MONTREAL – It’s difficult to believe that Merle Halpenny-Roy was once afraid of water.
As a new session of adult beginner swimming classes began at the Pointe-Claire Aquatic Centre, and while the newest students nervously put their faces under water for the first time, the 60-year-old glided gleefully up and down the pool’s shallow lanes, kicking with a floating board as if she’d been doing so all her life.
But until last year, Halpenny-Roy couldn’t swim. She had a lifelong fear of letting go of the pool’s edge and was, in her own words, a “total non-swimmer.”
Today, she loves the water, loves being in the water, and has learned swimming and safety skills through community programs aimed at adults.
Adult swimming lessons are offered at many pools in the Montreal area. Maria Sotirakos, a 21-year-old swimming instructor at the Pointe-Claire Aquatic Centre, said the adults she teaches are anywhere from 16 to 85 years old, and have various goals.
“What differs from the lessons for kids is we really ask (the adults) what they want to get out of the lessons,” Sotirakos said.
Some want to get over a fear of water, some already swim but want to perfect their strokes, and all are at different skill levels, meaning instructors do a lot of individual coaching.
“There’s a lot of variety, which makes adult classes interesting,” Sotirakos continued. “I learn a lot from their determination. I find it very rewarding – and I think they do, too.”
While National Drowning Prevention Week comes with increased publicity for water awareness and safety, Sotirakos said the message is mostly geared toward children, though it can benefit people of all ages.
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“We assume that if adults don’t know how to swim, they don’t need to learn,” she said.
“But in Quebec, especially given the last few weeks with all these drownings, people realize that aquatic safety is just so important, and swimming is a necessary skill to learn at any age.
“We shouldn’t stop at a young age and assume that adults will never need (these skills) again,” Sotirakos continued. “People forget that adults can be in danger in the water, too.”
Certainly, the statistics suggest water isn’t hazardous only for children.
Adults from the ages of 35 to 64 represented 45 per cent of all drowning victims in Canada, according to the latest Red Cross audit from 2005.
While the report found that recreational boating was responsible for nearly one-third of all drownings, recreational swimming is second at 18 per cent of water deaths.
“You just never know what might happen,” agreed Johane Lafleur, senior coordinator of injury prevention services for the Quebec division of the Canadian Red Cross.
“We encourage (adults to learn to swim) not only to have the best possible experience around water, but to also know about the danger and how to apply the best safety behaviours possible.”
Lafleur said education, advertisements and water advocacy have come a long way since the 1980s and ’90s to help curb drowning deaths.
She confirmed drownings used to climb to more than 100 a year in Quebec but have fallen to about 70 – but more could be done, especially for new immigrants to Quebec who “may not have had that understanding or opportunity to swim, or the experience of being so near many bodies of water.”
The fact that Montreal-area pools offer adult swimming lessons with flexible hours and on evenings and weekends can allow adults to advance at their own levels, she continued.
Halpenny-Roy, who migrated to Canada from England when she was 17, said she finally got around to facing her fear of the water after retirement. She said she is determined to keep taking the lessons until she feels comfortable swimming in water out of her depth.
“I feel good about where I’m at so far,” she said. “You don’t learn to swim in a day; it’s a lifelong process.
“Don’t feel like you can’t do it,” she advised anyone thinking of signing up for the first time, regardless of their age. “You definitely can. It’s never too late to learn.”
Some Montreal pools offer aquatic classes for beginners of any age – here’s a brief list:
YMCA active adults swim programs
Intro-level course for adults offers basic swimming skills for anyone who cannot swim 15 metres. There are 11 YMCA locations on the island of Montreal. Find more info here.
Aquadôme de LaSalle
This sports complex offers special senior and adult swim times, as well as Red Cross-certified classes for adults. Call 514-367-6460 or click here.
Association aquatique de Dollard des Ormeaux
Offering both Red Cross swimming basics, as well as stroke and style improvement classes, the DDO aquatic centre aims to help adults build confidence and swimming skills. Call 514-684-0070, ext. 602, or go to ville.ddo.qc.ca.
Centre sportif N.D.G.
Aquatic manager Normand Angers said registration for adult courses, which are available to those 16 years or older, is going up all the time. The courses also use the Red Cross program, and the pool offers aqua-fitness programming as well. Call 514 481-4634 or visit their website.
Piscine Saint-Roch
This Parc Ex pool also offers adult lessons using the Red Cross programming. Call 514-271-4086 or go to their site.
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