Lutes Companion with Native Neighborhood in Swim Safety Series

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TACOMA, Wash. — The Pacific Lutheran University swimming applications gave again to the local people throughout the month of September, partnering with No More Under for a Swim Safety Series geared for low revenue households in the local people. 

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), ‘drowning is the second main reason behind unintentional damage dying for kids ages 5-14.’ No More Under is working with schools and universities like PLU to forestall drownings and improve water security.

No More Under is a drowning-prevention non-profit group whose mission is to save lots of lives via accessible water security and swim classes. No More Under has created a 5-day program referred to as the Swim Safely Series (SSS), the place they accomplice with school swim groups to supply swim and water security classes to under-resourced households in the local people.

This fall, PLU Head Coach Andrew Lum coordinated the PLU swim crew to accomplice with No More Under. Through this partnership, PLU swimmers supplied free classes, following the SSS, to under-resourced households native to the Parkland and Tacoma space.

These classes have been damaged up into three sections: a water security message, the lesson itself, and a debrief. During the water security message, the youngsters and households would be taught components of water security, together with lively supervision, what to do when somebody is having a drowning emergency, and find out how to correctly put on a life jacket. After that, the youngsters paired off with their instructors and labored on a talent for the day. The abilities taught have been breath management, floating, kicking, rolling, and self-rescue. The debrief on the finish of the day summarized what the youngsters realized, how they’ll observe at residence, and why this data is vital.

Aidan Koshinsky and Litzy Orona, juniors on the PLU swim crew, discovered this expertise extraordinarily impactful for most of the households concerned because of the lack of prices.

“The reality is that drowning kills, regardless of who you are. It’s one of the top causes of death for young children and is totally preventable. Those who are under-resourced are especially vulnerable,” Koshinsky shares.

“We have a huge capability to make a significant impact on water safety in the community. On top of that, the SSS provides exposure to the swimming world that many of these children may not otherwise ever get in their lives. It’s a wonderful opportunity to spread love for the sport of swimming, and that’s not something that should be held behind a paywall that many can’t afford.”

“Many families don’t have equal access to lessons because of cost or other barriers. Making lessons accessible gives every child the same chance to be safe,” Orona added.

“It wasn’t feasible to pay for lessons at the time, and it’s more of a necessity, not a luxury. So it’s great that low-income families could take advantage of the opportunity,” shared a dad or mum concerned on this program.

While educating these classes, the PLU swimmers labored with youngsters of various swim and water data ranges. They needed to alter their educating strategies to make sure every baby had a snug and profitable expertise.

“It takes a lot of patience to teach young children water safety skills. Everyone comes in with a different level of comfort and understanding, and it required a lot of adaptation on the part of the team to accommodate that. I think the biggest takeaway for me is that regardless of what someone’s baseline ability is, everyone can improve with the proper support and learn to have fun,” Koshinsky added.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is empathy. As a college swimmer, it’s easy to forget how intimidating the water can feel at first, but these kids reminded me of that. I need to be patient, slow things down, and celebrate the little wins,” Orona talked about.



Many households shared that their children have been new to swimming, however these classes helped them acquire confidence within the water.

“My daughter, who’s almost 11, has been so scared to try swimming lessons again,” one other dad or mum commented. “She hasn’t had lessons since she was 4. After this program, she is confident in herself and asked if we can continue lessons!”

Although the teachings have been designed for the youngsters, the PLU swimmers took some takeaways from this program as properly.

“There was a swimmer whose family only spoke Spanish. I’m a first-generation student, and Spanish is my first language. Yet at times, I’ve doubted my ability to truly give back to my Hispanic community. But with [this swimmer], I was able to create a safe space for him, earn his trust, and help ease his fear of the water,” Orona expressed.

“Before No More Under, he had never been in a pool. Watching him take those first steps toward water safety is an experience I’ll carry with me. In that moment, I saw the impact I could have. My identity and experiences are enough to create real change.”

After a profitable 5-day program the place 93% of the contributors had by no means had a proper lesson previous to the Swim Safely Series, the youngsters and their households had realized beneficial data relating to water security whereas being in a enjoyable, secure, and comfy surroundings on the PLU pool.

“As a swimmer, nothing makes me happier than seeing other people learn to love the water. There were several children that were a bit skeptical at the beginning of the week that were having an absolutely amazing time by Friday, and that was so rewarding to see,” Koshinsky shared.

“My hope is that the children take the water safety skills that they learned during the SSS to safely have a lifetime of fun in the water.”

The Lutes open the 2025-2026 season on Thursday, October 16, internet hosting a twin meet towards the University of La Verne (Calif.).