Aquatics

AT THE Y, WE BELIEVE THE ABILITY TO SWIM IS A CRITICAL LIFE SKILL.

When you learn to swim, you gain confidence, acquire safety /rescue skills and experience water activities you can enjoy for a lifetime. Throughout all stages, we teach students how to be safer and more comfortable in the water.  The YMCA of Greater Charlotte is the most accessible community resource to prevent drowning and encourage a lifelong enjoyment of swimming.

The Y is “America’s Swim Instructor”

More than 100 years ago, The Y introduced the concept of group swim lessons.  Each year, the Y teaches more than a million children invaluable water safety and swimming skills.

As one of the largest community-based organizations in the country, the Y owns or manages over 2,000 pools.  Thanks to its size and reach, the Y is in a unique position to help bridge the gap in the delivery of swim lessons and water safety education in the U.S.—especially in underserved communities.

In addition to water safety and swim lessons, the Y is a leader in competitive swim, and has been for more than 100 years when the first national YMCA swimming records were filed in 1907. Y Swim Lessons continue to evolve to better meet the needs of the people they serve. 

The latest evolution of Y Swim Lessons accommodates students of varying abilities to help foster a sense of achievement as swimmers’ progress between levels. Through this approach, advanced swimmers flow more easily to higher levels while swimmers who need more instruction can learn at their own pace. This results in more confident swimmers who stick with swim classes and develop a love for swimming that can last a lifetime.

Through competitive aquatics programs, participants experience achievement, feel a sense of belonging and build supportive relationships.

• Swimming motivates children to strive for self-improvement, teaches goal orientation and cultivates a positive mental attitude and high self-esteem.
   
• Swimming also teaches life lessons of sport and sportsmanship, so that children can learn how to work well with teammates and coaches and how to deal with winning and losing.