NEW BIZ: Lakeside Survival Swim teaches youngsters lifesaving techniques
A new survival swim school in Marble Falls will educate youngsters on the best methods to keep their heads above water. Lakeside Survival Swim, 320 N. Ridge Road, will teach ages 6 months old to 6 years old various techniques to increase their ability to stay afloat. The swim school opens on July 10.
“The best form of defense we have to prevent drowning is to learn to swim,” said Amanda Dalrymple, Lakeside Survival Swim owner and instructor. “The No. 1 thing you can do is teach kids how to swim or float if they’re an infant.”
Training is Monday-Thursday for six weeks. Each 15-minute lesson is held in an indoor pool. Students graduate from the program after successfully completing a two-minute float test. Lessons are $35 each.
“We teach the swim-float-swim sequence,” Dalrymple said. “We basically take these little, tiny movements and chain them together, so at the end of our six-week program, these kids are able to fall into water, they’re able to come up onto a float, swim a little bit, flip back over to a float, and find an edge or way to get out themselves.”
Dalrymple started Lakeside Survival Swim after being forced to drive over an hour to take her own children to swim lessons.
“I was actually driving my kids to Georgetown for these lessons,” she said. “I was thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, there has to be a better option. We need this in Marble Falls.’ It was really put into my heart to do it myself.”
Dalrymple believes her lessons are worthwhile for any parent worried about their child’s safety.
“We focus on a child-centered approach with lots of time for cuddles and playtime,” she said. “We really like to create a kid that’s confident in the water, that’s a really great swimmer, that’s floating perfectly, who can save themselves if they were to fall into open water.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for children ages 1-4 in the United States.
“(Drowning is) terrifying and silent,” Dalrymple said. “A lot of times when it happens, the parent is right there. (Lessons are) something you can’t put a price on.”
To enroll your child, visit Lakeside Survival Swim’s website.