Loudoun Swim Schools Participate in Guinness Record Attempt

On Tuesday, thousands of swimming students and instructors at swim schools around the world will participate in an attempt set a new Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swim lesson, including schools across Loudoun County.

SwimKids Swim School in Leesburg and Potomac Swim School in Ashburn are among those participating. Patch previously attended the event at Sport & Health in Brambleton.

Leesburg Mayor Kristen Umstattd and former Washington Redskin Khary Campbell plan to be at SwimKids for the event at 11 a.m.

Team WLSL holds the current Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson, which stands at 24,873 participants representing 15 different countries across five continents.

Drowning remains the leading cause of unintended, injury-related death for children ages 1-5, and the second leading cause of accidental death for children under 14, according to information provided by Team WLSL. Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent among children aged 1 to 4, yet many kids do not receive formal swimming or water safety training, according to Team WLSL.

“Parents understand how important it is to protect their children by using car seats and requiring bike helmets,” said SwimKids owner Dave Tonnesen. “Someday, we hope the same will hold true for teaching kids to swim.”

Potomac Swim School’s Donna Boone said the school enjoys helping spread the message each year.

“We are excited to participate because not only is this event part of the Guinness record, our children are enthusiastic to both swim and use this event to help spread the message throughout our local community,” she said.

Is your school participating this year? Give a shout out in the comments below or post photos tomorrow in our blog section.