28 October 2008

Good places to learn to swim?

| M2
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Hello dear all,

I would like my son (he is 7 years old) to learn how to swim, could you please help me find a clean pool with good teachers?

Thank you in advance.

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Hey m2,
+1 for kings for babies and dickson aquatic centre for adults.

I’m pretty sure the same theory applies for children..

Point Hut crossing. you just throw them in and they learn quick smart how to do the doggy paddle.

although I was in the bad books with my pup for teaching him this way…

Rowena Cocking in Narrabundah really turned our grand-kids strokes around after two disappointing years elsewhere

CISAC in Belconnen is well priced and professional

Rowena Cocking Swim School in Narrabundah.

Very good, small classes.

+1 for Kings in Macgregor, I’ve been taking my kids there since they were 6 months and we have had a few different instructors over that time and all have been excellent.

The fact that the pool is always really warm is great too (and yes, this will probably instigate speculation of the high urine content, haha)

I hear that the Oasis Leisure Centre is pretty good 😉

grunge_hippy7:41 pm 28 Oct 08

i used to take my toddler to erindale but i found the pool very cold and the classes very large, especially for babies.

i am looking into youngs now after people recommending it here, but working full time means saturday morning EARLY! why is it that all these saturday classes are so damn early!

Tuggeranong is opening again soon so that’s an option.

We’ve been taking our kids to Youngs at Kambah while Tugger’s has been closed and we’ll probably keep them there when it re-opens.

As a tip, my wife is a swimming instructor at CISAC, Tuggeranong and Civic and gets a lot of people requesting that their kids go into her classes. I think it’s because she is older (40’s) and has her own kids that she knows how to relate to them. The parents seem to love it and the kids are happier and learn more. As a tip, I’d suggest you watch a lesson or two ASAP and then get your kids into the class with a teacher you like. The center’s get a lot of complaints from parents who believe individual instructors (typically the younger ones) spend too much time stuffing around talking with the kids and not actually teaching.

agua harmony swim school is excellant – my son went there for years

thoroughly recommend Kings at Macgregor for reasons stated by others above. very personal yet professional.

BTW, King Swim Macgregor is managed by former Olympian, Chris Nunn. All staff make an effort to know the kids (and your) names too – from reception to instructors. It appears King Swim Calwell is still being built… King Swim website

youngs at kambah is fantastic. worth the short walk for me.

Another vote for Kings at Macgregor (6278 7868) in the old Shops site on Clode Crescent. Low instructor/child ratio, good training, purpose-built facility. Introductory lesson is free BTW – so go try it out for yourself without obligation (We did, and 3 years later we are still there).

I think I heard some talk that they are opening down south too – Calwell?

We had gone to CISAC before that, larger classes, but no other beef (except pay parking and distance)

got my very relatent 5 year old in the pool and swimming

relatent?

Looks like the one in Chisholm is also Youngs.

Kings at Macgregor are great – got my very relatent 5 year old in the pool and swimming

There is a swim school that operates out of a house in Lucy Gullett Circuit in Chisholm, that seems to be very popular.

How about for adults ??

Never really learnt how to swim as a child and I have been recommended to take up swimming as gentle exercise for a back injury ?

I live northside.

tylersmayhem3:02 pm 28 Oct 08

Hmmm, do you think they’ll employ lifeguards and swim teachers there tylers? I mean, what the heck, it’s only taxpayers money which comes for free!! Right?

Based on the facilities the centre is touting, then yeah – I’m sure they’ll probably have a lifeguard per swimmer. More quality tax payer funding.

I would not recommend CISAC, I had such a bad experience there with my 3 yr old that I never went back after the second lesson even though I had paid for the whole term.

Hmmm, do you think they’ll employ lifeguards and swim teachers there tylers? I mean, what the heck, it’s only taxpayers money which comes for free!! Right?

tylersmayhem1:09 pm 28 Oct 08

Yeah sure…The Alexander Maconochie Centre! They have a frickkin’ SWEET indoor pool!

A vote for Youngs in Kambah. Our son was at Erindale for a while, but Youngs is much better. Erindale had similar activities, but the instructors at Youngs actually took to the time to explain what each one was for so now we know what to do (and why) when we’re at the pool with him on the weekend.

Another vote for Youngs Swim School in Kambah – excellent staff, small classes and affordable.

Cisac always seem to have swimming classes on whenever i take my son there for a swim.

There are a few around. It could depend on whether you are northside, southside, etc. We have been taking our 3 kids to Young’s Swim School in Kambah for 5 years now and are happy with them. We have also done the swim programs at Tuggeranong Pool and CISAC (Belconnen) and the kids enjoyed them too. If your 7 year old is just starting I would recommend one-on-one until he gains confidence and is comfortable in a larger group at that age level.

It is actually quite difficult to get into a lot of swim schools. Continuing students tend to get first priority with enrolment and sometimes there can be no vacancies in the class best suited to your child.

I would be calling the closest pools geographically. They all seem to be accredited with Austswim pretty much anyway. They will probably want to assess your son’s water skills anyway, so you can also decide if you are happy with the cleanliness and professionalism of the pool.

Kings at Macgregor are the best. Even if you’re southside they’re worth the journey.

M2, firstly, which side of town are you on?

My advice is to join one of the swimming clubs – the list of all ACT clubs is on the ACT Swimming site here. (When I was a little tacker I swam with Woden, but most of them are pretty good).

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