One of the best parts of the Row New York youth program is that participants learn to swim in addition to learning how to row! We’re excited to provide free swimming lessons every year to make sure our student-athletes are safe on the water and expand their range of life skills.
In conjunction with the Harlem YMCA and the Flushing YMCA each of our kids is required to pass a swim test consisting of six non-stop laps of the pool and then five minutes of treading water before they are allowed to row on the water. Each athlete is re-tested when they graduate from program to program to make sure they’re still safe to row.
We recently dropped in on one of the the Middle School Girls’ lessons at the Harlem YMCA and here’s what a few of them had to say about the experience:
“Moving my legs was the best thing they taught me. It’s really important to have good form if you have to be in the water for a long time. Before Row New York I didn’t know how to swim at all and it’s really useful that we got to learn because I swim a lot now.”
“It’s really cool because it helps you out in the future. Especially in rowing. When people don’t know how to swim they panic in the boat and that’s not good. It’s relieving to know that everyone can make it to shore.”
“It felt GOOD to move up to the next level! I haven’t swam since I was six so it was awesome to know that I could pick it up so quickly again. I want to know how to swim because I want to dive off of a diving board. I’ve always seen them at the pool and wanted to use them but never could. It’s really important to know how to swim because if you get pushed in the deep end of the pool or accidentally get too deep in the ocean you can feel safe and get out without help.”
“The most important thing I learned was that your arms are the most powerful so learning to use those properly is the most important. Also, you need to kick your legs near the surface so you can go faster and not sink. I got so much better today because she taught me those things.”
Row New York would like to thank the YMCA for working with us to provide these lessons. We’re as excited as our athletes are that they are developing into strong, confident swimmers!
