General Information
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GENERAL INFORMATION Director: Steve Mazurek Email: [email protected] Steve Mazurek is in his tenth full-time season with West Chester University Swimming and Diving. Prior to assuming the role of Men’s/Women’s Head Swimming/Diving Coach and Aquatics Director, Mazurek served as WCU’s first Full-Time Assistant Swim Coach and Pool Manager for nine years. His 18-year coaching career began as an instructor in this very same seasonal lesson program, working with each level, Beginner through Pre-Competitive. Since the year 2000, Mazurek has coached age group, summer club, high school, and collegiate student-athletes – absolute beginners through NCAA champions. For the past ten years, he has served as a supervisor with West Chester’s lesson program, one of the largest seasonal programs of its kind in the country, in addition to managing the pools and teaching annual lifeguard certification courses. ABOUT the PROGRAM The philosophy of the WCU Swimming Lessons program is to aggressively and lovingly build confidence by helping the nonswimmer confront fear head-on. One major goal is for the nonswimmer to eventually be comfortable around and then to enjoy the water. Over the past 4 years we have enjoyed a 99% success rate for the non-swimming 4 and 5 year olds to surface and swim across the pool unaided after just 2 weeks. Results will be the first priority. Instructors will consist of graduate and undergraduate personnel with the swimmer-to-instructor ratio an ideal 5:1. Classes will run 45-60 minutes, depending on how much progress is made each day. No floatation devices will be used. *MANDATORY: Swim diapers are required for all 4 and 5 year olds. A swimmer who is 4 or 5 and not wearing a swim diaper may not enter the pool as per our facility management agreement, regardless of his/her potty training status. This policy is in place to protect all program participants. Parents are asked to explain to their children that all swimmers must wear this special swimming gear until they turn 6. Registration is Reservation: Due to the program’s volume and structure, we do not have the capacity to offer make-up sessions if your swimmer should miss for any reason. When you register your swimmer, you’re reserving a specific set of ten lessons at a specific time. Do your best to get to as many of those sessions as possible. Please review the refund policy below for more information including deadlines to request different sessions and how to cancel a reservation. FACILITIES The swimming lessons will be conducted at the Graham Natatorium located adjacent to John A. Farrell Football Stadium on WCU's South Campus. DATES & TIMES: ALL LESSONS ARE MONDAY THRU FRIDAY, BETWEEN 45-60 MINUTES, AND RUN FOR TWO WEEKS. Yes, we teach on Memorial Day and July 4th. (Cost: $245 per child for the two weeks / Nonrefundable Registration Fee of $85) Session 1: May 7-18 starting times: 4PM / 5PM / 6PM / 7PM Session 2: May 21 - June 1 starting times: 4PM / 5PM / 6PM / 7PM *Yes, swim lessons will be held as scheduled on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28th. Session 3: June 4-15 starting times: 3PM / 4PM / 5PM / 6PM / 7PM Session 4: June 18-29 starting times: 9AM / 10AM / 11AM / 4PM / 5PM / 6PM / 7PM Session 5: July 2-13 starting times: 4PM / 5PM / 6PM / 7PM *Yes, swim lessons will be held as scheduled on Wednesday, July 4th. Session 6: July 16-27 starting times: 4PM / 5PM / 6PM / 7PM Pre-requisites: All registrants must be 4 years old and potty trained by the first lesson. All 4 & 5 year olds must wear a water diaper. Parents are not permitted on the pool deck. There is a large spectator area, a lobby area, and some room outside to take a walk without leaving the premises. We do ask that you remain on site for the duration of the lesson. Thank you. SKILL LEVELS Beginner This level is for 4 and 5 year olds ONLY, who cannot at this point get themselves, unaided by adult or flotation device, across the pool (approx. 40 feet). If your child is 6 or older, do not sign up for this level. What we do with the younger beginner swimmers is not as effective on older beginners. A 6 or older child should be entered as an "Advanced Beginner". There will be a special sub-group in Advanced Beginner, specific to their needs. The goal in the Beginner level is to get your child to jump in, surface on the back, swim across the pool, and grab the opposite wall--all without being touched by the teacher. Most 4 and 5 year olds will achieve these skills in one, two-week session. Out of all of our beginners over the last 5 seasons (over 6,000), 99% passed in two weeks. Pre-requisite: All beginners must be 4 years old by the first day of lessons, potty trained, and wearing a suit or under layer aimed at containment of waste (see swim diaper notice below). Advanced Beginner If your child cannot swim freestyle, breathing to the side for a distance of 40 feet or more, this is the level for you. We will evaluate all Advanced Beginners the first day to divide them into one of three sections. For registration purposes, you simply need to register for “Advanced Beginner”. We’ll perform a skills assessment on your swimmer’s first day and will place them in the appropriate section of Advanced Beginner. 1) 5 and under--who are graduates out of our Beginner program, and swimming successfully on their backs. These children will have their back swimming skills reinforced--this is their safety position--while gradually teaching them to roll over onto their front and take freestyle arm strokes. This way a natural rolling motion, rather than the head out style encouraged by dog paddle and floatation devices, will be used for them to breathe. And they'll always have their back swimming skills for self-rescue (see swim diaper notice below). 2) Novice--who are 6 and older, but are absolute beginners. By starting a little later than is ideal, there will be more resistance and fear at this level than in any other group. The going can be slow here (but will be slower every year that they are able to rationalize their fear), but hang in there; they need to be safe, too, and the going doesn't get easier, but harder the older they get. 3) High End--Kids of any age who can demonstrate some semblance of the arm-over-arm freestyle motion, but who do not yet incorporate breathing to the side without having to stop their arm strokes. Breathing straight up out of the water, causing the legs to drop and the swimmer to work harder to move forward, is a result of early use of floatation devices and dog paddle, and needs to be "unlearned" at this point. But to move on to Intermediate, rhythmic breathing to the side must be mastered at least the width of the pool (approx. 40 feet). Intermediate Here proper breathing will be reinforced, while slowly building endurance. More swimming in small groups, rather than strictly 1-1 turns with the instructor as in lower skill levels, will aid in this repetition to gain the endurance to swim 25 yards of freestyle, 25 yards of backstroke, and proper treading water--the skills necessary to move on to Pre-Competitive I or II. Diving may also be introduced at this level if adequate progress is being made on the skills above. Precompetitive I: Backstroke and Freestyle Known as the long-axis strokes, backstroke and freestyle share many of the same skills will be refined, all of which will be refined with the introduction of the drills and techniques commonly used in world of competitive swimming. Precompetitive instructors will continue to build upon the endurance base established in Intermediate through repetitive drilling and full-stroke swimming. Precompetitive II: Butterfly and Breaststroke Known as the short-axis strokes, butterfly and breaststroke share many of the same skills, including different ways to utilize the hips, legs, and arms. Many youngsters who do not intend to ever swim competitively may find that additional freestyle and backstroke work is more beneficial. But if joining an entry level summer swim team or age group team is likely, at least a working knowledge of these two strokes will be essential. **SWIM DIAPER POLICY: MANDATORY** **NOTICE: All 4 and 5 year olds — regardless of skill level or potty-training experience – must wear swim diapers.** This WCU facility management policy, a safeguard against waterborne illness, will be enforced for the 4s and 5s regardless of skill level. 5 and unders who come to lessons without the above will be returned to their parents (this situation is NOT eligible for refund other than the conditions stated in the partial refund policy). This is also in the Waiver Information signed off on before registration is complete. Disposable and reusable options which can be found on Amazon, even for larger swimmers (type in “swim diapers”): Pampers Splashers Huggies Little Swimmers FINIS Reusable Swimmates Disposable Adult Please do not assume that your potty trained 4 or 5 year old is exempt—no one is exempt. We’re in the business of keeping your youngsters safe—both in the water and from the water. Suggestions in communicating with your youngster: Don’t call them diapers! Call them something else – water pants, a swim suit (they make a few that look like Speedos!). Call them Speedos, swim shorts, uniforms, or whatever creative term you come up with.