By: Pamela Stern
This summer as the weather is heating up everyone wants to stay cool. Luckily, the Brooklyn Sports Club (BSC) will help you stay cool year round with their pools. Not only is it important to stay cool during the heat waves that we have been experiencing this summer, but swim safety is just as important which is a really good reason to sign up to learn how to swim .
The BSC has swimming lessons for all levels, toddlers, children, teens, and adults. Swim lessons do not require a BSC membership but, members and Spring Creek Towers residents receive a discounted rate. There are group swim lesson and there are also one on one lessons. The group lessons are based on the individual’s age, and swimming ability. The group lessons do not have more than four people in the class and the one on one lessons are private individual lessons. Classes run once a week for eight weeks.
Swim lessons are offered every day at all different times. Typically, students can choose which day that they would like to schedule their lessons on depending on the swim lessons schedule. Weekday classes usually run every hour from 4pm-7:30pm and on the weekends the earliest class is 8:15am and last class is offered at 4pm.
New students are offered evaluations with one of the friendly swim instructors. Students or their parents are asked to call the BSC before coming in for the evaluation to ensure that the staff is ready. Also new students or their parents are asked to remember to bring their bathing suit, swim cap, goggles, it is recommended to bring a towel with them to dry off. All requirements for each level are located on Brooklynsportsclub.com
Swim lessons are conducted in their own space in the pool. Since the BSC is designed as an Aquatic Facility, this allows specific areas to be designated to be used for the swimming lessons. This also helps that all three pools can be used depending on the age of the participant and their swim level. As the swimmer becomes more proficient in their swimming they will graduate to a deeper water. Typically, children would start their lessons in the 2-3.5 deep water, beginners would start their lessons in the 3.5-4.5 deep water, and the adults would have their lessons in the 4.5-10 feet water
There are different levels of swim lessons which is decided by a few different factors, specifically age, and swim ability. For adults and teens lessons that are offered are Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced classes. For those who are 4 years old to 12 years old, they are offered an extensive swimming program with six levels to ensure that students learn the technique of swimming with the hopes that one day they will join the BSC swim team!
Currently there are over 300 students that are enrolled in swim lessons and each year there is an opportunity to grow each year. Students are taught by one of the twenty instructors that have a range of training styles that ensures that every student’s learning style is met. The BSC’s instructors experience range where some have twenty years of experience and some are newer instructors who have a new fresh way of teaching swimming. All of the instructors are trained through the lead staff at the BSC for a few sessions before they obtain their own classes.
Students usually learn Freestyle first, followed by Backstroke, then the Breaststroke, and finally the Butterfly.
At the end of the lessons, all of the students will receive a certificate of competition. The BSC Swim Club competes in a final time trial swim meet, which allows them to win ribbons and metals.
Photo courtesy of: The Brooklyn Sports Club
