Gainesville residents will have the opportunity to once again participate in a record-setting swim lesson.
In 2010, The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson was introduced by the World Waterpark Association. Seven years later, the City of Gainesville’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is continuing its efforts to help the organization set another world record — all while raising awareness about how important it is to learn how to swim.
Last year, The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson had a total of 40,298 participants in 24 countries. Gainesville city pools had 253 participants.
On June 22 at 10 a.m., three city pools — Andrew R. Mickle, Sr. Pool, Dwight H. Hunter (Northeast) Pool and H. Spurgeon Cherry (Westside) Pool — will host a free 30-minute swim lesson as part of the event.
“Our biggest concern is just making sure people are aware that there are opportunities in the city, whether they be at our facilities or not, to attend swim lessons,” said Scott Chase, the interim program coordinator for the parks and recreation department. “The city has made it a point to try to make the swim lesson program here as accessible and affordable as possible.”
According to the Center for Disease Control, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death for children between the ages of 1 and 4 in the U.S. It’s the second-leading cause of death for children under 14.
For families with young children who live in Florida, water-safety skills are especially critical, said Latecia Richards, a Gainesville mother who is planning on attending this year’s event with her 10-year-old son.
“Water safety is something that I definitely worry about,” Richards said. “I think that learning how to swim is the bare minimum skill needed to remain safe around the water.”
Advance registration for the event is not required to participate, and all skill levels are welcome. In the event of bad weather, Chase said the lesson will be canceled and will likely not be rescheduled.
Due to the time and expenses involved with the accreditation process, the World Waterpark Association has not submitted documentation to Guinness World Records for any kind of official world record since 2014, said Aleatha Ezra, the director of park member development for the World Waterpark Association.
Despite the fact that the feat won’t be entered in the record book, Ezra said event organizers are hoping to surpass last year’s numbers and set an eighth world record with this year’s event.
“This is a very big issue that we feel has a solution,” she said. “Learning to swim is just as important as putting on a seatbelt when you get into a car or putting a helmet on when you get on a bicycle. We want to spread the message that swimming lessons save lives.”
