Things will look a little different this month when swimming lessons officially resume at the Sam Ketcham Memorial Pool.
Staff — lifeguards and swim instructors — at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex will be following strict guidelines issued through Red Cross and the BC Recreation and Parks Association due to COVID-19: the biggest change coming in the form of smaller class sizes and how lessons will be taught.
Nancy Feeley, aquatics co-ordinator with the City of Williams Lake, said preschool lessons — from Starfish up to level four — will require one parent to be in the water with their children.
“Instructors will be teaching from the deck in order to keep our staff safe and keep our participants safe,” Feeley said. “They’ll have one person from their own household to help them, the instructors are socially distanced, so we’ve limited it to three kids in class, with parents, so six people.”
READ MORE: Rec complex slated for reopening June 29
In older age groups — levels five through 10 — swimmers have already been deep water certified, Feeley said, so limited class sizes will allow for socially distanced instruction.
“They’ll be limited to four per class because they have to be spread out when they’re swimming lengths,” she said.
Feeley said leading up to the reopening of swimming lessons, staff have been trained in different and new teaching methods.
Registrations are still open for some classes, she said.
“This is a whole new way of thinking of everything,” Feeley said of the changes.
“Poolside things have been going well … it’s been working, so far, and people have been respectful of everything.”
greg.sabatino@wltribune.com
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