Swim school celebrates 35th anniversary with project launch
Miracle Swimming for Adults (MSA) has announced its plan to teach all non-swimming adults in Sarasota County to be safe in water over their heads, beginning with classes at its pool this spring.
“Given the prevalence of water around Sarasota, it is advisable that all people be safe in it,” a news release points out. “A person may only need to know how to swim once.”
“The learn-to-swim system developed by MSA in 1983 differs from traditional lessons in that it does not teach strokes, but rather comfort, ease, confidence, and panic-prevention,” the release continues. The Sarasota nonprofit “guarantees success for all students. Students learn complete confidence and the ability to rest and stay in deep water as long as they wish, calmly,” the release adds. “They ‘graduate’ when they rest peacefully in water over their heads for five minutes out of reach of any wall and say they can swim.”
In an effort to counter that, this spring and summer, MSA graduates will give free talks to community groups about the Miracle Swimming system, the release says. Additionally, people may observe MSA classes for free at the nonprofit’s facility on McIntosh Road in Sarasota. MSA has a large, warm outdoor pool and 2-foot pool, the release notes.
The MSA program includes two sessions, the release explains. Each has eight, three-hour classes. “Together, the two sessions typically bring students to comfort and safety in deep water,” the release points out.
MSA will charge $600 per session to cover its expenses. “MSA plans to offer financial assistance for those who prove need,” the release adds. Students learn at their own pace: Some finish in one month; most take two months and some, three months. No time limit is imposed on learning, the release stresses.
“When parents learn to swim, chances are almost 90% higher that their children will learn to swim,” the release points out. “MSA believes that adults are the most important population to teach to swim,” the release says, since they are responsible for their families’ safety. “MSA defines learning to swim as becoming safe in water over one’s head. Strokes can be learned once one can swim,” the release notes.
Full details of the program will be available by April 1, the release says. For more information, call 921-6420 or email info@miracleswimming.org. For more information about Miracle Swimming for Adults, visit the website, miracleswimming.org.
Yes! And of the 10 people who die each day from unintentional drowning, 7 to 8 of them are adults.