Swim in the Okanagan!
Here in the Okanagan, it is hard to ignore that massive body of water we live next to–the pristine waters of Okanagan Lake. We who are fortunate enough to live here are essentially a lake culture, something that has been obvious from the City of Kelowna’s earliest history. Old photographs of the Kelowna Regatta, the Lady of the Lake beauty Pageant, tower diving, swimming at the lakeside aquatic centre, waterskiing, and power boating are still seen in various venues in town, including the Parkinson Recreation Centre, City Hall, and the Eldorado Hotel. Today, the water sports continue on the lake, with tubing, wakeboarding, kiteboarding, and open water swimming, whether recreationally, in the many local triathlons, or the storied annual Across The Lake Swim, now more than 70 years on. Swimming in Kelowna has really been elevated to a lifeskill here, an almost necessary ability to get the full recreational value and enjoyment of living here.
So, perhaps it is your turn! If you want to develop or improve your swimming abilities as an adult, you have essentially three choices:
- If you simply want to learn to swim, perhaps to get over a lifelong fear of water, to become efficient in the water, to become safe in water, try one of the Adult Swim Workout programs offered by the community pools here in Kelowna. Check out the private and small group Beginner and Intermediate programs, offered by the H2O Adventure and Fitness Centre, here. The City Of Kelowna also offers swim programs at the Parkinson Recreation Centre, who provide contact information here. And in West Kelowna, adult swim programs can be inquired about, here.
- If you want to become a better swimmer, and learn all four swim strokes (front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly), check out the Okanagan Masters Swim Club website, here.
- And finally, if you want to focus on becoming a better open water swimmer, with a primary focus on freestyle (front crawl) swimming efficiency and endurance swimming with the potential of competing in triathlons, visit the Kelowna Triathlon Club website, here.
And if you have kids who are ready to learn to swim, Kelowna again offers many levels of entry, starting with swimming lessons for every grade 3 child in the Central Okanagan (School District #23), the result of funding and support from the Across The Lake Swim society and the local Y. The community pools also offer entry level swimming programs for kids, and several junior swim clubs welcome those who want to excel at swimming.