Summer Fun at Northville Swim Club

This article was posted by Aysha Jamali. It was written and reported by Julianne Pitcher.

With Northville students now officially on summer vacation, activities at the Northville Swim Club are in full swing.

“We really revolve around when the Northville kids get out of school, so things are just now starting to kick off.  They’re out, so it’s going to get really busy around here, which is a good thing," Manager Joseph Ukrop said.

Open to club members from Memorial Day to Labor Day, one of the Northville Swim Club's (NSC) first events of the summer was a teen dance held Wednesday night, he said.  There are usually about two dances each summer.

“They are for the middle schoolers and the early high schoolers.  They come to socialize with pizza and a DJ.  It’s a lot of fun for them,” UKrop said.

Another popular event at NSC is Coney Float Night, which will take place every Wednesday beginning this week from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

“On Coney Float Nights, we allow kids to bring their floaties, rafts, and water noodles into the pool.  Families come to grill up at the cabana, have some fun in the pool, and to sit back and relax, while enjoying the summer weather here in Northville,” Ukrop said.

Fourth of July is also a fun day for NSC members and their guests, he said.

“There are games for the kids and lots of food for everyone,” he said.

And when he says everyone he means everyone. 

“It’s honestly an atmosphere for everybody, ranging from preschoolers, who are just learning how to swim in our level one classes, all the way up to people who are into their 80s, doing lap swim early in the mornings," Ukrop said.  

Offering seven different levels of classes, NSC swim lessons are taught by certified lifeguards, running five days a week for two weeks from 10 a.m. to noon.

“Through these sessions, they’re taught everything they need to know to work their way through the levels and become proficient swimmers,” Ukrop said.

Although another summer has started and events are planned for the upcoming weeks, very few changes have been made to the club since last summer.

“For the most part, the swim club has been the same since the early 60s.  It’s been all about the family mentality, teaching kids how to swim, and bringing families together.  Even though everything is changing with cellphones and the Internet, there’s our little area tucked behind the water tower that remains unchanged and still holds family values," he said.