Join Splash Montana For The World’s Largest Swim Lesson

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Thursday is a big day at Splash Montana Waterpark in Missoula, because they’re holding their second annual ‘World’s Largest Swimming Lesson’!

I spoke to Hannah Shepherd, Missoula Parks and Recreation’s Aquatic Program Manager, on Thursday about this ‘global water safety event’.

The World's Largest Swimming Lesson is Thursday at Splash Montana

“Missoula, Montana, is part of a worldwide project called ‘The World's Largest Swim Lesson,” began Shepherd. “So the idea is that swimming pools and water parks all around the world all take part and do a swimming lesson for the public on the same day at around the same time. Obviously, there are different time zones and all that, but everybody in the world does a swim lesson on this same day, and that's what makes it the world's largest swim lesson.”

Shepherd provided details of the lesson, which starts at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday.

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The World's Largest Swimming Lesson is for Children and Adults

“It is for all ages, so everyone from babies all the way through adults,” she said. “What we do is a really basic safety swim lesson, and we split up into groups and provide information that is age appropriate, but it everybody gets the same safety information practice with safety skills.”

Shepherd said drowning is a leading cause of death in children, so the event is important for anyone who wants to be safe in the water.

The Event is Important Because Drowning is a Leading Cause of Death for Children

“I do know that it's one of the top causes of death, especially in very young children,” she said. “In particular, in Missoula, we've had a couple of different events in the last year that were very concerning to me personally, just because they had to do with our Clark Fork River and people swimming in the river. That wasn't just children, that was actually adults who had some unfortunate incidents there, and so we just really want to make sure that everybody has good safety information for children and adults so that they know how to keep their children safe in the water.”

Shepherd said Missoula Parks and Recreation has two excellent swimming pools in the city.

“We have Currents Aquatic Center, which is our indoor, year-round facility (at McCormick Park),” she said. “It has two water slides and a zero-depth entry as well as a 20-yard lap pool with four lanes, and then we have Splash Montana, which is our outdoor water park. It has a lazy river with three big water slides going into that, along with a separate play pool that we call The Pond, which is a zero-depth entry. It has some fun stuff, like a log walk and a small bear slide that the younger children can go down.”

The Cost for the Swimming Lesson is Just One Dollar More than the Regular Admission

The fee for the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson is the regular pool admission plus one dollar. Admission prices start at $5.95 for youth and $7.25 for adults, and on Thursday, swimmers may stay for the 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. recreation swim at no additional cost.

Splash Montana, located at Playfair Park near Sentinel High School, will be the location for the event, which officially begins at 10:00 a.m.