Pikes Peak Athletics Swim Lesson Program
- 1. Where are the swim lessons offered?
Pikes Peak Athletics provides swim lessons for all ages and levels year-round at Pikes Peak Athletics Training Center (central Colorado Springs) and The Country Club of Colorado (south Colorado Springs). Swim lessons are also available at other sites depending on the season.
See Our Locations >
- 2. How many children will be in the class?
We offer a low instructor to swimmer ratio.
1:3 | PLittle
1:4 | Little Pikes 1, 2 and 3
1:6 | Water Baby
1:8 | Base Camp- 3. How long are the lessons?
All swim lessons are 30 minutes long. All Base Camp lessons are 45 minutes long.
- 4. How are the classes formed?
We place kids in the appropriate class based on skill and age. You can visit our Find My Level help tool for lesson placement.
- 5. What will my child learn?
On our website, you will find a list of our levels under the Curriculum/Levels tab which includes a description of the focus for each level.
- 6. Do I need to be there for their lesson?
We ask that all parents be there to make sure their child gets into the water for their class and is there to get them when the class is over. As soon as the class is over, responsibility of the child transfers back to the parent. At The Country Club of Colorado and at The Club at Flying Horse, if the child wants to swim after their lesson, they need to get out of the water and ask you before reentering the water (members only).
- 7. What happens if there is inclement weather, ie lightning or snow?
LIGHTNING CLOSURE AT CCOC, FLYING HORSE, OR VALLEY SWIM CLUB:
All lessons will move to Pikes Peak Athletics Training Center at the same time scheduled unless otherwise advised. PPATC provides a 10 lane x 25 yard lap pool as well as warm-water teaching pool at 90 degrees.602 Elkton Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80907WINTER WEATHER:
At Pikes Peak Athletics Training Center, we strive to remain open at all times, no matter the weather, as Colorado Springs weather can vary drastically from neighborhood to neighborhood. If we feel it’s best to close the facility for the safety of our staff and patrons, it will be communicated through email and social media at the earliest possible moment.
- 8. What about make-ups?
While we cannot guarantee the availability of make-up lessons, we are happy to do our best to accommodate families who must miss their scheduled lesson on a space available basis at any point while currently enrolled.
Should you miss a lesson and wish to schedule a make-up lesson, please contact us at trainingcenter@pikespeakathletics.com or (719) 400-7450 for availability in classes with a scheduled absence.
If there are no scheduled absences, you are welcome to call back at your convenience as absences are scheduled ongoing by other families. We recommend contacting us for available spots the morning you wish to schedule your make-up. While we understand the desire to plan ahead, we’ve found we often have more spots to offer the day of.
Please note:
-Families may make up 2 missed lessons per 4-week session.
-Make-up lessons may be completed at any time by swimmers who are currently enrolled in group lessons. If you withdraw from lessons, you are no longer eligible to makeup missed lessons past your withdrawal date.
-Make-up lessons are not credits and cannot be applied to future tuition nor can they be refunded.
-Make-up lessons may be cancelled with more than 24-hour notice and rescheduled.
-Missed make-up lessons with less than 24-hour notice are not eligible for make-up.*Private lesson make-ups may be requested and offered based on instructor availability for a $31 fee. Mini Group Lessons for a $13 fee.
- 9. How many times a week should they take?
The more often your child is in the water, the faster they will learn. However, we understand that schedules get very busy, so we try to create a flexible schedule to accommodate. We also believe in consistency. If you can’t come more than once a week, being consistent each week helps to ensure progress.
- 10. Are private lessons available?
Private Lesson Guidelines
Private lessons are available to swimmers of all ages. For our swimmers under 12 years, private lessons are intended to supplement, not replace, group swimming lessons. We highly recommend utilizing private lessons in addition to regularly attending group lessons for the purpose of:
- Focused instruction on specific skills inhibiting advancement.
- Focused instruction in preparation for Base Camp and/or swim team.
- Addressing high levels of fear and anxiety for boosted confidence in group lessons.
- Meeting the needs of special needs swimmers for smoother integration into group lessons.
Private Lesson Standards
To ensure we are providing ample pool space at Pikes Peak Athletics Training Center and meeting the needs of swimmers in all of our programs, private lessons must be scheduled outside of the following hours:
- Monday – Friday | 4:00pm – 6:00pm
- Saturday | 9:00am – 12:00pm
- Sunday | 10:00am – 12:00pm
If scheduling outside of these hours is a challenge for your family, we highly recommend our 2:1 Mini Group Lessons available during peak hours.
- We ask that private lesson families give as much notice as possible for canceled/rescheduled lessons. When notice is given less than 8-hours before their scheduled lesson, a $15 fee will be assessed to the family’s account. Families who miss their lesson without notice will be assessed a $25 fee. Notice can be given by contacting our Front Desk team (719) 400-7450 or trainingcenter@pikespeakathletics.com.
- 4-packs must be used within 12 weeks of purchase, including any rescheduled lessons.
- 10% multi-sibling or military discount applies to private lesson packages.
- Private lesson standards and pricing apply to semi-private lessons and are also eligible for 10% multi-sibling or military discount.
Seasonal Private Lesson Series are also available for online enrollment at our off-site locations, visit the location below for more details and enrollment:
- 11. Private Lesson Waitlist FAQ
We’re available for more than one day/time: Families may “register” for more than one waitlist based on their availability, but we ask families register for no more than two waitlists so we can fulfill your request on your ideal day/time more efficiently.
We want to take Semi-Private Lessons: Any private lesson may be scheduled as a semi-private lesson in the event swimmers are at the same level. A note can be added to your private lesson waitlist indicating you’d like this lesson to be a semi-private lesson and the name of the second swimmer.
Our preferred day/time isn’t available for registration online: This is likely because the waitlist is currently full. We only allow 3 families per waitlist so we can fulfill requests on a reasonable timeline.
Why don’t you offer private lessons Monday – Friday 4pm – 6pm, Saturday 9am – 12pm, or Sunday before 12pm? We do not have the pool space during these hours in conjunction with our other programs in a way that won’t sacrifice the quality of our programs.
If scheduling outside of these hours is a challenge for your family, we highly recommend our 2:1 Mini Group Lessons available during peak hours.
We used to take private lessons here before and were able to schedule Monday – Friday 4pm – 6pm, Saturday 9am – 12pm, or Sunday before 12pm – why can’t we just have our old spot back? Our programs continue to grow exponentially, and we no longer have the pool space to accommodate private lessons in conjunction with our other programs in a way that will ensure ongoing quality.
- 12. How skilled are the instructors?
All Pikes Peaks Athletics instructors and assistants go through an extensive training and shadowing period. All instructors are also CPR/First Aid certified.
- 13. How long will it take my child to be able to swim?
Every child is different. It depends on their level of fear, how quickly they adjust to new people/surroundings, the exposure they’ve had to the water, etc.
- 14. What can I do to help my child progress more quickly?
First of all, go swimming as much as possible. The more they swim, even without an instructor, the more comfortable they will get in the water and the easier they will learn the skills.
Second, always ask your instructor if your swimmer has any “homework”. This is more common in the lower levels. Things like practicing bubbles, putting eyes in the water, getting used to water getting in the ears on back float, etc. can all be practiced in the bath tub. If you notice that your child gets confused by the arm or leg motions, have them practice at home!
Finally, talk about swim lessons. Brag to your friends and family when you child is near about how well they are doing. Bringing up swim lessons outside of lesson time gets them excited to come back. The more excited they are, they faster they will learn!
- 15. How do I register?
Under the drop down menu above, click Registration or choose the Swim Lesson drop down menu above and select Registration. From here, you will be taken to the registration program which will show the locations and classes available. You can also choose Locations to see a full class list for each location. Select Register next the desired class.
Private and Semi-Private lessons: Please contact us to set up private lessons. After an instructor, day and time is scheduled, our staff will create a class for you to register online.
If, when registering, you experience any issues or are unsure of what level to sign-up for, please contact (719) 400-7450 or trainingcenter@pikespeakathletics.com and someone will assist you.
- 16. What do I need to bring?
All that is needed for the first day is a swim suit, towel, and goggles (if desired). Not everyone uses goggles, so that is up to you. We encourage learning to swim with and without goggles.
- 17. How much do lessons cost?
Please refer to Price Overview under Swim Lessons
- 18. Is there a minimum number of swimmers in a lesson?
To continue providing top quality instruction for the lesson program, there is a minimum requirement of two swimmers per group lesson. If your child is the only swimmer registered for the group lesson, Pikes Peak Athletics will contact you providing an option to continue at the designated time chosen as a semi-private lesson (a discount from a private lesson cost) or to provide other group lesson time options.
- 19. How do I pay?
When registering, you will be asked for your credit card. All discounts will be applied by staff on the back end before your card is charged. Club accounts can also be charged, although a credit card is still required to hold your child’s spot in the class. Accounts will be billed on the 16th of the month prior to the enrolled session. If enrolled after the 16th of the month, cards will be charged after review for any discounts.
- 20. How do the rolling sessions work?
PPA offers monthly rolling sessions year-round at Pikes Peak Athletics Training Center (off-site locations may differ during the summer). Once enrolled in a class, swimmer’s spot will be guaranteed (pre-enrolled) into the coming months until child moves up in level, wants to move time, or wants to withdraw from class. All swimmers registered in current month must withdraw for upcoming month before the 15th by filling out the lesson withdrawal form. On the 15th of the month, all classes will be copied for the next month and those who have requested to withdraw will be dropped from the upcoming month. The class will open for other registrations on the 16th of the month.
- 21. What do I do when my child is ready for the next level?
If your instructor has indicated your swimmer is ready to move up levels, please stop by or contact our Front Desk to transfer your swimmer to the next level. Our Front Desk team can be reached at (719) 400-7450 or trainingcenter@pikespeakathletics.com.
In the event we don’t have a spot available in the next level on a day/time that works for your family we will:
- Place your swimmer(s) on the appropriate waitlist(s).
- Continue instructing your swimmer in their current class by incorporating skills from the next level to keep them engaged and challenged.
We do not recommend dropping your swimmer to wait for a spot to become available as maintaining consistency is key in skill progression!