The recent spate of wet weather didn’t deter the group of youngsters from Minot Forest Elementary School from being excited about their first swimming lesson of the year.

The group of 18 third graders arrived at the Gleason Family YMCA ready to jump in the indoor swimming pool, said Minot Forest teacher Julie Cardoso.

“I was kind of even relieved that I got done with the spelling and math tests today because they were so pumped,” Cardoso said.

It is the second year the swimming program has been offered at the YMCA. Classes are supervised and co-taught by YMCA Aquatics Director Melissa Dyer.

Cardoso said the students were split into three groups: non-swimmers, beginners and intermediate/advanced. The beginner group had the most children, and the non-swimmers and intermediate/advanced groups had about the same number of children. The students were placed in these groups based on a surveys their parents filled out in advance.

The most important reason the children are learning to swim is all around us, said Cardoso.

“They live in this part of the country, and it can mean life or death,” Cardoso said. “It really can. That’s the priority – just to teach them skills to stay afloat.”

But the skills these children learn will not only come in useful in terms of everyday safety in a coastal town.

“I have had some former students go into the Marines, and they have told me that the scariest thing for them was having to jump into a pool with their full pack and knowing they didn’t know how to swim,” Cardoso said. “I think of that when I see these little guys.”

Cardoso also said many of the children had never been to the YMCA.

“It’s just so important for their health to know the YMCA is here,” Cardoso said. “Last year, I had a few kids who had never been in a pool and never seen a pool. Just to have them have this experience … is huge.”

Of course, the confidence boost for some doesn’t hurt either.

“Last year, I had a little student [for whom] weight was an issue, and it was so nice because she shined,” Cardoso said. “It was awesome. … She was one of the best swimmers. She was definitely known – ‘You’re a great swimmer!’”

The students will take swimming for seven weeks, after which time a different group of Minot students will start their seven weeks of swimming at the Y.