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TACOMA, Wash. — The Pacific Lutheran University swimming programs gave back to the local community during the month of September, partnering with No More Under for a Swim Safety Series geared for low income families in the local community.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 'drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5-14.' No More Under is working with colleges and universities like PLU to prevent drownings and increase water safety.
No More Under is a drowning-prevention non-profit organization whose mission is to save lives through accessible water safety and swim lessons. No More Under has created a 5-day program called the Swim Safely Series (SSS), where they partner with college swim teams to provide swim and water safety lessons to under-resourced families in the local community.
This fall, PLU Head Coach
Andrew Lum coordinated the PLU swim team to partner with No More Under. Through this partnership, PLU swimmers provided free lessons, following the SSS, to under-resourced families local to the Parkland and Tacoma area.
These lessons were broken up into three sections: a water safety message, the lesson itself, and a debrief. During the water safety message, the children and families would learn elements of water safety, including active supervision, what to do when someone is having a drowning emergency, and how to properly wear a life jacket. After that, the children paired off with their instructors and worked on a skill for the day. The skills taught were breath control, floating, kicking, rolling, and self-rescue. The debrief at the end of the day summarized what the children learned, how they can practice at home, and why this information is important.
Aidan Koshinsky and Litzy Orona, juniors on the PLU swim team, found this experience extremely impactful for many of the families involved due to the lack of costs.
"The reality is that drowning kills, regardless of who you are. It's one of the top causes of death for young children and is totally preventable. Those who are under-resourced are especially vulnerable," Koshinsky shares.
"We have a huge capability to make a significant impact on water safety in the community. On top of that, the SSS provides exposure to the swimming world that many of these children may not otherwise ever get in their lives. It's a wonderful opportunity to spread love for the sport of swimming, and that's not something that should be held behind a paywall that many can't afford."
"Many families don't have equal access to lessons because of cost or other barriers. Making lessons accessible gives every child the same chance to be safe," Orona added.
"It wasn't feasible to pay for lessons at the time, and it's more of a necessity, not a luxury. So it's great that low-income families could take advantage of the opportunity," shared a parent involved in this program.
While teaching these lessons, the PLU swimmers worked with children of varying swim and water knowledge levels. They had to adjust their teaching methods to ensure each child had a comfortable and successful experience.
"It takes a lot of patience to teach young children water safety skills. Everyone comes in with a different level of comfort and understanding, and it required a lot of adaptation on the part of the team to accommodate that. I think the biggest takeaway for me is that regardless of what someone's baseline ability is, everyone can improve with the proper support and learn to have fun," Koshinsky added.
"The biggest thing I've learned is empathy. As a college swimmer, it's easy to forget how intimidating the water can feel at first, but these kids reminded me of that. I need to be patient, slow things down, and celebrate the little wins," Orona mentioned.
Many families shared that their kids were new to swimming, but these lessons helped them gain confidence in the water.
"My daughter, who's almost 11, has been so scared to try swimming lessons again," another parent commented. "She hasn't had lessons since she was 4. After this program, she is confident in herself and asked if we can continue lessons!"
Although the lessons were designed for the children, the PLU swimmers took some takeaways from this program as well.
"There was a swimmer whose family only spoke Spanish. I'm a first-generation student, and Spanish is my first language. Yet at times, I've doubted my ability to truly give back to my Hispanic community. But with [this swimmer], I was able to create a safe space for him, earn his trust, and help ease his fear of the water," Orona expressed.
"Before No More Under, he had never been in a pool. Watching him take those first steps toward water safety is an experience I'll carry with me. In that moment, I saw the impact I could have. My identity and experiences are enough to create real change."
After a successful 5-day program where 93% of the participants had never had a formal lesson prior to the Swim Safely Series, the children and their families had learned valuable information regarding water safety while being in a fun, safe, and comfortable environment at the PLU pool.
"As a swimmer, nothing makes me happier than seeing other people learn to love the water. There were several children that were a bit skeptical at the beginning of the week that were having an absolutely amazing time by Friday, and that was so rewarding to see," Koshinsky shared.
"My hope is that the children take the water safety skills that they learned during the SSS to safely have a lifetime of fun in the water."
The Lutes open the 2025-2026 season on Thursday, October 16, hosting a dual meet against the University of La Verne (Calif.).
