A4
LOCAL
SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010
JACKSON CITIZEN PATRIOT
THROUGH THE LENS — THE SUNDAY PHOTO FEATURE
Diving into fun
Hannah Larson, right, helps Kyla Johnson, 5, to float in the Ella Sharp Park pool. Larson has been working as a lifeguard and swim instructor at the pool for two years.
Six-year-old Carter Kosmet, center, bites his tongue as he stands in line to jump into Ella Sharp Park pool Thursday.
Ella Sharp Park pool has been hosting swim lessons since 1975 Photographs and article by Nick Dentamaro ndentamaro@citpat.com —768-4955
Hold your breath, kick your feet and move your arms around. Of course, swimming lessons at the Ella Sharp Park pool are a little more involved than those three steps, but that’s a start. The pool has been hosting swim lessons since it opened in 1975, and instructors pride themselves on fun and playful lessons
that emphasize safety. “This place is a little gem in my mind,� Stephanie Keith of Mason said. Keith has been bringing her 12-year-old daughter, Rachel, to the Ella Sharp Park pool since Rachel was 2. Keith’s 4-year-old daughter, Hadley, is in the level 1 class, and Keith hopes Rachel will try to be trained as a junior lifeguard. “They are very safety conscious and make learning fun and playful,� she said. “That’s very important.�
Linda Crouch, community center supervisor and head lifeguard at the pool, has worked at the pool for more than 25 years. She said people come from all over the county for lessons. “My staff is wonderful,� she said. The swim instructors, all lifeguards at the pool, make the lessons fun, Crouch said. About 1,000 kids have been coming to the pool each summer to take swim lessons, Crouch said, but the instructor-to-child ratio is kept manageable to give each child a
safe environment in which to learn. Crouch said it’s especially rewarding when children get the hang of swimming. Registration for each two-week session takes place on the Friday before the session begins and must be completed in person. The next registration date is July 30, and the cost is $25. The two-week session will begin Aug. 2. Lessons and registration times are scheduled in 50-minute sessions from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
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celebrating
Above: Kyla Johnson, 5, comes up for air after doing five dunks in the shallow end of the pool. Left: Jaimie Brieger squirts a swim student with a squirt gun during free time at the end of the 11:00 a.m. lesson. Brieger said her job is great because she gets to be in the sun all day.