By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

PELHAM—The Pelham YMCA has a packed summer schedule, with lots of fun and “cool” summer programs for all ages at the pool.

The Pelham YMCA is offering summer swim lessons for children of all ages, starting as young as 6 months old. The two-week sessions are broken down by age group, and focus on improving confidence and swimming abilities.

The summer swim lessons also work on basic pool “safety skills,” teaching children what to do if they fall or get pushed into a pool, Aquatics Director Jennifer Dick explained.

The Pelham YMCA is also offering adaptive swimming lessons as part of the summer swimming program. These one-on-one lessons are specially designed for children with special needs and are tailored to each child’s specific needs and swimming ability.

“(We start) just getting them used to the water,” Dick said, adding one of her students began lessons with a fear of the water, but through special instruction has made great progress through the session.

“This summer alone, 10 kids have participated in the (adaptive swimming) program,” Dick said, adding she hopes to expand the program as the summer continues.

The Shelby County Sharks swim team offers a more competitive summer swimming experience for children ages five through 18. The team practices everyday, Monday through Friday, and competes in regular Tuesday meets and optional weekend meets.

The summer swim team is “a little bit more fun” and more causal than the fall swim team, Dick said.

“The meets are a little shorter,” Dick explained. “It’s about having fun and bettering times.”

Finally, for the third year in a row, the Pelham YMCA members can enjoy movies at the pool every Friday night through Aug. 1, weather permitting. Popcorn and pizza are served, and members can watch a movie projected onto the side of the building from chairs around the pool or “on floats and noodles” in the pool, Dick said.

“We’ve had people join just because of movies at the pool,” Dick said. “It’s a great family activity.”

For more information about the Pelham YMCA and available programs, visit Ymcabham.com/Pelham.