ST PAUL, Minn. — At the Jimmy Lee Recreation Center, home to Great River Water Park, parents and guardians lined up Monday to register their kids for free swim lessons set to occur this summer at some of St. Paul's outdoor pools.
"Yep, I've got a 5-year-old, Walter," St. Paul resident Peter Mason said. "We were swimming this weekend and he wouldn't leave the steps."
This is a first for St. Paul and a dream come true for David Albornoz, the city's aquatics facility supervisor who is also a swim coach and lifeguard trainer.
"I was born in Venezuela, so very close to the water," Albornoz said. "When I came over here, it was surprising to me how many communities did not know how to swim."
Recently back from a national conference on drowning prevention, he says his mission is to have "zero drownings" in St. Paul pools and lakes.
"Drowning continues to be a leading cause of death for children in this country," he said. "Over 4,000 kids die every year between 1 and 4, and most of those are disproportionately impacting communities of color … Removing the barrier to access is a significant element in preventing drownings."
On what the city calls April Pools Day, all swim activities at Great River Water Park were free for the day to mark the start of free summer lesson registration.
Registration opened at 9 a.m. but was fully booked within a couple of hours. To notify families, St. Paul Parks and Recreation put signs on the rec center doors, and posted the following statement online:
"We are thrilled to see so many Saint Paul families are enthusiastic about water safety, as is evidenced by the overwhelming demand we experienced for summer swimming lessons this morning. We can confirm that all lessons available online today filled within 2 hours of opening, including many that reached capacity within minutes.
We understand that some customers experienced technical issues, specifically related to what appeared to be an error message involving residential status. After looking into the issue, we can confirm that this message was incorrectly displayed as the default for classes that became full and was unrelated to residential status. We understand the frustration this may have caused and apologize for the confusion as we continue to adjust to our new registration system.
As is the case in previous years, we will be working closely with our community partners to enroll additional participants who have historically experienced barriers to water safety programs and recreation – as we continue to work towards our goal of achieving water safety equity across Saint Paul."
-Andy Rodriguez, director, St. Paul Parks and Recreation
Mayor Melvin Carter welcomed those who signed up in person, telling KARE the cost of their lessons are covered in the general fund.
"We've eliminated late fines in our libraries, and saw the number of people using our libraries skyrocket," Carter said. "We eliminated participation fees for youth sports, and saw the number of young people in youth sports skyrocket. We look forward to seeing the same results that we've gotten in all the other areas happen with regard to swimming."
Although lessons are fully booked in St. Paul, it will still be important to know how to swim in the land of 10,000 lakes this spring and summer.
"All drownings are preventable," Albornoz said.
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