Local couple talks about how they provide low- and no-cost swim lessons

New Mexico was well above the national average in the number of drownings per 100,000 people during a recent five-year period in the United States, even though the state is ranked 49th for overall water area, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When Nicole and Russell Smith heard that, they knew they wanted to step in and offer free swim lessons to New Mexico residents.

“We don’t have the lakes and the rivers and the ocean right outside, and so for us to be No. 9 in the whole nation, I think it’s due to lack of education, which comes to why we are doing these free lessons for the city, because not everybody can afford to put their child in swim lessons,” Nicole Smith said.

The married couple knew it was vital for their four children to learn how to swim, but after learning how much it would cost, they decided they would teach their children themselves. With Nicole’s background in teaching diving and gymnastics, and Russell’s background in Army Special Forces Underwater Operations, they believed they could do the lessons themselves.

The lessons became a big hit within the community. After the Smiths realized their entire neighborhood and friends were lining up for lessons, the Smith family created Green Feet Swimming, a low- to no-cost swim school. In the spring and fall, the lessons are free; for people who want private lessons or lessons in other swim-related activities, the Smiths say they keep costs as low as possible.

How to get free lessons

Every Wednesday from now through October, Green Feet Swimming offers free lessons to the public.

From 4-4:30 p.m., toddlers and infants from six months to 36 months have specialized lessons. Parents are taught how to keep their children safe during swim time and how to integrate their children into water. Parents are also taught how to teach their children at home using equipment they already have. Nicole Smith said she incorporates singing into these lessons to help children recognize swimming safety and to make lessons more enjoyable.

“When the kids come back to swim lessons, they can associate those songs with what they should be doing and think ‘Oh I’ve done this at home,’” she said.

From 4:30-5 p.m., toddlers and children ages 3 to 6 have free lessons. They build on skills children have learned, like floating on their backs and learning how to get help in an emergency. Parents also are included in these lessons “so that they can work with them at home,” Nicole Smith said.

“If you ask a lot of adults how they learned to swim, it was a family member throwing them in a pool,” Russell Smith added. “A lot of parents don’t know the step-by-step natural progression to teach their children what’s next. These free lessons, as much as it is about teaching the kids how to swim, it’s also setting the parents up for success, so that when they do go to the YMCA, when they do go to the local city pools, when they do go to a hotel and they’re traveling, they know what to do with their kids.”