Young Utahns gain swimming skills in record-breaking lesson

BOUNTIFUL — More than 10,000 children on four continents attempted to swim their way into the record books Thursday during the World's Largest Swimming Lesson.

Twenty-six participants, who splashed and laughed their way through the lesson at the South Davis Recreation Center, were among those trying to break the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson ever conducted.

The global event was created by a coalition of the nation's leading water safety and training organizations to build awareness about the importance of teaching kids to swim.

Thursday's lesson spanned more than 175 aquatic facilities, from Disney's Typhoon Lagoon in Orlando, Fla., to community centers in Zambia.

Record breakers in Bountiful split into a young beginner class and an older beginner class. Children ages 3 and up exuberantly practiced floating on their backs, blowing bubbles and kicking their legs.

The only time any of the kids became visibly upset was when it was time to leave the pool. Just before the final buzzer echoed through the recreation center signaling the end of the lesson, the young swimmers were chanting, "Alligator, alligator, what time is it?" They looked like they were having too much fun to be learning, but the alligator game was encouraging students to use their arms and move through the water.

Four-year-old Keaton Palmer was one of the more experienced participants. Keaton has been taking swimming lessons since he was 6 months old. Even though he can swim the full length of an Olympic-size pool, Keaton wanted to take part in the World's Largest Swimming Lesson because he loves to swim. Plus, he brought along his cousin and his friend, who don't know how to swim, so he can gain new swimming buddies.

"It's exercise for him without him thinking it's exercise," said Kira Palmer, Keaton's mom. "That's why I love swimming."

Palmer said she doesn't want to worry about her kids around a pool, which is why she started taking them into the water when they were just 3 months old. Savannah Palmer, who is 15 months old, is going to start lessons this summer, and her mom has been teaching her for almost a year.

According to www.worldslargestswimminglesson.org, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental, injury-related death of children ages 1to 14. Further research shows that if children don't learn to swim by the third grade, they likely never will.

Gabrielle Isaacs, a certified swimming instructor at Mount Jordan Swimming Pool, said lessons are important because kids drown and swimming is something they could be taught.

"It's really sad because it can be prevented so easily," Isaacs said.