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By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Swimming is about more than competi- tion or recreation. Its also a mode of sur- vival. According to statistics provided by the Lifesaving Society, a group committed to water safety, nearly 250 people have drowned this year in Canada. Seven tod- dlers have drowned in Ontario this year, and an average of three have drowned in the province each of the past four years. Janice Mortimer was getting sick of reading those stats and hearing those sto- ries. So shes decided to do something about it. Mortimer, co-owner of the Oakville Swim Academy, recently completed a 200- hour training pro- gram that will allow her to teach the Infant Survival Swim Program to local youngsters. The program, also known as Pedia Swim, is designed for children as young as six months, teaching them the skills that could save their lives if they fell into a body of water. Learning how to swim with a life jacket on is just not going to save them, Mortimer said. You have to take extra precautions. A mother of five, Mortimer and her fam- ily routinely travels to Florida, where drownings are an all-too-common occurence. It was in Orlando where she heard of the Pedia Swim program, and Mortimer was impressed with what she saw of the classes. (The kids) do pick it up, she said. Its amazing to watch them do it... when you throw them in with their clothes on and see how they roll themselves over and get their head up to get the air. Ironically, the Pedia Swim program may be more difficult for parents than the chil- dren, Mortimer said. The kids cry, of course, said Mortimer. Parents have to learn theres different cries. The cries Im hearing are cries of aggravation, not terror, not fear. You have to leave (the child) for five to six seconds, and they will come up. If you help them too soon, youre reinforcing the fact theyll get picked up every time they struggle. Its letting them learn they can do it themselves. The Pedia Swim program features one- on-one private classes Monday through Friday for four weeks. Each class lasts only 10 minutes. Once you get past 10 minutes at this stage, the child gets tired and sloppy, said Mortimer, adding that the amount of water a child can safely intake at that age is also a factor. According to Mortimer, a Calgary-based club is the only other academy in Canada that offers the Pedia Swim program, though it is quite popular in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Theres nothing in this area. Its sur- prising, with the number of pools and all the drownings happening lately, she said. Its silly not to plan ahead. For more information on the Pedia Swim program, visit the Oakville Swim Academys website at www.theswimacade- my.org SportsOakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 201024 LEARNING TO FLOAT: Oakville Swim Academy co-owner Janice Mortimer demonstrates her infant learn-to-swim program with eight-month-old Abigail Broere. Swim academy offering survival program for infants Learning how to swim with a life jacket on is just not going to save them. You have to take extra precautions. Janice Mortimer, co-owner of Oakville Swim Academy RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER