Think learning to tread water might be better accomplished in a group lesson?
Sink your water wings into this idea: tens of thousands of kids and adults at aquatic facilities around the world uniting for swimming lessons — all on a single day.
The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson is a global event set for June 24, including an estimated 500 locations in more than 20 countries. The Wes Deist Aquatic Center is the official host location facility for the WLSL 2016 event here in Idaho Falls.
Lessons are scheduled in 30 minute blocks starting at 9 a.m. Registration is required, but the event is free to the public.
To sign up, visit www.activityreg.com, call (208) 612-8519 or visit the Aquatic Center at 149 7th Street.
Over the past seven years, the event has generated a following of 155,000-plus and has resulted in more than half a billion media impressions about the vital importance of learning to swim. Last year’s celebration included 38,170 participants from 22 countries.
Swimming is a recreational treat for most of us, but it’s also a means of survival. According to federal statisitics, drowning accounts for 3,500-plus deaths per year in the United States, and about one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger.
On the upside, studies show that lessons can reduce drowning risk by 88 percent among children ages 1-4.
Learn more about the event at www.wlsl.org.