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A water accident can happen in an instant. Here at the Skagit Y, we are working hard to ensure all youth can participate in lifesaving swim lessons.
Stage A: Water Discovery
Swimmers must be accompanied by one adult parent/guardian in the water at all times throughout this class.
This stage introduces infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment.
Stage B: Water Exploration
Swimmers must be accompanied by one adult parent/guardian in the water at all times throughout this class.
In this stage, we will focus on exploring body positions, blowing bubbles, and fundamental safety and aquatic skills.
Summer Swim Lessons: Swim Basics
*Swimmer must be comfortable on front and back in the water working with an instructor without a parent.
*Swimmers entering this Stage must be comfortable on front and back in the water working with an instructor without a parent.
This program offers swim lessons in a two-week intensive schedule. Swimmers are assessed on the first day of class and grouped with students of similar ability. Intended for swimmers in Stages 1 through 3.
Stage 1: Water Acclimation
*Swimmer must be comfortable on front and back in the water working with an instructor without a parent.
*Swimmers entering this Stage must be comfortable on front and back in the water working with an instructor without a parent.
This stage increases students’ comfort with underwater exploration and introduces basic self-rescue skills performed with assistance.
Stage 2: Water Movement
*Swimmers entering this stage must be able to:
- Submerge (bob) independently
- Front and back glide with assistance for 5 feet
- Front and back float with assistance for 10 seconds and recover independently
- Roll back to front and front to back with assistance
- Exit the water independently
- Jump, push, turn, grab with assistance
- Swim, float, swim with assistance for 10 feet
*Swimmers entering this Stage must be able to:
- Submerge (bob) independently
- Front and back glide with assistance 5 feet
- Front and back float with assistance for 10 seconds and recovery independently
- Roll from back to front and front to back
- Exit the water independently
- Jump, push, turn, grab with assistance
- Swim, float, swim with assistance for 10 feet
In this stage, students focus on forward movement in water and basic self-rescue skills performed independently.
Stage 3: Water Stamina
*Swimmers entering this Stage must be able to complete the following skills unassisted:
- Submerge and look at object on the bottom
- Front and back glide 5 feet
- Front and back float for 10 seconds
- Roll from front to back and back to front
- Tread water near the wall for 10 seconds and exit
- Jump, push, turn, grab
- Swim, float, swim for 5 yards
*Swimmers entering this Stage must be able to:
- Submerge and look at an object on the bottom independently
- Front and back glide for 10 feet
- Front and back float for 20 seconds
- Roll from front to back and back to front
- Tread water for 10 seconds near the wall
- Exit the water independently
- Jump, push, turn, grab independently
- Swim, float, swim for 5 yards independently
This stage develops intermediate self-rescue skills performed at longer distances than in previous stages.
Stage 4: Stroke Introduction
*Swimmers entering this Stage must be able to complete the following skills unassisted:
- Submerge and retrieve an object in chest-deep water
- Swim 10 yards on front and back
- Roll back to front and front to back
- Tread water for 30 seconds and exit
- Jump, swim, turn, swim, grab for 10 yards
- Swim, float, swim for 15 yards
*Swimmers entering this Stage must be able to complete the following skills unassisted:
- Submerge and retrieve an object in chest-deep water
- Swim 15 yards on front and back
- Roll back to front and front to back
- Tread water for 1 minute and exit
- Jump, swim, turn, swim, grab for 10 yards
- Swim, float, swim for 25 yards
This stage introduces basic stroke technique in front crawl and back crawl and reinforces water safety through treading water and elementary backstroke.
Stage 5: Stroke Development
*Swimmers entering this Stage must be able to complete the following skills unassisted:
- Front crawl with rotary breathing for 15 yards
- Back crawl for 15 yards
- Elementary backstroke for 15 yards
- Breaststroke kick for 15 yards
- Butterfly kick for 15 yards
- Tread water with a scissor & whip kick for 1 minute
- Sitting dive
- Swim any stroke or combination of strokes for 25 yards
This stage introduces breaststroke and butterfly and reinforces water safety through treading water and sidestroke.
Stage 6: Stroke Mechanics
*Swimmers entering this Stage must be able to complete the following skills unassisted:
- Front crawl with rotary breathing and bent-arm recovery for 25 yards
- Back crawl for 25 yards
- Breaststroke for 25 yards
- Butterfly with simultaneous arm action & kick for 15 yards
- Elementary backstroke for 15 yards
- Sidestroke for 25 yards
- Tread water with a scissor & whip kick for 2 minutes
- Kneeling dive
- Swim any stroke or combination of strokes for 50 yards
This stage refines stroke technique on all major competitive strokes and encourages swimming as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Aquatic Conditioning: Swim Team Prep
*Swimmers entering this Stage must be able to complete the following skills unassisted:
- Front crawl with a flip turn, 50 yds
- Back crawl with a flip turn, 50 yds
- Breaststroke, 50 yds
- Butterfly, 25 yds
- Elementary backstroke or sidestroke, 50 yds
- Retrieve an object off the bottom of the deep end & tread water, 1 minute
- Standing dive
- Swim any stroke or combination of strokes for 150 yards
This stage continues to build endurance and stroke technique on all major competitive strokes and encourages swimming as part of a healthy lifestyle for teens who have passed all previous stages. Swimmers will work on developing the following important milestones:
Developing endurance in the competitive strokes
Developing skills related to competitive swimming, such as flip turns, starts, and finishes
Enhancing skills and building endurance