The city of Palmdale’s novice swim team, comprised of over 30 swimmers from the Palmdale Oasis and Marie Kerr Park pools ages 7 to 17, participated in the recent LA84 Summer Swim Festival on Aug 17 at the Santa Clarita Swim Complex and took home first place in the small agency category.
More than 900 swimmers from Palmdale, Ventura, Burbank, Carson, Pasadena and La Mirada, competed in the festival which included events in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly, as well as individual stroke and medley relays.
The Palmdale lifeguard staff that led the group of swimmers included managers Kiah Hixon, Kassidy Gerome, Olivia Ramirez and Cody Kewley; coaches Jaymie Newman, Cole Kewley, George Garibay, Ashley Williamson, Joel Landa and Luke Duran; and assistant coaches Madison Stines and Cole Elliot.
“Our swim program is something we work very hard at making a positive and successful experience for our residents,” said Jacki Nuss, Palmdale recreation coordinator. “To see these kinds of results from their lessons and training is quite rewarding. It was a great team effort.”
The LA84 Foundation Summer Aquatics Program provides basic instruction and competitive partnership with 14 different Southern California municipalities. Funding is used to support opportunities in swimming, diving, water polo and synchronized swimming.
Now in its 30th year, the LA84 Summer Swim Program reaches more children than it ever has before through its synchronized swimming. The program reaches 15,000 children between the age of 7 and 17 at 106 basic instruction and competitive opportunities in swimming, diving, water polo and pools across.
The Summer Swim Festival is part of LA84 Foundation’s efforts to promote swim safety. The statistics are staggering—70 percent of African-American children and 60 percent of Latino children cannot swim. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 10 people drown every day in the United States. Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the likelihood of drowning by 88 percent according to a study by Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
The novice swim program is offered through the Recreation and Culture Department. Registration opens in May, practices begin in June and each team practices Monday through Thursday during the program. The swim teams from Marie Kerr pool and Oasis pool participate in four swim meets leading up the annual LA84 event usually held the first week in August.
Learn more at www.la84.org
