Winter is a great time to enroll you child in swimming lessons. The Australian Government define swimming lessons as Personal Aquatic Survival Skills and is a very apt description of what we are trying to develop in our pupils across the whole Shapland group.
The swimming season has always be cyclical ever since I can remember, certainly as far back as 1948 when my parents secured the lease of the old Toowoomba Municipal Baths. The swimming season started the 1st of September and ended at Easter. To some degree this applies today. The main reason the swimming season was so short was the water and air temperature. It is not much fun swimming in cold water especially if the outside air temperature is also cold. Of course rugby league, rugby union and other winter sports commence around late March or early April so there was a definitive line in the sand when swimming finished and other sports started.
All that has changed. Today, Shapland Swim Schools have heated pools and because of the boutique nature of our schools, we are also able to provide heated change and observation rooms for the comfort of you and your family. Developing your child’s Personal Aquatic Survival Skills is something that need not stop because of the cooler weather. There is an old saying “use it or lose it” that applies to your child’s early skill development. It is desirable not to have a break from that skill development in order to avoid a reduction in skill level.
During the winter months our rosters contract to some degree which makes more times available for your child to have a second or even third lesson a week. Please follow this link www.shapland.com.au/locations where you will find the closest Shapland Swim School to you. Some of our locations offer a second lesson per week at half price. If your nearest school offers this deal, that information is displayed on their location page.
By continuing your child’s swimming lesson through winter enables your child to consolidate their Aquatic Skills and as a result will be much better positioned to enjoy the water during the summer months. Winter is a great time for swimming lessons as there is a certain snugness when you get into a nice warm 32C pool, with familiar teachers and class mates, and of course the most important aspect of all this is your child’s ability to save themselves is continuing to develop.
So take advantage of more spots being available in our rosters during winter by contacting your closest Shapland Swim School to start your child’s Personal Aquatic Survival Skills development. Maintaining your child’s lesson spot during winter will also assist them in retaining and furthering their Aquatic Skills development. The win in winter at each of our boutique centres is your peace of mind that as your child’s Personal Aquatic Survival Skill improve so too does your child’s chance of being “Safer in the water for the rest of their lives.”
Chris Shapland.