The Division of Recreational Sports offers adult group, private and semi-private swimming lessons at the SERF and Nat. Classes are taught by Red Cross certified Water Safety Instructors. Lessons are open to all UW students, faculty, staff, spouses/domestic partners and Guest-Audit Students. Faculty, staff, spouses/domestic partners and Guest Students must pay the membership fee.

Registration for Spring 2008 Swimming Lessons at the Natatorium and SERF pools will begin on Monday, December 17, 2007.  Participants may register at the front office in the Natatorium or at the cashier’s desk in the SERF, but must do so at the building at which they intend to take lessons. 

$45.00 for a 10-week session.  Groups Lessons meet once per week for 10 weeks for a 45 minute class period.  Participants must pay at the time of registration.  Payments may be made using Cash, Check, VISA or Mastercard.  Please contact Phil Julson at 608-265-6222 or email aquatics@recsports.wisc.edu for more information.  Cancellations and refunds:  Participants may cancel their registration and receive a refund prior to their first day of class.  Refunds will not be given on or after the first day of the class.  Please call for more information.  No over-the-phone registrations will be taken.

Group Swimming Lessons for Spring 2008 will be held at the following locations and times beginning Sunday, February 10 through Sunday, April 27, 2008 at the SERF, and Tuesday, February 12 through Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at the Natatorium (skipping the week of Spring Break):

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The Beginner I class is designed for participants who have very little or no swimming experience and may be fearful or uncomfortable in the water of any depth. The course will provide instruction in basic water skills including comfortable entry, submersion, floating, breathing techniques, and an introduction to basic swimming strokes. The course is intended to help participant gain confidence and self-reliance in the water.

Class Components:

• Learn safe water entry and exit
• Learn to submerge, exhale, and open eyes underwater
• Learn basic breath control
• Learn to float on front and back
• Learn to change directions in the water
• Learn finning, sculling, and combined arm/leg action
• Introduction to front and back crawl
• Learn basic personal safety skills

Requirements:  None

Location: SERF

The Beginner II class is designed for participants who are comfortable in shallow water and can float without assistance, but have very little or no experience performing swimming strokes. The course is intended to provide participants the ability to swim a distance of 25 yards using one or more defined swimming strokes. Participants will be introduced to performing skills in deep water.

Class Components:

• Learn safe deep water and head first entry
• Learn rotary breathing
• Learn to glide on front and back
• Learn to recover from vertical to horizontal position
• Introduction to open turns
• Learn basics of treading water
• Practice and improve front and back crawl
• Introduction to breaststroke, sidestroke, and elementary backstroke
• Learn additional water safety skills

Requirements: Participants must be able to comfortably submerge head under water, float for 30 seconds on front and back

Location: SERF

The Intermediate class is designed for participants who are comfortable swimming in shallow water and have experience swimming in deep water. The course is designed to provide participants the ability to swim distances greater than 25 yards comfortably using more than one defined swimming stroke. Improving stroke technique to allow for continuous lap swimming is the primary goal.

Class Components:

• Learn shallow diving water entry
• Learn surface dives
• Learn to swim underwater
• Learn flip turns and streamlined positioning
• Learn multiple treading water techniques
• Practice and improve front crawl, back brawl, breaststroke and sidestroke
• Introduction to butterfly
• Learn survival swimming and diving safety

Requirements: Participants must be able to float on back for 1 minute in deep water, tread water for 2 minutes, and swim at least 25 yards of front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke.

Locations: SERF and Nat

The Advanced class is designed for participants who are confident in their swimming ability level in any water depth, and are interested in refining their stroke techniques and improving their endurance. This class focuses on the four competitive swimming strokes, and teaches methods for increased efficiency and speed in the water. Participants are also introduced to the basics of planning workouts.

Class Components:

• Improve endurance skills for all strokes
• Improve open turns and flip turns for all strokes
• Demonstrate etiquette in fitness swimming
• Use a pace clock
• Use swim training equipment
• Learn principles of setting up a fitness program
• Learn and demonstrate training techniques
• Calculate target heart rate

Requirements: Participants must be able to tread water for 5 minutes, and swim at least 50 yards of front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke.

Locations: SERF and Nat

Private lessons are taught one-on-one by a qualified instructor. Participants can sign up for as many sessions as they would like, but at least three lessons are encouraged. Private lessons offer flexibility in time, location, and content of the class. Please inquire at the Nat or SERF program office for more information and registration forms.

Semi-private lessons are taught for two participants by a qualified instructor.

Each 45 minute private lesson is $15.

Each 45 minute semi-private lesson is $25 per pair of participants.