Tens of thousands of kids and adults around the world will unite Friday, June 20, in hopes of setting a Guinness World Record — the largest swimming lesson.
Taking place at 8 a.m., the event at Fletcher Hills Center & Pool and sites worldwide aims to better the current listed record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson, which El Cajon officials say stands at 32,450 participants, representing 13 different countries on five continents.
(The Guinness site, however, reports: “The largest swimming lesson in multiple venues was 19,322 participants, achieved by Team WLSL (USA) at 235 locations throughout the world on 14 June 2011.)
Drowning remains the leading cause of unintended, injury related death for children ages 1-5, and the second leading cause of accidental death for children under 14.
Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children ages 1 to 4, yet many kids do not receive formal swimming or water safety training.
The Fletcher Hills Pool is at 2345 Center Place in El Cajon. Participants can sign up online at www.elcajonrec.org or in person at the pool. Pre-registration is strongly recommended as space is limited.
The fee is $1 per participant. For more information, contact Heather Birchard, Recreation Services Supervisor, by phone at (619) 441-1672 or by email at hbirchar@cityofelcajon.us.
