Adult swimming lessons offered at SRSC

Some students take swim lessons and summers by the pool for granted. However, there are plenty of children who never learn to swim.

The Student Recreational Sports Center is trying to change that.

“Everyone should learn how to swim,” said Kellen Edelbrock, the interim assistant director for Aquatics. “There might be a situation where they need to use safety techniques and lifesaving and rescue.”

The SRSC is offering swimming lessons not only for children, but for IU students and faculty who do not know how to swim or cannot swim well.  

Edelbrock, who has served in his position for two years, said most students who take adult swimming classes at the SRSC are foreign students.

“I want to improve my strokes and increase endurance,” said Pei-Chun Hsieh, a third-year doctoral student.

Though Edelbrock wants people to take the lessons in case of emergency situations, many of the students take them because they want to improve their technique.

Bridget Edwards, a member of the IU staff, said she’s taking the lessons because she wants to learn to swim. Edwards swam when she was younger, even without formal lessons.

She said she had signed up to take lessons, but that martial law had been imposed because of riots, and the lessons had been canceled.

“That didn’t stop me from being in the water,” she said.

Giovanni Zanovello, a visiting faculty member from Italy, said he is taking lessons because he wants to become a better swimmer.

“They motivate me to come exercise,” he said. “I’m very happy with them.”

Despite that he swam when he was younger, Zanovello has come to every session all year.

“I want to improve my style and improve my workouts,” he said.

Like Zanovello, graduate student Thilina Gunarathne had the opportunity to learn to swim when he was growing up in India.

Unlike Zanovello, however, he didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. Like many others, he comes to the lessons to improve his style.

“We’re trying to teach technique development,” Frank White, a junior who teaches the B-level students, said.