While the local pools are closed up and emptied til spring, you don’t have to hang up your child’s suit just yet. Summer swimming is a blast, and Madison is known for being an amazing swim city. Many local kids sign up for team, and many others hit the pool to cool off on a regular basis. No matter how many times you packed up your summer swim bag with towels, sunscreen, snacks and goggles, it still seems like the summer flew by way too fast, and it’s always a bit sad to realize pool days are done for another year.

But wait! Just because outdoor pools don’t exactly mix with our harsh Wisconsin winters, doesn’t mean you can’t hit the pool ALL year long. In fact, indoor pools are a treat and swim lessons indoors are often easier and less chaotic than their summertime counterparts.

Here are 3 reasons to stick with swimming after summer ends:

1. Consistency. Yep, keeping your kids in year-round lessons doesn’t just give them a chance to splash in the water each week. It helps keep their skills in tip-top shape for next summer, especially if your child is planning on joining a team next year. By continuing to practice essential swim skills, strokes and safety measures, your child won’t have the dreaded school-year-swim-slide that happens when lessons take pause for 9 months.
2. Exercise. Swimming is great exercise for a full body workout. Kids spend most of their day learning, and having a chance to splash, kick, swim and enjoy the water is an amazing way to squeeze in both fun and exercise at the end of the day. As your child moves up levels, the intensity of lessons increases, too, giving kids longer distances to swim at a time. Perfect for prepping them for next year’s swim team, a triathlon, or just building up their overall endurance.
3. Confidence. When it comes to swimming, confidence means different things to different swimmers. If you have a hesitant swimmer, or a young child new to lessons, skipping school-year lessons may mean they are nervous to get back into the water down the road. For older, more experienced swimmers, swimming builds confidence as they move through levels, beat their personal best swim times and learn new skills. Swim is an excellent opportunity to build confidence in young adults, and gives them a safe place to grow as an athlete in a small group. 

We hope you find a way to enjoy the water this year – either through lessons or a trip to an indoor pool or waterpark. For more information about swim lessons at SwimWest, please call 608-831-6829.