Tens of thousands of people on five continents united to splash and flutter-kick their way to a fourth consecutive attempt to break the Guinness World Record™ and to help combat childhood drowning. City of St. Cloud hosted 123 participants for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ at the Chris Lyle Aquatic Center June 18. (Photo: City of St. Cloud)
City of St. Cloud Parks and Recreation’s aquatics staff coordinated St. Cloud’s participation in The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ (TWLSL) June 18 at the Chris Lyle Aquatic Center. This is St. Cloud’s third year participating in the attempt to break the Guinness World Record. Children and adults worldwide came together to be a part of the largest simultaneous swimming lesson and send the message Swimming Lessons Save Lives™.
“We focus on water safety year-round, but at a higher level as the summer months approach,” said Aquatics Supervisor Beth Walters. “Not only do we teach beginners how to be safe in and around the water, but we also refresh the skills of swimmers to help ensure that everyone is safer in and around the water to combat drowning. We offer several swim lessons, lifeguard apprentice classes, lifeguard classes, and lifeguard instructor classes. We encourage everyone to ensure they and their family members are prepared for a fun and safe summer this year!”
Last year, 119 people of all ages participated in TWLSL and 123 people participated this year. The WLSL lesson plan for participants includes safety, entry, breathing/submerging, floating, and strokes. Locally, infants to adults took part in the effort to break the record. The official WLSL participant counts will be released soon after the final counts. For details, visit www.worldslargestswimminglesson.org. For more information on St. Cloud’s water safety programs, call (407) 957-7287.
