PALMDALE – The City of Palmdale’s recreation & culture department’s aquatics division is joining forces with the nation’s top water safety and training organizations to present The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ (WLSL), at 8 a.m. on Friday, June 20 at the Marie Kerr Park and Palmdale Oasis (DryTown) Park pools.
Ages 1 through 17 are welcome. Children under the age of 4 must be accompanied in the water by a parent or guardian. Participants may register for this free class online at www.cityofpalmdale.org or by visiting the recreation and culture office at 38260 10th St. East in Palmdale, Monday through Thursday from 10 am to 6 pm. Participants should arrive on location at 7:40 a.m.
Marie Kerr Park pool is located at 2723 Rancho Vista Blvd. The Palmdale Oasis Park pool at DryTown is located at 2850 E. Ave. S.
“We’re excited to be part of an event that helps build awareness about the importance of teaching children to swim to help prevent drowning,” said Aquatics Coordinator Jacki Nuss. “We will be part of a group of waterparks, pools and other aquatic facilities around the globe that will simultaneously attempt to break the Guinness World Record all for a good cause,” she said.
Swimming is a life-saving skill for children and a vital tool to prevent drowning, the second leading cause of unintended, injury-related death for children ages 3 through 14, according to Nuss. She said research shows if a child doesn’t learn to swim by the third grade, they likely never will.
“The WLSL was created to serve as a platform to help local community aquatic facilities and the many different national, regional and statewide water safety and drowning prevention organizations work together to tell this important story on a local and national level,” Nuss added.
For more information about the WLSL, visit www.worldslargestswimminglesson.org.
For more information about the WLSL event in Palmdale, contact the parks and recreation office at 661-267-5611 or email at aquatics@cityofpalmdale.org.