A.V. Symington Aquatic Center to Host “World’s Largest Swimming Lesson”

On Thursday, June 14, thousands of kids and adults at aquatics facilities around the globe will unite to set a new global record for the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson. The A.V. Symington Aquatic Center in Leesburg’s Ida Lee Park will be an official host location for the event, taking place at 11 a.m.

In 2010, the inaugural WLSL event established the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson ever conducted when almost 4,000 participants across 34 states, five countries and three continents participated to build awareness about the vital importance of teaching children to swim to prevent drowning. Last year’s WLSL event grew more than 400 percent with 20,000+ participants representing 13 countries around the globe and 45 states in the U.S.

Tragically, drowning is the second leading cause of unintended, injury-related death of children ages one to 14 in the United States. In fact, more than one in four fatal drowning victims are children. 

Research shows that if a person doesn’t learn to swim before the 3rd grade, he or she likely never will learn to swim. The threat of childhood drowning is even greater around the globe.

The WLSL program works to promote drowning prevention through education by focusing the energy of thousands of participants with a clear and specific message all at the same time.

“We’re thrilled to see such incredible growth of the WLSL program in two short years,” said President of the World Waterpark Association Rick Root. “The greater the participation, the more families we’re able to reach with this crucial message.”

“Parents understand how important it is to protect their children by using car seats and requiring bike helmets,” said Aquatic Supervisor at Ida Lee Jodi Fisher. “Someday, we hope the same will hold true for teaching kids to swim.”

Participants can pre-register through Ida Lee’s WebTrac program (Code: 101910a) or they can register on site, beginning at 9 a.m. The Guinness World Record attempt will begin at precisely 11 a.m. Everyone participating in the record attempt must be registered, in position and ready to begin the lesson before the official start time.   For more information, call the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center at 703-777-1368.