- 1111 Hewit St. • Hollidaysburg, PA
- 814-695-4467
- Mon-Thu: 5AM – 9PM
- Fri: 5AM – 7:30PM
- Sat: 7AM – 3PM
- Sun: 10AM – 4PM
The YMCA is the most accessible community resource to prevent drowning and encourage a lifelong enjoyment of swimming. The YMCA introduced the country to the concept of group swim lessons more than 100 years ago (1909), and each year, the YMCA teaches more than one million children invaluable water safety and swimming skills. Our YMCA’s instructors cover swimming skills, stroke technique, and water safety in a friendly and encouraging environment. With small instructor-to-student ratio, our swim lessons provide personal instruction in a fun atmosphere! No matter your age or ability, you can learn to swim and improve your swimming skills at the Blair Regional YMCA.
Follow the descriptions below to find the right level for your child, then register by clicking on the link. Remember, placing a child in the incorrect level will be a disservice to both the child and other class members. If you are not sure which level to place your child in, please contact our Aquatics Director at jlockard@blairregionalymca.org. If needed, a swimming instructor will be available to evaluate your child’s skills for placement into the appropriate swim lesson level. More information can also be found on the registration form for each lesson.
Scholarships are available for those who need assistance.
Parent and Me swim lesson are for children ages 6 months to 3 years old and up to two of their parents and/or guardians. This class is intended to introduce infants and toddlers to the aquatic environment through fun and confidence-building experiences such as exploring body positions, blowing bubbles, and learning basic safety skills. Meanwhile, Parents/guardians are introduced to water safety, drowning prevention, and the importance of supervision. Class goal is to enable both parent(s) and child to learn basic water safety skills needs to keep safe in the water and to learn to become comfortable in the water and develop swim readiness skills. ***Please note: a use of a floatation device will be use in class on a child until the instructor feels child is ready to go without one. Also, skills taught are not limited to the above mentioned.
Eligibility
Adult guardians learn about water safety, drowning prevention, and the importance of supervision.
$40/Member | $65/Non-Member
Available to Sign Up:
T/Th
12:45-1:15pm
Saturdays
11:00-11:30am
Stage 1 swim lessons are for beginner swimmers ages 3-5 who need to learn the basics of swimming. This class is intended to introduce non-swimmers to basic swimming and water skills such as: understanding water safety and pool rules, gaining self-confidence in the water, blowing bubbles from nose and mouth, floating on front and back, submerging completely under water, introducing front crawl, kicking legs, and jumping into pool safely. Class goal is to enable students to take skills introduced from assisted to unassisted and from use of floatation devices to swimming without one.***Please note: a use of a floatation device will be use in class on a child until the instructor feels child is ready to go without one. Also, skills taught are not limited to the above mentioned.
Eligibility-
$48/Member | $86/Non-Member
Available to Sign Up:
M/W or T/Th
3:00-3:45pm
6:00-6:45pm
Saturdays
9:00-9:30am
Stage 2 lessons are for children who have passed Stage 1 or who meet the eligibility requirements. This class is intended to build upon the swimming and water skills taught in Stage 1 and to introduce students to more challenging skills such as: unassisted entry and exit from pool, retrieval of objects from 3ft depth, throw and retrieve floating objects, front and black float with minimal assistance, short distances of front and back crawl, introduction of rotary breathing, and sitting dives. Class goal is to enable students to learn to swim without assistance, either from floatation devices or adult, so they can focus on personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency.***Please note: a use of a floatation device may be use in class on a child until the instructor feels child is ready to go without one. Also, skills taught are not limited to the above mentioned.
Eligibility
$48/Member | $86/Public
Available to Sign Up:
M/W or T/Th
4:00-4:45pm
Saturdays
10:00-10:30am
Stage 3 swim lessons are for beginner swimmers ages 6-up that need to learn the basics of swimming. This class is intended to introduce non/novice swimmers to basic swimming and water skills such as: retrieval of objects from 5ft depth, front and back float without assistance, roll from front float to back float, back crawl for half a length of pool, assisted front crawl with rotary breathing, and jumping into 5ft depth of pool. Class goal is to enable students to take skills introduced from assisted to unassisted and from use of floatation devices to swimming without one.***Please note: a use of a floatation device will be use in class on a child until the instructor feels child is ready to go without one. Also, skills taught are not limited to the above mentioned.
Eligibility
$48/Member | $86/Non-Member
Available to Sign Up:
M/W or T/Th
3:00-3:45pm
5:00-5:45pm
Saturdays
9:30-10:00am
Stage 4 lessons are for children who have passed Stage 3 or who meet the eligibility requirements. This class is intended to build upon the swimming and water skills taught in Stage 3 and to introduce students to more challenging skills such as: Retrieval of objects from 5ft depth and return to instructor, tread water for 1 minute or longer, unassisted front and back float, front crawl, back crawl, kneeling dives and jumping from diving block. Class goal is to enable students to learn to swim without assistance, either from floatation devices or adult, so they can focus on personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency.***Please note: a use of a floatation device may be use in class on a child until the instructor feels child is ready to go without one. Also, skills taught are not limited to the above mentioned.
Eligibility
$48/Member | $86/Public
Available to Sign Up:
M/W or T/Th
4:00-4:45pm
6:00-6:45pm
Saturdays
10:30-11:00am
Stage 5 lessons are for children who have passed Stages 2 or 4 or who meet the eligibility requirements. This class is intended to go beyond the fundamentals taught in the previous stages and to introduce students to more advanced strokes and techniques and water safety skill and such as: Treading water for 2 minutes or more, front crawl for 25 yards or more, back crawl for 25 yards or more, side stroke, elementary backstroke, standing dives and jumping from diving block into front crawl. Class goal is to enable students to master the fundamentals of swimming while improving their water safety skills and expanding their knowledge of stroke techniques and uses. ***Please note: No floatation devices will be used in these classes. Also, skills taught are not limited to the above mentioned.
Eligibility
$48/Member | $86/Non-Member
Available to Sign Up:
M/W or T/Th
5:00-5:45pm
Stage 6 lessons are for children who have passed Stage 5 or who meet the eligibility requirements. This class is intended to go beyond the advanced strokes, techniques and skills taught in the previous stage and to introduce students to even more advanced stroke and competitive swim techniques and such as: front crawl for 50 yards, back crawl for 25 yards, side stroke for 25 yards, elementary backstroke for 25 yards, standing dives into front crawl, and introduction for competitive swimming skills like Flip-Turns, Breaststroke and Butterfly. Class goal is to enable students to develop a mastery of swimming through stroke development, mechanics and techniques while incorporating prior knowledge of water safety skills. ***Please note: No floatation devices will be used in these classes. Also, skills taught are not limited to the above mentioned.
Eligibility
$48/Member | $86/Public
Available to Sign Up:
M/W or T/Th
6:00-6:45pm
Pre-Swim Team is for children who have passed Stages 4, 5, and/or 6 or who meet the eligibility requirements. This class-swim clinic hybrid is intended for those who have interest in joining the Blair Regional YMCA Tigersharks Swim Team. This course introduces drills and techniques that are regularly used in the competitive swimming environment. Skills focused on include but are not limited to: Freestyle with flip-turns, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly, as well as introducing competitive dives. Class goal is to enable students to develop a mastery of swimming through stroke development, mechanics and techniques while incorporating prior knowledge of water safety skills. ***Please note: No floatation devices will be used in these classes. Also, skills taught are not limited to the above mentioned.
Unlike typical group lessons, this class is only offered prior to our swim team seasons.
Dates and Times To Be Announced
We offer groups for Ages 5-10 and Ages 11 & Up
Once a swimmer has passed the Pre-Swim Team Swim Class, they will be offered a $50 voucher towards their swim team registration fee.
Those who do not pass will be recommended to continue with our Advanced 2 (Stage 6) lessons or private lessons and then join the swim team during the next season.
Eligibility
Ages 5-10:
$90/Member | $135/Non-Member
Ages 11+:
$150/Member | $225/Non-Member
If your swimmer, or yourself, would learn better in an individual session, private swim lessons are also available. The YMCA offers private and semi-private swim lessons for any age.
All Private and Semi-Private Swim Lessons are available in either four, half-hour lessons package or a single, half-hour lesson. Lesson instruction is based on needs of the individual.
The BRY does not currently offer packaged rates for swim lessons. If you need assistance with the cost of swim lessons, please check out the scholarships that are available.
Please refer back to the top of the page under “Choosing the Correct Swim Lessons.” Also, read through the descriptions of each lesson to see if it applies to your child. If you are unsure, you may always contact the Aquatics Director to gain better insight or bring your child in to do a swim test with one of the instructors to help place them. If your child starts a lesson that is not suited to their needs, the instructor will let you know on the first class so that you can either make a switch to an appropriate class in the same sessions or receive a credit for the lessons to be used on an appropriate class at a later time.
An active membership is not required, but our pricing structure is different for non-members. We encourage your child to have an active membership as there are so many great benefits by becoming a member, along with price savings for each monthly session.
Missed lessons on the part of the student will not be made up or credited/refunded. A student’s absence may be granted a credit in the case of extenuating circumstances provided they are submitted with proper documentation (e.g.: medical note). However, missed lessons due to weather, instructor absences, or BRY closure will be made up or credited/refunded. The Welcome Desk will handle all credits/refunds.
Each program is designed to strengthen and build upon the skills your child may already know and are being taught. Your child will progress and build new skills, while improving on old skills, each week based on their individual performance. Our instructors will continually challenge and support their progress by continuing the repetition of certain skills until they master them. Keep in mind, every child is different, so on cannot compare the skills of one child to another child in the class or level. Levels are designed so that children are grouped both age and skill level appropriate to induce a better learning environment. At the end of lessons, the instructor will be able to let you know whether your child would benefit from moving up a level or repeating the level they were in. Repeating a level does not mean failure! Remember, practice makes perfect and repeating a level, especially for those who are at the younger end of the spectrum, means perfecting their skills. As always, feel free to talk to your child’s instructor about their progress anytime during lessons.
Easy! You can edit your payment details any time by stopping by the Welcome Desk or calling in at (814) 695-4467.
We will make every effort to place your child in a class, but we do pride ourselves on safety and therefore simply adding another participant to a lesson time may not be within our instructor to child class ratio window. Please be patient and we will contact you as soon as a spot becomes available.
Please reach out to the Aquatics Education Coordinator with any additional questions: (814) 695-4467 (Extension 225).
Emma Rubritz
Aquatics Education Coordinator
Phone: (814) 695-4467
Extension: #223
Fax: (814) 695-1555
Jenelle Lockard
Aquatics Director
Phone: (814) 695-4467
Extension: #223
Fax: (814) 695-1555
AQUATICS DEPARTMENT
BLAIR REGIONAL YMCA
1111 Hewit St
Hollidaysburg, PA, 16648
Phone: (814) 695-4467
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