BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Colby Pearson is spending his summer competing with the swim team at the Rio Bravo-Greely School District for the first time.
"It's fun and there's a lot of fun stuff to do, and I think it's fun to swim and get better at it," said Colby. "I think I've been getting better at swim a lot."
Colby's mom, Niki Pearson, says his grandmother taught him how to swim at a young age and she's seen his skills in the water improve since joining the swim team.
"Seeing him do his swim test, at the beginning he was very unsure. He has to go along the whole 25 yards of the pool, which was a lot for an 8-year-old, even with water experience," said Pearson. "So just seeing where he started and where he is now is huge."
This week's triple-digit heat means more people will be headed to the water to cool down, but without proper water safety awareness, there could be serious risks, especially for younger swimmers.
Experts recommend improving water competency skills by taking swim lessons, and always swimming where there are lifeguards present in order to stay safe.
Guarded swim is something the Rio Bravo-Greely School District swim team offers, according to Coach Cory Corrales.
"This is our 50th season. We didn't get to swim in 2020 but other than that, it has gone every year, and every year the pool is open to the public for swimming lessons and free swim," said Corrales.
Corrales took over the swim team this year after her father, Ed Edgemon, began the program in 1973. She says every year in May, the pool opens swim lessons to students in the district first, and then the general public a week later.
Swim instructor and lifeguard Aydee Arredondo began swimming for the rec team in Wasco, eventually working her way up to swim for Bakersfield College. She says she wanted to use her experience to help others in the community.
"It is a very important job to have, and you have to take it seriously because anything can happen at any second," said Arredondo.
Kristyn Feola, another lifeguard and swim coach, agrees, adding that parents should keep calm in the event of an emergency.
"If a kid sees that you're scared, they're going to think, 'Oh, it was scary,' and they'll be scared for life of the water, and we don't want that," said Feola.
A total of 4 coaches work with 4 kids each, teaching them how to blow bubbles and float, then moving on to learn kicks and take longer swims.
The coaches make water safety a priority, and that helps parents like Pearson feel comfortable letting her son spend time at the pool.
"I usually sit out here at a lot of the practices, so I see how they work with them, and they are definitely… safety's always first. There's always someone with the kids," said Pearson.
Colby Pearson will compete this weekend in the Championship Meet for the rec division.
For more information about swim and water safety, there are a variety of resources online:
Learn about the 5 Layers of Protection from the National Drowning Prevention Alliance.
Brush up on tips for making your home swimming pool as safe as possible from the American Red Cross.
Take the Pledge to commit to pool safety with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
