Dive into Aquatics Programming at Rec Sports

Whether you’re dipping your toes in the water for the first time or fine-tuning your freestyle, the Rec Sports Aquatics team has made it easier than ever to dive in. Over the past year, Aquatics has expanded its offerings to better serve swimmers of all levels — from Adult Learn-to-Swim to new Private Swim Lessons.

Re-launching this semester, Private Swim Lessons offer one-on-one instruction tailored to the swimmer’s goals and ability level. Whether it’s learning to float, practicing new strokes or refining technique, the lessons will meet participants where they are.

“Private swim lessons are a great opportunity for everybody,” said Nate Skidmore, aquatics events and programs coordinator. “They allow for people of all levels of swimming ability to get personalized lessons. We have worked with people who are scared of the water all the way up to people who are training for triathlons and Ironman races.”

Previously, scheduling was a challenge. Finding mutually convenient times between participants and instructors wasn’t always easy. To fix that, the Aquatics team introduced dedicated lesson windows and session formats, making private swim more consistent and accessible.

“This semester was the first attempt at alternating between sessions of group lessons and two weeks of private lessons, and they were super popular,” Skidmore said. “We had patrons at all levels, and we were able to get new people to try not only our next section of group lessons but also gain the confidence to start swimming laps on their own during rec swim and start attending the cardio water classes that we host.”

He credits the success to aquatics’ skilled instructors, who have more time to build rapport with participants and personalize their teaching.

“We have some pretty amazing instructors who do a wonderful job in both the group setting and private lessons,” Skidmore said. “I have gotten so much positive feedback from patrons.”

For those who prefer a group setting, Adult Learn-to-Swim provides a welcoming, structured space for adults to learn how to swim for the first time or improve existing skills.

“You can come to this class and learn the basics like swimming, freestyle, treading water, bilateral breathing, depending on where you’re at,” said Instructor Isabella Carrillo ’26. “I don’t think anybody should be scared to come and tell me where their level is.”

Carrillo said one of the biggest challenges adults face is learning to relax and trust the water.

“It is uncomfortable to learn something else, and it does feel very vulnerable,” she said. “But we have really great lifeguarding staff — I was part of it. You have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, and you kind of just have to let your body go with the flow.”

She believes both programs fill an important need on campus and in the community.

“It’s an important life skill,” Carrillo said. “In terms of your overall health, it’s probably the safest, most lasting form of workout that you can do. The fact that we offer the classes here is something that is a very important part of our program, and it’s also part of trying to make things accessible.”

Between the success of Adult Learn-to-Swim and the return of Private Swim Lessons, Skidmore said the Aquatics team is excited about what’s next.

“I really think they had an immediate positive effect for Rec Sports,” Skidmore said. “I’m really excited to see how the private lesson program grows as we get the word out more and it gets more popular.”For scheduling information on both offerings, visit the Rec Sports aquatics website. Or, dive right in and register online for Aquatics classes and programs!