Campus Recreation prides itself on teaching the necessary skills needed to explore water as a lifelong fitness and recreational opportunity. Our philosophy is to always reward swimmers with praise and positive reinforcement for a job well done. Swimmers are never forced to perform. We wait until each swimmer is ready to progress. We believe that with patience, encouragement, and practice, our students will make the most of their time in the pool.

• Lessons run on a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday schedule for four weeks consisting of 8 total classes; each class lasts 30 minutes
• Summer lessons run on a Monday-Thursday schedule for two weeks consisting of 8 total classes; each class lasts 30 minutes
• Our preferred instructor-to-swimmer ratio is 1 instructor 5 swimmers
• There are no make-up lessons for any type of group/private lesson and refunds are not given for partial attendance
• Classes may be combined to accommodate instructors/classes
• Costs are now listed within the Class Registration online registration system, DSE

Registration Process

To be added to our email contact list prior to registration please sign up here.

For helpful hints on navigating our new online registration software DSE download these instructions.

Fall 2024 Swimming Lessons- Click here to be taken to our new online sign-up for Campus Recreation classes.

Please reach out to us if you have any questions hammerlez@wou.edu.

Class Descriptions

Semi-Private: for all ages over 6 months to Adults

Purpose: For swimmers of all ages and abilities who need or want more individualized attention. If the 2 or 3 swimmers in a semi-private lesson are similar in aquatic skills and knowledge, it is more mutually beneficial. This lesson will be tailored to develop specific swimming goals at the lowest swim level ability; otherwise, it will follow the Red Cross skill and knowledge progression. Water safety skills will be incorporated.

Private: for all ages over 6 months to Adults

Purpose: For swimmers of all ages and abilities who need or want one on one attention. This lesson can be tailored to develop specific swimming goals; otherwise, it will follow the Red Cross skill and knowledge progression. Water safety skills will be incorporated.

Swimmer ‘N’ Me: for ages 6 months to 3 years

Purpose: To introduce basic skills to a swimmer and adult. Adults are taught to safely work with the swimmer in the water, including how to appropriately support and hold the swimmer in the water and how to prepare and encourage the swimmer to participate fully and try the skills. Here are some of the skills to be introduced:

• Holding and support techniques
• Water adjustment, entry, and exit
• Buoyancy on front and back
• Roll from front to back and back to front
• Passing from instructor to adult

Preschool: for ages 3-5 years

Purpose: To teach the most elementary aquatic skills, which swimmers will continue to build as they progress. Provides additional guided practice to give swimmers further success with fundamental aquatic skills performed with an instructor. Here are some of the skills to be introduced:

• Enter and exit the water safely
• Blow bubbles through mouth and nose
• Bobbing
• Float on front and back
• Explore combined arm and leg actions on front and back

Level I – Introduction to Water Skills: for ages 4 and up

Purpose: Encourages swimmers to feel comfortable in the water. Swimmers begin to develop positive attitudes, good swimming habits, and safe practices in and around the water. Here are some of the skills to be introduced:

• Enter and exit the water safely
• Perform glides on front and back with recovery to a vertical position with assistance
• Swim on front and back using arm and leg actions with assistance
• Float on front and back with assistance
• Explore arm and hand movements

Level II – Fundamental Aquatic Skills: for ages 4 and up

Purpose: Continues developing fundamental skills learned throughout Introduction to Water Skills. Swimmers further develop simultaneous and alternating arm and leg actions on their front and back, laying the foundation for future strokes. Here are some of the skills to be introduced:

• Enter water by stepping or jumping from the side
• Open eyes underwater, pick up a submerged object
• Roll over from front to back, back to front
• Exit water safely using ladder, steps or side
• Float on front and back, including three variations of the front float

Level III – Stroke Development

Purpose: Builds on the previously attained skills further developing each swimming stroke through additional guided practice. Here are some of the skills to be introduced:

• Jump into deep water from the side
• Headfirst entries from sitting and kneeling position
• Perform streamlined position on the front with flutter and dolphin kicks
• Scissors kick on side
• Perform elementary backstroke and front crawl with rotary breathing

Level IV – Stroke Improvement

Purpose: Build confidence with previously learned strokes. Here are some of the skills to be introduced:

• Front crawl for 25 yards
• Elementary backstroke for 25 yards
• Breaststroke 15 yards
• Swim underwater
• Tread water, using 2 different kicks

FISH – Fun Instructional Swimming Hour

Purpose: Provides further refinement and proficiency of strokes to enable students to swim with ease, efficiency, power, and smoothness over greater distances. Increases distance, speed, and endurance. This class is delivered as a workout with a focus on the four competitive strokes, turns and starts including various drills and training techniques. Here are some of the skills to be introduced:

• 500-yard continuous swimming using any 3 strokes
• Cooper 12-minutes swim test
• Treading water
• Front and backstroke flip turn
• Breaststroke and butterfly turn
• Track start from diving blocks
• Backstroke starts
• Relay starts
• Setting up an exercise program using a pace clock, intervals, and a variety of equipment
• Calculating target heart rate

The Aquatic Center is arranged for both lap swim and open swim times Monday-Friday. During our Saturday and Sunday open/lap swim times, it is a time for fun, friends, and family to gather at the pool. and we have two lap lanes for lap swimming.

We have opportunities for afternoon and evening open/lap swim. Please visit wou.edu/campusrec/hours for the Aquatic Center hours.

The Aquatic Center is housed within the Health and Wellness Center and includes both the historic Wolverton Memorial swimming pool and the therapy pool. The facility is open for lap and open swimming, swim lessons, and many more aquatic activities.

The swimming pool was named for Mr. Grant S. Wolverton (son of John and Mary Jane Wolverton), OCE alumnus 1883.

The late Mr. Wolverton left a grant of $80,000 for the construction of this pool. Additional funds to cover construction costs were granted by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education so that an outstanding pool would be assured. Oregon College of Education (Western Oregon University’s name from 1939-1980) is one of the few small schools to have a swimming pool facility of such high quality, and this pool is indeed something of which OCE students, faculty, and staff are most proud. Construction was started in the fall of 1954 and was completed in the spring of 1955.