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A 8 - The Oakville Beaver, W e d n e sd a y N o v e m b e r 10, 2004 Our Mission - The YMCA of Oakville is a charitable association open to all, dedicated to providing life-long opportunities for health enhancement and personal growth. 5 5 5 Our Vision - The YMCA of Oakville creates opportunities that inspire people to grow, develop and learn through' its leadership in building a healthy and caring community. Walking into the YMCA of Oakville Aquatics area is like walking into an oasis. Happy children are splashing with a smiling parent, adults are enjoying the calm pace of a lane swim, or a swim instructor is carefully holding a child while she learns to float on her back. It's a busy, joyful place, but one where the warm moist air and the water give a sense of serenity as well. W hen N ancy N unes, A quatics S upervisor at th e YMCA o f O akville, talks a b o u t h e r team , th e Y swim p ro g ram s an d , m ost im portantly, H ealth & Safely a n d O n ta rio Pool R egula tions she is u n d e rs ta n d ably p ro u d . Nancy gives th e c re d it to h e r team - "N ot only are th e Y A quatic staff an en e rg e tic a n d e n th u siastic g ro u p , b u t they are d e d ic a te d to th e ir jo b s a n d c o m m itte d to th e safety o f o u r swim m ers." Safety is Job 1! It's easy to take swim · safety fo r g ra n te d . As a p a re n t, we all know how quickly we can be distracted by a g o o d article, a co nversation, o r a b ag w hose c o n te n ts have ju s t spilled o n th e floor. In m ost situations, a sh o rt d istractio n does n o t spell d anger, b u t in a p o o l it d efinitely does. All Y A quatic staff g o th ro u g h a series o f A quatics E m ergency & L ifeguard Skills tra in in g sessions fo u r tim es each year. O n-g o in g lifeguard Oakville YMCA Head Guards work hard to keep yo u family safe! Back row (left to right): Kristy MacDougall, Jim Lam, Jolanta Oko. Front: Dianne Dillon, Val Doherty. in-service tra in in g e n sures th a t staff arc well in fo rm e d o f em erg en cy p ro c e d u re s, a n d have th e c o n fid e n c e a n d abil ity to p re v en t o r react to any em ergency. T h e Y's aq u atic team also a ttrib u te s its success to its h ea d guards: th e re is always a h e ad g u a rd a n d a lifeguard on deck. T h e h e a d g u a rd s a re m a tu re staff m em b ers w ho a re e x p e rie n c e d in an aq uatics en v iro n m e n t a n d they take th e ir role very seriously. N ancy co m m e n te d : "O akville Y swim in stru cto rs a re all re q u ire d to have NI.S lifeguard certification - they can h e lp to g u ard lesson p artic ip an ts a lo n g with th e H ead G u ard a n d lifeguard. We have to e n su re th e safety o f p artic ip an ts in swim lessons, a q u a fitness, lan e sw im m ing a n d fam ily swims, so en fo rc in g ru les is a pri ority, a n d having co m m itted staff is extrem ely im p o rta n t," said Nancy. A Unique Lesson System T h e YMCA has its own u n iq u e system fo r swim lesson registration. A rolling registration system m atches chil d re n u p with th e level th at fits th em best. "We d o n 't lim it ch ild ren to a certain n u m b e% r of weeks p e r level - they m ove u p w hen they are ready. Progression cards com e o u t each m o n th so parents can see how well th e ir child is d o in g ," explained Nancy. A lthough the Y's system is slightly differ en t from the Red Cross A quaquest system, the skills a re sim ilar an d a conversion ch a rt can quickly m atch a new swim m er to a Y level. Ac co rding to Nancy, "...b a sically, a good backstroke is a backstroke, a n d all swim lesson program s en d up at the sam e place. O u r swimmers work th e ir way towards the Lifesaving Society courses." T he YMCA of Oakville is affiliated with the Lifesaving Society an d offers lifesaving courses: the Bronze fam ily, NLS.Jr. Lifeguard a n d First Aid courses. All o f these courses are taught by trainers who are certified by the Lifesaving Society. Aquatic safety and quality swim program s are a priority at the YMCA o f Oakville. T hey are an im p o rta n t part o f building stro n g kids, stro n g fam ilies and stro n g com m unities. Y Ski an d S now board Youth Skiing an d S n o w b o ard in g (9-16 years) prices include transportation to and from the ski hill and daily lift ticket. Youth skiers are chaperoned by a YMCA volunteer. . 8 WEEK FULL DAY SATURDAY PROGRAMS Y Soccer Indoor Youth Co-ed Soccer (4-6 yrs) SATURDAYS (9:00 am-12:00 pm) SOC3001: Jan 22-April 23 $100 Blakelock High School, 1160 Rebecca Street Program includes 20 min/instruction and 40 min/game. Glen Eden $345 Ages 9 to 12 Hockley Valley $365 Ages 9 to 16 New! Horseshoe Valley $385 Ages 13 to 16 Family Ski Day A d v entures Jan 8 -Feb 26 Janl 5 -Mar 5 Jan 8 - Feb 26 Youth K arate KAR3005 6:45-7:30 pm KAR3006 (6-14 yrs) 6-10 yrs $100 10-14 yrs TUESDAY EVENINGS, JAN 1 Let us take your family to the hills for a day of fresh air and family fun! All prices include transportation to and from the ski hill and daily lift ticket. Family price includes 2 children and 2 adults. Winter is almost here - soon you will want to be out on the hills! Sign up today for Youth or Family Skiing and Snowboarding programs with Y Sports in the community. MON, DECEMBER 27 Blue Mountain Resort FRI, JANUARY 28 Horseshoe Valley WED, MARCH 16 Blue Mountain O nce again the Y' MCA o f Oakville is p ro u d to have been chosen as a lottery g rant beneficiary for the C om m unity F ounda tion o f O akville's G reat Dream Lottery. Tickets arc going quickly, so get yours today at the YMCA o f Oakville at 410 Rebecca Street, o r call at 1-877-883-3300 (Licence N um ber P040907). $60 per person or $200 family $55 per person or $190 family $60 per person or $200 family All proceeds received by the Y from the G reat Dream Lottery will be used to purchase cardiac rehabilitation equip m ent. Everybody is truly a winner, ju s t by purchas ing a ticket in the G reat Dream Lottery. Sales D eadline is No v em b er 22, 2004. Draws will be held on D ecem b e r 2, 2004. 7:45-8:30pm $100 New Oakville karate club run by experienced black-belt husband-wife team. Fun, challenging program builds skill, selfconfidence and self-discipline. Spring/summer sessions will be available starting April 5 and July 5. Need more information and a registration form? Go to www.ymcaofoakville.com and search forY Sports in the community, or call 905-845-3417. © © © © © © © © © © H Time is quickly running out for the chance to win a dream - a great dream! Cash, cars, and fabulous trips are just waiting to be won with the Great Dream Lottery - and with over 1500 prizes, your chances of winning are terrific! The Price is Right at $40 per ticket or 3 for $100. m am m Some people need a little extra help to build a healthy lifestyle. How about a gift of health from the Y? There are many options: An 8 week Youth Ski and Snowboard program, or a one-day Family Ski Adventure with Y Sports in the community A one-month Student Membership for that 'hard-tobuy-for' struggling student A full YMCA membership - a gift that can change a life! D e sig n by 410 PttMKCI S tre e t. O a k v ille . ON LSK 1K7 « Telephono; 905 845-3417 F a c 905-842-6792 · c u s to < iw r u r v fc e # o « ln llle y m c a .c * » w w w .y m c a o fo a k v llle .c o m 55 g b c c m u itm te d