With summer activities in full swing, the City of Tampa’s Parks and Recreation Department is offering free swimming lessons on Thursday as part of the 16th annual World’s Largest Swimming Lesson. The event will take place at four pools across Tampa starting at 10:00 A.M.
The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson is a global initiative aimed at preventing drowning, launched by the World Waterpark Association in 2010. “Every child deserves the chance to learn how to swim – it’s more than a skill, it’s a lifesaving tool,” said Aquatics Team Supervisor Louis Campanello. He added that events like this help bring national attention to the need for water safety education, especially in communities where drowning is a leading cause of preventable death.
Local non-profit organization Smile Like Aubrey supports the event. It advocates for drowning prevention awareness and self-rescue swim skills. Co-founder Matt Strojnowski shared, “In 2020, when everyone was adjusting to working from home, our family experienced the worst tragedy: the loss of our beautiful 16-month-old daughter, Aubrey.” He emphasized their commitment to preventing similar tragedies while celebrating Aubrey’s life.
Swimming is highlighted as a crucial skill for children and an essential measure against drowning—the leading cause of death for U.S. children aged 1-4 and second-leading for ages 5-14. From 2013-22, Hillsborough County recorded 235 unintentional drowning deaths, with Florida seeing 4,244 during that period according to www.flhealthcharts.gov.
The swimming lesson will be held at Copeland Pool (11001 N 15th St.), Loretta Ingraham Pool (1611 N Hubert Ave.), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pool (2200 N Oregon Ave.), and Cyrus Greene Pool (2101 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.). Media will be present at Copeland Pool.
Research by the American Academy of Pediatrics indicates that formal swimming lessons can reduce drowning risk by up to 88% for children aged 1-4. However, a survey by the American Red Cross in 2020 found that over half of Americans lack basic swimming skills or cannot swim.
For further information or general questions, contact the City of Tampa’s Parks and Recreation Department at their office on East Jackson Street or call (813) 274-8211.
