The beginner level is for swimmers who are not yet comfortable putting their faces in the water. This is a very common hurdle for children to overcome, and stroke work cannot really happen until the child is willing to immerse his or her head. While seemingly a simple activity unrelated to actual swimming, bobbing is meant to get a child used to putting his or her head underwater. The beginner level also includes teaching a child to float – both on front and back – and kick.

Intermediate level is for swimmers who are ready to learn the basic strokes of swimming: freestyle (crawl), backstroke, and beginning breaststroke.

Advanced is for breaststroke, butterfly and overall stroke refinement. Advanced is a great place for swim team members to work on racing form.

Please see our level descriptions below for additional details.

They are all trained by a certified instructor, and most are certified lifeguards with training in CPR/AED.  There is also a lifeguard on duty at all times during swim lessons.

We try to have no more than five swimmers per instructor. If we get more than five we will try to add an instructor. However, we do not have unlimited pool space or instructors, so classes will be capped at some point.

No. We do not allow parents in the pool during swim lessons and do not offer parent/tot lessons. If your child is not independent enough to be able to hold on to the side of the pool by him or herself, or will cry if separated from you, he or she may not be ready for lessons this year.

It depends on the child. Some children are ready at three and others are not ready at age five. The child must be able to hold onto the side by him or herself and take instruction from an instructor who is not their parent.

Swim team is governed by league rules forbidding non-members from participating on the team.

Swim team is a great place for kids to improve stamina, enjoy a team experience and practice strokes, but lessons offer more individualized and focused attention on stroke technique.

Oregon mornings are often chilly and the pool is not fully in the sun until about noon. However, the pool temperature is set to 86 degrees, which most children find warm enough even on those brisk mornings.