement.

In addition to the program, children were able to see the best in the sport racing in front of them, undoubtedly giving them inspiration as a future swimming star. From the USMS nationals to the USA Swimming junior nationals and senior nationals, as well as the deaf world championships, the city got its fill of high-end talent this year.

San Antonio is a hotspot for raising awareness about water safety. Nearly 60 percent of residents are Hispanic or Latino, a target demographic for organizations such as the USA Swimming Foundation in reducing the drowning rate among minorities. The foundation repeatedly stresses that a large number of minorities (60 percent of Hispanic/Latino children) do not know how to swim, which in part contributes to the extremely high drowning rate in the United States. About 10 people drown every day in the United States.

Read the full VIVA SWIM For Life report

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Nox Swim

8 years ago

Thanasis Xronis