The “Y” swim lessons teach upstate children water safety

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – (WSPA) – Warmer weather is here and that means families may be planning trips to the pool or beach.

The Spartanburg YMCA wants to make sure your children stay safe while they have fun.

It’s never too early to put your children in swimming lessons.

The “Y” has classes for everyone from toddlers to adults.

Children learn how to float on their front and back.

They are taught how to put safety skills together.

One technique that helps children if they fall into the water is called “jump, turn, push and grab.”

Susan Luhrsen, Spartanburg YMCA Aquatics Director, says most children get into trouble with drowning only two to three meters from the side of the pool.

She says 800 children in the United States drown each year.

Luhrsen says many of those incidents happen from May through August.

It is also important for parents to be alert when their children are swimming.

Luhrsen says a phone can be a distraction and the difference between safety and danger.

The “Y” has evening classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and morning classes on Saturday.