Willow Glen Resident
News
ools are open to public and water is great
By Mayra Flores De Marcotte
Three-year-old Ethan Lu dips his feet into the aquamarine pool for the first time.
Ethan's swim lesson at Willow Glen Middle School is with another young boy named Gavin, and the two watch as their instructor shows them how to "blow out the candles" underwater, a technique to teach the youngsters how to exhale underwater.
The instructor moves on to the next lesson, showing them how to take a "nap" or float and then with a great splash, the youngsters "wake up."
"She knows how to play with the kids," says Megan Lu, Ethan's mother.
She watches as her son smiles and wipes the water off his face as he "wakes up" from his "nap" in the pool.
"It's important for him to know how to swim," Lu says. "The earlier he learns, the better."
This truth became clear to many after the incident at a Great America wave pool where a 4-year-old boy drowned this summer.
Swim lessons, along with prevention, are key, says San Jose aquatics supervisor Jeremy Shoffner.
"It's a different environment here," Shoffner says. "We work to be proactive and preventative. Our staff is trained to know how to react in similar situations, and if a child doesn't meet the height requirement of 48 inches, they cannot come into the pool without an adult or older sibling."
Shoffner has been part of the city aquatics department since he was 15 years old and has seen what works and what doesn't. He says interaction between swimmers and the staff is key.
"The community knows we need their help to address safety," he says. "We need them to talk to their lifeguards if they need something or have concerns. We're here to provide a service to the community."
At the middle school, there are eight certified lifeguards on duty at all times along with a manager and supervisor.
All staff members receive three full days of training, one site-specific training, along with biweekly training and testing.
Although this is the first year the middle school pool has reopened in two years, the hiatus has not affected attendance, Shoffner says. Attendance has been stable.
Eight pools citywide are open and available to the public this year, he says.
The two city-owned pools, Camden Community Center and Fair Swim Center are the only two out of the original 12 city pools that are open. The other pools were closed because of safety issues. There were not up to current codes. To solve the problem the city decided to rent six public school pools during the summer.
The six school sites include Willow Glen Middle School, Del Mar, Santa Teresa, Silver Creek and Piedmont Hills high schools and Peter Burnett Academy.
"There's a benefit to using existing facilities," Shoffner says. "For a nominal fee, it allows the kids to cool off in a structured and well-supervised environment."
Willow Glen resident Esther Trejo-Milioto is taking advantage of the middle school pool's summer lessons.
"I want them to be comfortable with the water," Trejo-Milioto says. "I want them to love it and not be afraid of it. I want them to feel confident."
Her 11-year-old daughter Rebecca has been taking lessons since she was 18 months old. Her 9-year-old sister, Rachel, started lessons at age 1.
The middle school pool, however, wasn't where the two girls began their lessons.
Trejo-Milioto started their lessons at the Camden Community Center but after talking with a local friend about the middle school's pool, she switched.
"It's convenient and close to us," she says. "The staff is wonderful. The manager is willing to work with you to make things work."
The size of the classes is also an important factor for Trejo-Milioto.
"They keep their classes pretty small," she says. "It's important, especially for parents who have their eyes glued to their kids, especially the little ones."
Trejo-Milioto never learned how to swim. She did not want her daughters to fall into the same trap. She wants to make certain her daughters are safe in the water from a young age.
"They can save me one day," she says.
