Women's Swimming & Diving: Making a splash

Such was the scene during the last day of the women’s swimming and diving team’s “SPLASH: Swim Safe Week” last Thursday.

The week is run in conjunction with the Princeton Family YMCA, through which local families signed up their children to participate in the event.

The program, which lasted from March 23 to 26, involved members of the women’s swimming and diving team teaching the kids about pool and water safety, basic strokes and pool games, this year’s event coordinator freshman Erin Kiernan said.

Kiernan noted that a few members of the men’s swimming and diving team and two women’s water polo players pitched in as well.

“The entire [women’s] swim team is required to work [the event],” she said. “It’s one of the really great traditions we have on the swim team. It’s officially our first week in the offseason, and it’s a really great way for use our skills and train.”

“The general idea of SPLASH week is to work with the kids throughout the week, either to conquer their fear of the water or to teach them new skills with their strokes,” Kiernan added.

Princeton YMCA spokesperson Denise Soto explained that the YMCA began advertising the program this year by focusing on the Princeton Nursery School before branching out their efforts. She said the program “is a winning system annually, and it continues to get better.”

The program, which was free, was touted by a YMCA statement as a “family swim event designed to help kids stay safe and healthy at the beach, pool or water park this summer.”

The program is also intended to educate parents on “how to avoid heat stroke, sunburn and other summertime discomforts, any of which can put a real damper on summer fun,” according to the statement.

Soto added that the relationship between the women’s team and the YMCA “has been established for a long time. As far as we know, from our end, the team really enjoys it.”

On a given day, children spent an hour in or around the water. A new round of kids took to the pool after each hour-long session.

At the end of both sessions on Thursday there was a prize ceremony in which the participants received medals and certificates acknowledging their accomplishments.

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Freshman Mary Killian, who volunteered, said the program was useful because it “teaches the kids that it’s not so scary to swim, and it can be fun once they learn how to keep themselves safe.”

“I think the kids had fun,” she added. “As long as they’re having fun, they’ll want to get into the pool.”

Kiernan characterized the week as “a great success. All the girls enjoyed themselves, and the kids were very excited.”