IC News

For several weeks during the spring semester, the Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium in Ithaca College’s Athletics and Events Center was filled with the sights of swimmers working on floating, dogpaddling, and holding their breath underwater.

While that might seem unusual for a college campus, the members of IC men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams weren’t alone. They were providing swim lessons for local children.

Each member of the team is assigned a child and works with them to set goals at the start of the seven-week program. That familiarity helps create a bond, which makes for better lessons.

“Having the same kid every Saturday means that they know you and they open up to you easier once they’ve had a few lessons,” said Joe Pezzini ’24, a member of the men’s team. “It’s nice to interact with the kids, practicing skills and having fun at the same time.”

While the lessons have a small cost — money the teams use to help fund trips to competitions — the main benefit to the program isn’t the funding.

“Our student-athletes really enjoy taking part in this,” said assistant coach Mike Blakely-Armitage. “It’s all really positive. We’re trying to develop a positive relationship with the community, and programs like this go a long way towards accomplishing those goals.”

As one of the few options for swim lessons offered since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic began, it’s incredibly popular.

“We had around 50 or 60 spots this year that filled in maybe 20 minutes,” Blakely-Armitage said.

Jon Gregory has two of his children enrolled in the program for several semesters and appreciated the one-to-one attention the kids got in the pool. Gregory’s daughter Raya commented that she learns a lot during her lessons, like how to kick in the water with a pool noodle.