Summertime, and the livin' is easy… children are jumpin' and the sun is high… (paraphrasing Ella Fitzgerald's song).
The summer sun is high in the sky and it's warming up more each day; the very reason people are heading to public pools all over Orange County, and in particular in West Garden Grove at one of the city's three recreational swim areas: Gary Hall, Woodbury and Magnolia.
"One of these mornings you're gonna rise up swimming… spreading your wings and you'll take to the Olympics…
Summertime, and the livin' is easy… children are jumpin' and the sun is high… (paraphrasing Ella Fitzgerald's song).
The summer sun is high in the sky and it's warming up more each day; the very reason people are heading to public pools all over Orange County, and in particular in West Garden Grove at one of the city's three recreational swim areas: Gary Hall, Woodbury and Magnolia.
"One of these mornings you're gonna rise up swimming… spreading your wings and you'll take to the Olympics…
And that's just what one young lady did who began swimming lessons at age 2, at the Gary Hall swimming pool. She learned to swim well enough to join the Junior Olympic Water Polo Team, according to lifeguard Jaclyn Trom, who is also a water safety instructor and the program coordinator.
Trom said the objective of swim lessons is for children to learn and have fun in a safe, positive environment.
"We focus on the basics of swimming skills as well as safety," he said. "We go over life jackets, what to do if they fall into a pool and also what steps they should take if someone else needs help in the pool."
Trom points out that being a lifeguard is a fun job, noting she has been at Gary Hall pool for 10 years.
"It's a fun and enjoyable job," she said, "And I was a volunteer here two years before I became a staff member."
Trom shared that as a child, she took lessons in the Gary Hall pool and that some of her friends were in those classes and are still her friends today.
"Some of my friends are lifeguards too within Garden Grove," Trom said. "I credit what I'm doing today to my first swim lessons."
Lifeguards take instructional courses to become certified. They need to know First Aid, CPR/AED (defibrillator training) as well as knowledge of blood-borne pathogens. It's about keeping everyone safe.
Children 6 months and older to adults can take private, semi-private and group lessons. The younger the child, the lower number of students in the swim classes.
"Swimming is something children will remember for the rest of their life," Trom said.
Ain't nothin' can harm you in the water… if you can swim…
For pool information, the number at Gary Hall is 714-895-8689 or visit www.ggparksandrec.com. Beginning Thursday, July 9, those interested in lessons should go in person to the pool where they want to take lessons.
