Students at Gainesville SwimKids will join thousands of kids and adults at aquatics facilities around the globe this Thursday, as they unite to set a new global record for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™.
SwimKids Swim School in Gainesville is an official host location for the 2012 WLSL record-setting event, taking place at 11 a.m. on June 14, 2012. Kids from all over Prince William County will join together to set a new Guinness World Record™ for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson ever conducted.
Although eight on-site instructors will conduct the lesson, there will be continuity between locations.
“It’s kind of cool,” said SwimKids, Gainesville General Manager Allison Griffin. “It would vary. How they set it up and run it will be different, but you’d be seeing the same basic lesson.”
According to Griffin, children and adults of all ages may participate. They do not have to be current SwimKids students, but should have some experience in the water and feel comfortable in the water without a parent by their sides.
As of Tuesday, she reports that thirty people have registered to swim at the Gainesville location. She is currently accepting more people, although she cautions there is limit on how many people in the pool simultaneously and at some point she may have to close registration.
As Prince William County schools are still in session for two more days, Griffin reports that most of the participants are preschool age. Otherwise she believes it is an ideal date to hold the event, as the beginning of summer is an appropriate time to remind people about pool and water safety.
According to WLSL the various centers and businesses participating in the event have a greater mission than beating any world record.
Tragically, drowning remains the second leading cause of unintended, injury-related death of children under 14, and a leading cause of death for children ages 1-5. Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent among children aged 1 to 4.
The WLSL program works to promote drowning prevention through education by focusing the energy of thousands of participants on a clear and specific message all at the same time. Aquatic facilities all over the world, including Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon near Orlando, have participated in the event to help send the message that Swimming Lessons Save Lives™.
The inaugural WLSL event established the Guinness World Record™ for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson ever conducted in 2010. Last year’s WLSL event grew more than 400 percent with 20,000 plus participants representing 13 countries around the globe and 45 states in the US. This is the second year that SwimKids facilities will participate in the record setting attempt.
“Parents understand how important it is to protect their children by using car seats and requiring bike helmets,” said SwimKids owner Dave Tonnesen. “Someday, we hope the same will hold true for teaching kids to swim.”
For more information on this important and fun event, to find out how you can join the WLSL record breaking or to schedule an interview with Dave Tonnesen, contact Allison Griffin at 571-261-7946 or via e-mail at allison@swimkids.us or visit www.wlsl.org.
Parts of this article were derived from a press release provided by SwimKids, while other parts are original Bristow Beat content written by Stacy Shaw.
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