at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center on May 10
I consider learning to swim an essential life skill and actually believe that knowing how to swim and being confident in and around water is more important than much of what children learn in school. Water hazards are plentiful and they are often labeled fun. But without the skill set necessary to be safe in an aquatic environment they can become anything but fun. Drowning happens way too often.
Reducing the drowning statistic and teaching swimming by combining safety, recreation, and fitness is a year around goal at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center. That’s why PDAC is gearing up to host 8 Olympians for swim lessons, basic water safety, fun races, water slides, hi-dives and more at the FREE second annual Just Add Swim event on Saturday, May 10, from 9am to 5pm.
Last year’s inaugural event, then called Swim to Win, saw more than 2,000 area children and adults turn out to take basic swim safety classes with Olympic swimming champs and pool staff at the popular mid-valley pool.
The City of Palm Desert, who owns this world class facility, the Family YMCA of the Desert, and the Swim to Win Foundation are the primary sponsors of the event. Their main goal this year is to build on the success of teaching area youth basics of swimming and pool safety.
Eight Olympian swimmers; Rowdy Gaines, Janet Evans, Jason Lezak, Aaron Peirson, Brian Goodell, Chloe Sutton, Rada Owen, and Kaitlin Sandeno will be on deck signing autographs, teaching basic swim skills, and even swimming a few races. Please join me at the center. It promises to be an event full of learning, swimming and fun that will be well worth your time.
The free basic swim lessons along with use of the fun aquatic center slides and diving board features and races with the Olympians will be held at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center at 73751 Magnesia Falls Drive, next to the Palm Desert Civic Center Park.
Just Add Swim runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For a guaranteed swim instruction time, registration is required. Register by calling the pool 760-565-7467.
