Swimming is a fantastic way to exercise and its benefits are numerous. It provides a whole-body workout, tests cardio and strength capabilities, and helps improve coordination and flexibility, as well as increasing the strength of the lungs and the heart. As well as being a great way of burning calories, scientific studies suggest swimming can help to improve sleep, heighten positive moods, and relieve stress. Furthermore, it is a low-impact activity, meaning there are fewer chances for injuries, making it a perfect exercise for rehabilitation.

Many children begin learning how to swim from a young age with their families or by taking formal lessons. At school, YCIS Puxi students have the chance to begin swimming in Year 1. The school endeavours to get children in the pool as early as possible, so they are comfortable in the water and develop a passion for a different type of exercise. But not only is swimming wonderful for exercise, it is also a chance to learn vital life skills. Alongside in-pool swim training, Primary students learn personal survival and poolside rescue skills. In Secondary, students also learn in-pool rescue and lifeguarding. These skills have applications far beyond the swimming pool and will serve the students well throughout their lives.

Although an individual sport at heart, at YCIS Puxi, the swimming programme focuseson combining exercise and learning valuable skills, with creating a social environment where teamwork is always encouraged. This is something YCIS Puxi Aquatics Director Ms Annie Wright attests. “Being part of the swimming teams here is a whole team effort – we don’t just focus on individual success. There’s a buzz for swimming in Primary and Secondary, and our students are engaged,” she said. Further to this, the students are seeing the benefits of a health-and-safety-based approach. “Not only do they love the physicality of being in the pool, but the students also enjoy learning important life skills. At YCIS Puxi, we are aiming to bring in more complicated life-saving skills for Secondary students including CPR, water-based rescues, and life guarding. And in terms of competitive swimming, we are planning to host an inter-House event with Primary and Secondary students competing for House points. There’s a lot to look forward to,” enthused Ms Wright.

In addition to these fantastic developments, YCIS Puxi’s swimmers are already making waves in the water. Earlier this month, two teams of swimmers from YCIS Puxi took to the pool in a friendly meet – as part of the Shanghai Changning International Sports Amateur League, in coordination with The Expat Centre – hosted at the YCIS Puxi Early Childhood Education (Ronghua) Campus pool. Although a friendly affair, there was a competitive element to the meet, with trophies on offer. The participants, who came from international schools, bilingual schools, and swimming clubs based in and around the Changning district, formed the 11 teams that took part on the day. The YCIS Puxi squads swam in 42 events, with 14% of individual swimmers achieving personal best (PB) times – including one swimmer who shaved a third off her PB. Six individual swimmers added a combined total of 74 points to the scoreline, and YCIS Puxi’s A team came fourth overall – a commendable feat. With students of different abilities, ages, and experience levels taking part, the focus was on building team camaraderie as well as personal improvement, both of which were exemplified by the YCIS Puxi swimmers.  

At the beginning of November, a number of swim team members from YCIS Puxi Primary and YCIS Puxi Secondary will be representing the school at a swim meet held at another international school in the city. This highly competitive fixture requires qualification times to enter and features teams from across Asia. There will be a lot of talent on display in the pool that day, but, as always, our students are looking forward to the challenge of swimming competitively, representing their school in the pool, and aiming to improve on personal and team successes. Go YCIS Puxi swimmers – you are certain to make a splash!