Swimming Lessons
**Please note that for summer 2024, swimming lesson levels “white”, “green”, “yellow” and “red” require that a parent accompanies a child in the water at all times.
Olympic Way Swimming lessons are a great way to learn how to swim or improve your stroke while having fun in the summer pool. Wide ranges of swimming levels are taught at Valois. Whether your child has never swum before or only needs to perfect their stroke, they will find a suitable level at Valois Pool. If you aren’t sure which level to put your child please request an evaluation by a lifeguard before the session starts.
If you have any questions regarding lessons this summer, or need to indicate what level your children should be in or what time you would prefer (please provide 1st and 2nd choices) you can reach the lifeguards at a dedicated email address: lessons@piscinevaloispool.ca
The inbox is checked regularly throughout the spring and summer.
Parent & Toddlers (6-24 months)
Parent & Toddlers provides a gentle introduction to the shallow end of the big pool for little ones with Mom or Dad. It is quiet splash and play with one of the lifeguards coordinating the fun and games.
The following Olympic Way descriptions were taken from the Swimming Levels – The Olympic Way Inc. page on the City of Pointe-Claire website.
WHITE (2-7 years)
- children must be 2 years old before the start of the session.
- Jump from side with bubble on, unassisted
- Swim 12 m (1 width) with bubble on, forward swimming arms with directional control.
- Blow bubbles while swimming with bubble on.
- Swim 2 m unassisted (no jump), face in the water.
- Back float with head assistance
YELLOW (3-7 years)
- Jump in, unassisted.
- Demonstrate a front and a back glide – push off the wall, body at surface.
- Swim 12 m unassisted with no bubble, face in water.
- Front float and back float, unassisted (5 seconds).
GREEN (4-11 years)
- Push off wall streamline with kick – 6 m.
- Swim Front Crawl – 12 m (1 width) with face in water and arms out, begin breathing to the side
- Endurance swim – 24 m continously.
- Backstroke kick – 12 m (1 width) with head back and horizintal body position.
- Rolling floats (front to back, back to front).
- Retrieve item from bottom of pool.
RED (5-15 years)
- Submerged push off into streamline kick.
- Front Crawl – 25 m with breathing to the side, full arm extension and finished pull.
- Backstroke kick – 25 m horizontal body position, feet break surface of water.
- Backstroke – 12 m (1 width) with flat body position, straight arm recovery.
BLUE (6-16 years)
- Push off wall streamline position (back).
- Front crawl – 50 m bilateral breathing.
- Backstroke – 25 m continuous and alternating arms.
- Breaststroke kick – 25 m proper turnout of feet, forward propulsion.
BRONZE (7-16 years)
- Front Crawl – 50 m proper catch, pull, finish
- Backstroke – 50 m shoulder roll, steady kick
- Breaststroke – 50 m coordination of pull-breathe-kick-glide
- Introduction to starts
SILVER (8-16 years)
- Front Crawl – 75 m
- Backstroke – 75 m underwater arm action with catch-pull-finish
- Breaststroke – 75 m proper arm mechanics and timing
- Butterfly kick – 50 m legs together, full kick from hip
- Introduction to butterfly arms
- Introduction to flip turns
GOLD (9-16 years)
- Front Crawl – 100 m
- Backstroke – 100 m
- Breaststroke – 100 m
- Butterfly – 50 m proper arm mechanics and timing