SIDNEY — Approximately 300 children took part in the Sidney-Shelby County YMCA’ s 31st annual water safety program this week, where they learned valuable life-saving skills in the water.
The program was presented free of charge to all area children, regardless of YMCA membership, and was sponsored by the Sidney Daily News, in cooperation with Minster Bank, Ruese Insurance and Fricker’s.
The theme for this year’s event was “Find Your Happy Place. Troll in and Swim.”
YMCA Aquatics and Youth Coordinator Jessica Elliot said floating is a safe resting position in the water, referring to it as the “starfish” pose. She hopes each child left with this life-saving technique.
Kelli Doty, the Sidney mother of three young participants, Connor, 11, Camden, 6, and Kinsley, 3, said all of her children had a great time in the water. Although this was Kinsley’s first year in the program, Doty said she loved being in the water.
Children 3-5 had to be accompanied by a parent in the water for instruction. Doty said this was the first year Camden participated without her in the water and that he greatly improved compared to last year, when she first became aware of his fear of water.
“The first year I think (Camden) still didn’t have any fear, but last year he was screaming and crying. He was scared to death,” Doty said. “I don’t think I recognized his fear of the water. The program helped me realize his fear. Especially, it’s good it’s the beginning of the year. So I was able to expose him more to the water, to swimming and good techniques.”
Elliot said Camden “came a long way” from when he cried and resisted the water to this year, when he jumped into the pool.
Tina Herring, of Sidney, mother of Charles, 6, and Elizabeth, 5, said, “It’s a great, free program that will help my kids be safer when they are around water.”
She said her children remembered the rescue portion well, which was when they practiced how to save someone. The instructors had the children use a flotation device such as a “noodle,” lie on their stomachs near the edge of the pool and extend the noodle out to the person in trouble. Then they reeled-in the person toward the edge of the pool to help save them and keep themselves safe, too.
“I would certainly recommend anyone to take part in the free program and capitalize on the opportunity,” Herring said.
For military wife Kristi Newman, who is in transition spending time with her parents in Anna while her husband gets things settled in Ohio near the Michigan boarder, this is the first time she heard of a water safety week program at a YMCA.
Newman enrolled two of her children, Layla, 8, and Max, 6, and was thrilled for them to have the opportunity to learn not only swim techniques, but safety around water.
“We’re always near water, usually. So it’s very important to me that my kids know about water safety and boat safety and how to act around pools and bodies of water,” Newman said. Her husband is in the Coast Guard. “I’m always looking for things like this. When I move places, I’m always looking for classes of this kind.
“I love that they are so very focused on water safety in the time given this week. They really tried to send that message home of how important it is to be safe around the water, with the kids,” said Newman.
Elliot said she thought the week went really well and expressed gratitude toward her volunteers and staff: “They put the breath of life into this program,” she said.
Joe Clark, a fourth-year volunteer from Sidney, also said the week went well.
“For some, the kids are new and the parents want to go (into the pool area) with the kids. And we can’t have that many people in the pool at one time. But once you explain it to them that the kids are never, ever left alone, then they are good. They are comfortable. For the most part they all have a good time,” Clark said. “I think they really liked the parent-child classes.”
First year volunteer Dawn Weiss, of Troy, who works at the Miami County YMCA, said, “It was fun; it went smooth. The kids are great. They are good.”
Fourth year instructor and lifeguard Sonia Jaziri, of Sidney, said the week was wonderful.
“The kids were so excited and happy to learn to be safe around the water. I’m glad they learned from us how to save their lives, if something happened. I enjoy the week and my job of teaching kids. … You see the progress. They feel more comfortable. Like with my group this year, they didn’t know how to blow bubbles or anything. At least they can float on their backs by the end of this week. That’s the least (that some learned). So some, they start swimming on their own. That’s wonderful,” said Jaziri.
Elliot hopes children sign up for swim lessons as a result of the week. The YMCA offers private, one-on-one; semi-private, of two or more; and group swim lessons. Many students are on the swim team, and Elliot said she would love to see more children join.
For information about swim lessons at the YMCA, call 492-9134.
