Welcome

What to do when you arrive? The Aquatic Center is located on the southwest side of Valparaiso High School, parallel to the Forest Park golf course. Our main entrance is Door 16, with a secondary entrance at Door 20. The pool deck doors are located down the hallway of door 16. Please don't enter the pool deck until we call you in. Once we are set and ready, we will call in the class currently scheduled for lessons.

Parents of the current class in the water are allowed to sit on the pool deck bleachers. As the next time slot group arrives, you can gather in the hallway right outside the aquatic center pool deck doors. We will then rotate the group in the hallway onto the pool deck a minute before class starts to prepare the little vikes for lessons. Once our instructors are ready, we will call all the little vikes over to the "swim bench" to start lessons.

 

What does my little vike need? Most importantly, students will need to bring a positive attitude and a smile. Beyond that, a suit and a towel are required every day. I suggest a one-piece swimsuit for girls, and most boys will wear swim trunks. Goggles are not needed, but are an excellent tool to help keep water out of their eyes. If you decide to get your little Vike goggles, please ensure they only cover the eyes. We see face masks or face mask goggles, which have become trendy among younger kids. While they might be suitable for backyard use, using them for lessons makes it very hard to learn how to break and blow your bubbles. We recommend that facemask goggles be left at home and that only goggles that cover the eyes be brought and used. 

 

What does the first day look like for students? The first day is all about seeing our Little Vikes current ability in the water. We want to do our best to get them to the correct level with their peers of the same ability. All our instructors will have a group of kids with our assessment sheets and will run them through a set number of skills to assess their abilities. They will report that information to our lesson supervisor, and we will work on getting them set in the correct group/level as we move forward. It is not uncommon for students to move around during the first few days as we work on balancing classes and find that students may have been placed in the wrong group due to the small sample size on day 1. Please note that we are assessing them only on the skills they demonstrate, not on the skills they currently claim to have. Class sizes will vary by skill level, with more advanced and water-safe students potentially having more classmates than those who are afraid of the water or are not water-safe.  

 

What does the first day look like for parents? My guess is that for some of you, there might be a few nerves, a little bit of relief, potentially both. This is normal, especially for those who have never done lessons. As we get started and the kids are set up with their instructors, we begin assessing their abilities. We will have parents gather on the north set of deck bleachers during this time. I will then hold a brief information session for the parents in attendance to review key aspects of Little Vikes and highlight important points related to the Aquatic Center. We will then take the time to answer any questions you may have. This typically takes up most of the first day for parents, depending on the number of questions and the amount of information I have for you. After Day 1, you are free to spread around the pool deck.

 

 

I know you may still have questions leading up to lessons. I have included the link to our Little Vikes FAQ, where you can find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions when I meet with parents during Little Vikes evaluations. 

 

Little Vikes Swim Academy FAQ 

 

 

With that all said, I know our staff is very excited to start lessons, and we look forward to seeing all our Little Vikes!

 

 

Thanks!

 

Little Vikes Swim Academy