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New research could prove key to preventing drowning deaths among Victorian children

March 14, 2018 | Australian Leisure Management Early results from a world-first research study show that preventing drownings is not as simple as getting more children into intensive school swimming programs. Despite Victoria recording the highest number of reported drownings in over a decade this summer, there has previously been little to no research or formal studies undertaken on how best to teach children to swim. To help address the tragic prevalence of drownings, Frankston-based Peninsula Leisure has joined forces with Deakin University to undertake a comprehensive study at the Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre (PARC) into the most effective teaching method to help kids gain and retain swimming skills. Despite a worryingly low starting point, with two-thirds of students in the pilot study finding it challenging or impossible to swim 50 meters, early indications revealed a significant increase in swimming skills gained from the school swimming program. However, there was a severe lack of retention of these skills. Testing undertaken just nine-months after completion of the school swimming program, showed 63% of students had a lower level of swimming competency compared to the beginning of the program. Additionally, 24% of students returned to the same level of competency. Peninsula Leisure Chief Executive Tim Gledhill said the pioneering research, which is due to be completed in April 2019, will provide critical insights into how best to teach children so they learn and retain life-saving swimming skills. Gledhill stated “this research is the first of its kind to show that one-off, intensive swim classes alone are not enough to address the lack of swimming ability amongst kids, or to reduce the tragic rate of drownings in Victoria and across Australia. “Early results show that students must attend regular swimming classes, or at least swim regularly outside school, in order to retain basic swimming skills and be safe and confident in the water. “While we support calls to increase the accessibility of schools-based programs to ensure all children can swim confidently by the end of primary school, this research also highlights the importance of ensuring the type and frequency of lessons is best suited to help kids retain these life-saving skills.” PARC Swim Manager, Julia Wood, who helped lead the study, said she was especially proud of how the research could help increase water skills and safety in the local Frankston community. Wood added “the Frankston primary school students who participated in the study are not only on the path to gaining valuable swim skills, but helped us gain critical knowledge on which teaching model leads to greater retention of swimming skills.

“This research could help save countless lives, and supports our vision to ensure every child in Frankston can swim.”

Testing is still being conducted at Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre, with Peninsula Leisure and Deakin University aiming to provide final research findings in April 2019.

Source: https://www.ausleisure.com.au/news/new-research-could-prove-key-to-preventing-drowning-deaths-among-victorian/

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Three weeks of PARC Reformer 😱

WOW time flies when you're having fun! It's been 3 weeks since we opened the doors to our brand new PARC Reformer Studio and we have loved hearing how much you're all enjoying the new space! 

It's great to see our PARC community making the most of the new reformer studio and trying out all the amazing new features including the Virtual and On-demand options to fit in with busy schedules. 

Thanks for your patience as we worked through some booking challenges in the first few days. Want to try it for yourself? bookings are open via the Xplor App or Customer Portal.

After more info? Check out our PARC Reformer Studio website page via the link in bio

Keep the momentum going and make PARC Reformer a regular part of your routine. We’ll see you in the Studio soon!

#PARCfrankston #PARCReformer
Thank you Rotary Peninsula 2.0 & the 2025 Rotary Birth tree 🌳

The Rotary Peninsula 2.0 Birth Tree helps to raise funds for swim programs in our community, with $45 of every contribution going straight back to PARC and PINES to help more children build confidence in the water. 

Registrations for the Birth Tree are now available for all babies born in 2025. 

For more information or if you would like to register your child for the 2025 Rotary Birth Tree please head to the website. Link in bio

#PARCFrankston #RotaryPeninsula2_0 #Birthtree #morepeoplecanswim
Important Centre Update 

Closure Notice: The 50m Pool will be closed from Monday 30 June – Sunday 27 July.

We are undertaking significant tiling and improvement works in the Main 50m Pool. This means that the Main 50m Pool will be closed from Monday 30 June – Sunday 27 July (4 week closure period). 

What services are impacted? 
• CLOSED: Over the period, the 50m pool will be closed. 
• OPEN: All other aquatic facilities will remain open, including the Learn to Swim Pool, Warm Water Pool Hall, Waterslides and Aquatic Playground. Importantly, this means that PARC Swim lessons in the 50m pool will not run. 
 
To learn more about these planned works and how the closure impact you, please visit our website via link in bio
If you would like to suspend your membership for the closure period, you can do so via our website, link in bio
 
Suspensions used will not go towards members’ allowable suspensions and won’t impact the suspensions rules. 

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to enhance your PARC experience with these important upgrades.

#PARCFrankston
Aquatic Playground Closure 🛠 
 
The Aquatic playground will be closed for planned maintenance from Tuesday 17 June to Tuesday 24 June. 
 
This maintenance requires the playground to be dry in order to be repaired. The Learn to Swim, Toddler pool and Waterslides are still available for your enjoyment. 
 
We hope to reopen the Aquatic Playground in full on 24 June. 
 
We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. 

#PARCFrankston #Aquaticplayground
PARC Cafe staff attempted the Ice Chocolate challenge and it got messy. 😂

Who had the best technique and who caved under the cold? You decide! 👇

Kynen - ❤️, Maddy - 👍, Maya - 😂 or Bella - 😲

Vote below who you think is the Ice Chocolate Champion! 🏆

#PARCFrankston #PARCCafe #IceChocolateChallenge #StaffShowdown #VoteYourChampion #CafeFun
Our industry awards night is tonight! 🌟🏆

The Aquatic and Recreation Victoria Industry Awards recognise outstanding achievement and commitment to the industry. This year our facilities and many of our wonderful staff have been nominated for their contributions, and all of the hard work they do for our community.

Peninsula Leisure are finalists for the following awards:

Facility Management Award (Large) – PARC
Facility Management Award (Seasonal) – PINES
Sustainability Award – PARC
Community Impact Award – Peninsula Leisure 
Group Exercise Instructor Award – Belinda Butterfield
Membership Sales Award – Clair Porter
Personal Trainer/Gym Instructor Award – Nic Hough
Swim Teacher Award (General) – Ellie Spasevski

Good luck to all our finalists, thank you for all the work you do, we can't wait to share the night with you all! 

#PARCFrankston #ARVindustryawards #goodluck #Finalists2025

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