If you have young children, then the chances are that they will at some point in their early childhood embark on a course of swimming lessons. But where should they go? If you ask around for recommendations among your friends, then you will start to see a common theme amongst the replies..."The water is too cold", "They don't speak English", or "The instructors won't even get in the water with our children!"
At La Lignière clinic in Gland, however, the swimming instructors at the Ecole de Natation have taken all these concerns on board, and are now offering private and small group lessons, which your children are likely to find infinitely more appealing!
Swimming instructor, Sarah Lailler, told knowitall.ch, "Since our pool is often being used for medical treatments, we keep the water temperature at 32 deg C every day. There is also a jacuzzi that the children can use which is kept at 34 deg C! So the children want to come in the water, rather than shirking on the side of the pool because they feel cold!"
She added, "Knowing that many of our novice swimmers, and even those in the intermediate classes, can feel a bit nervous in the water, we also like to reassure them by going in the water with them. They come to learn very quickly that water and swimming can be lots of fun and, with instructors beside them, they spend more time focusing on how to swim, rather than worrying about drowning!"
Both Sarah and her colleague, Samuel Tallon, speak English and French fluently so if a child doesn't speak one of the languages, they can switch to the other if needs be. Whilst some English-speaking mothers request that their children attend swimming lessons in French, to benefit from the extra language practice, others know that this a hurdle too far for their child, and prefer the reassurance of having lessons taught in English if possible.
Not only are children able to benefit from swimming lessons at La Ligniere - adults are very welcome too! Indeed, Sarah has a number of clients who have simply never learnt to swim before, or who just want to perfect their technique. At a recent Open Day held at the clinic, there were a number of adults also requesting group lessons, so if the demand is there, Sarah will make every effort to accommodate them!
Swimming lessons are held at the pool from Sunday to Wednesday, in the afternoons. Collective groups for children from the age of 4 years are limited to a maximum of 5 per group, with groups being organized according to 10 different levels of ability rather than age. At the time of writing, group classes are organized from Monday to Wednesday, with private lessons on Sundays, plus the occasional private lesson scheduled in between group lessons on other days:
Sunday: 15h to 19h
Monday: 16h to 18h
Tuesday: 16h to 18h
Wednesday: 14h to 18h
Group classes are 45 minutes long, while private classes are 30 minutes, although adults can request an hour if they wish. Normally children are expected to enrol for classes for the whole year, to ensure minimum disruption to existing classes. However, since Sarah and Samuel are developing the swimming school at the clinic, they will exceptionally accept new children from the beginning of January to the end of June and, with the help of a private lesson first, make sure that new participants are scheduled into the right class for their ability, to cause minimum disruption to others.
The costs for enrolling in swimming lessons, beginning on the following dates, are:
Monday 4 January: 1410.-CHF for 21 lessons of 45 minutes
Tuesday 5 January: 1345.-CHF for 20 lessons of 45 minutes
Wednesday 6 January: 1345.-CHF for 20 lessons of 45 minutes
If you don't want to commit to a long series of classes, then Sarah and Samuel also run camps for children, which include daily one-hour classes running over a week. With a maximum of 8 children per group, these classes typically cost around Fr. 210.- per week-long camp. Camps are usually run in April (for 2 weeks), summer (during most weeks of the holiday period), and October (for 2 weeks).
If you're not sure what to do with yourself whilst your child is in swimming lessons, then you should seriously consider joining the Centre de Santé at the clinic as well! At least give it a try. The clinic offers a free taster session for each of its main activities, namely fitness, aqua gym and swimming. If that doesn't appeal, then why not give yourself a treat and book a massage? There are lots of options and forfaits to suit all budgets!
And just in case you're not sure about the swimming lessons, this is what parent, Pandora Busch, told knowitall.ch about the lessons her children have been receiving at La Lignière, "My three children, ages 5, 8 and 10, have been taking swimming lessons for nearly a year. In that time, their progress has been phenomenal. They taught my daughter to swim at the age of 4. She was confident and able very quickly. Now at the age of 5, she is diving, swimming on her back and front learning her strokes. My boys share their lessons and they are both extremely strong swimmers. Their strokes are reaching perfection, their dives are fluent and they are confident, keen and enthusiastic swimmers."
She added, "I am thrilled with the level of service and professionalism provided by their teachers and organisers. For example, the teacher Sarah Lailler very kindly took time from her own schedule to make up a swimming lesson when we were unable to attend a scheduled lesson. I am most grateful for their commitment and patience with my children. My children look forward to their weekly lessons and enjoy every moment."
Ecole de Natation
La Lignière Centre de Santé
La Lignière 5
1196 Gland
022 999 65 81 (swimming)
022 999 64 65 (Centre de Santé inc. Massages)
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www.la-ligniere.ch
Group and private lessons, Sundays to Wednesdays
