Swim Lessons

Mini-Gators

We have a tradition at Nottingham of providing a session of free swim lessons to every child at Nottingham Swim Club. Lessons are provided from mid-June to mid-July, using a step-by-step progression to take kids from being a non-swimmer to one that can safely move through the water to competing as a Gator! (if they decide to...we hope they do!)

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Free Session

5 lessons

Since we opened in 1965, we have offered 1 free week of swim lessons to NSC children each summer. This was started by a member named Pat Fernades, who believed that every child at Nottingham should know how to swim and offered to provide lessons annually, up until the last summer of her life. We've continued her legacy by providing NSC children a session of free lessons every summer.

2024 Lesson Details

We are gearing up for another fantastic summer and are looking forward to working with your swimmers again!

2024 will have five one-week sessions from June 10th through July 8th.

Each child is entitled to one week of free lessons each summer. Parents who want additional lessons for their child(ren) can register for as many individual sessions as they choose, as space permits. However, PLEASE sign up for only one free and one paid session from the dates signups open on Monday, May 20th until June 3rd (two weeks later). After June 3rd, you may sign up your child(ren) for additional paid lessons if there is space available. If you sign up for more than two sessions during the initial two weeks, you will be moved to the waiting list to allow all members the opportunity to sign up.

We'll evaluate and place children into the appropriate class prior to their first session - see the class descriptions below.

First week of lessons (per child): free

Additional lessons: $15/session

To register:

1. Log into your membership account

2. Scheduling (top-middle of the menu bar)

3. Camps/Classes

4. Swim Lessons

5. Select the session(s) you want and sign-up on the right!

NOTE: You must bring your child to the pool the Friday before their 1st lesson for placement evaluation.

Session one’s evaluation will be held Friday, June 7th at 5PM.
Subsequent evaluations will occur on Fridays at 12:30 (only prior to a child’s first week of lessons).

Evaluations are held on Fridays so that lessons can start right away on Monday.

If you cannot bring your child to the evaluation at the assigned time, you can contact the swim lesson coordinator (contact information is in the lesson sign up description) to schedule an alternative time on Thursday or Friday.

Swimmers must be a minimum of 3 years old and be able to be away from parents, sit on the edge of the pool, and listen to instructors.

Any swimmer with long hair must wear a swim cap or have their hair pulled back with a hair tie.

During lessons, all parents/grandparents/guardians/siblings are required to stay under the main pavilion or in the grass. At no time should parents/granparents/guardians/siblings be in the chairs, small pavilions, or along the pool deck. The only exception is if there is emergency and they need to get their swimmer out of the water early.

There will be a Mini-Meet on Friday, July 12th for any swimmer who participated in lessons or mini-gators. More information on this event will be posted later.

Beginners

Non-swimmers

We want every child to gain a confidence in over-head water and have the skills they need to survive an unplanned over-head water event. So, beginners start with comfort and safety. Kids must be able to separate from parent without tears, sit for 5 minutes, and obey directions to begin. They will pass a skills test of jumping into the deep end, turning, paddling to the side and climbing out to pass to the next level. They'll have skills to survive a fall into deep water.

Swimmers

Stroke development

First, we will focus on foundational basics that'll build core skills before working on freestyle and backstroke. Advanced groups will focus on butterfly and breaststroke, diving, competitive starts and turns. We end the season with a fun mini-Gators training meet.

Once able to swim a legal 25 yd freestyle and 25 yd backstroke event, a child is ready to join the team next season!

Lesson Details

Lesson FAQs

FAQ's

How much do lessons cost?

Each child is entitled to one week of free lessons each summer; each additional week of lessons is $15 per week.

How do we sign-up for lessons?

Log into your membership account, click on "Scheduling", Camp/Classes, Swim Lessons, Session Sign-up.

How long do lessons run?

Each lesson is 30 minutes long and held from 12:00 -12:30. Each session consists of four or five classes (Monday through Friday; no class on Thursday, July 4th).

The first week of lessons will start on Monday, June 10th.

Subsequent weekly sessions start:

June 17th
June 24th
July 1st
July 8th

How many children are in each group?

Groups will have up to 7 children, depending on skill level and number of participants signed up. There will be up to 3 groups for lessons each week.

What group will my child be in?

Prior to your child’s 1st week of lessons, it is required that they are brought to the pool the prior Friday for a swim evaluation. Each child is only required to be evaluated before their first week of lessons. This is so that lessons can start right away on Monday.

For those signed up for the 1st session, evaluation will occur on Friday, June 7th at 5PM. Subsequent evaluations will occur on Fridays from 12:30 - 1 p.m. (only for children new to lessons).

If you cannot bring your child at the established evaluation times, please contact the swim lesson coordinator, Brian Polaski (contact information is in the lesson signup description) to schedule an alternative time on Thursday or Friday.

Children must be comfortable sitting on the side of the pool without their parent/ guardian to participate in swim lessons.

Parent-tot classes will not be offered this summer.

Can my child swim on the swim team?

Every child can swim on the swim team. They will be tested by the Mini-Gator or Gator Coach to see if they're ready for the swim team. To be a Gator, a child must be able to independently swim a 25 yard freestyle and a 25 backstroke.

Will Mini-Gators be introduced to competitive swimming? What is the Mini-Gator swim meet?

The Mini-Gator swim meet is an event held the last Friday of swim lessons (July 12th) to introduce our Mini-Gator swimmers to a fun swim meet atmosphere. Details about this event will be posted here in the near future. The swimmers will show off their new swimming skills by competing against fellow group members in a variety of events that use what they've learned throughout the summer!

Can I sign-up for private lessons?

A number of our Nottingham staff are available for private lessons. The lesson cost depends upon the individual instructor, but you can expect them to cost approximately $15-20 per session. Private lessons are scheduled at times when the pool usage is low.