Bellingham Athletic Club

Water Aerobics classes

We’re welcoming back even more of our Water Aerobics classes! We have more availability and are looking forward to having you back in our pool.

-Class Schedule-
Monday evenings at 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm
Wednesday evenings at 6:00 pm
Friday mornings at 8:30 am, 9:30 am, and 10:30 am

You may sign up for a class three days in advance and it’s a super easy sign up! Just call or talk to the front desk to schedule. 360-676-1800.

Winter Swim Lessons

Please note that our pool can remain open under the latest guidelines, so we are still running swim lessons.

November 3rd-24th
$84 +tax non-member – $52.50 per additional child
$75 +tax member – $50 per additional child
SWIM TEAM: $61.50/$51.50

December 1st-17th
$84 +tax non-member – $52.50 per additional child
$75 +tax member – $50 per additional child
SWIM TEAM: $61.50/$51.50

NOW TAKING REGISTRATIONS. PLEASE EMAIL US AT aquatics@bellinghamathleticclub.com  OR CALL THE FRONT DESK  AT 360-676-1800 TO SIGN UP.

FUTURE SESSIONS: January 5th-28th & February 2nd-25th

We are offering BELUGA group classes! No parent needed in the water! However, the Saturday morning parent/child class is still available if there is interest.

Limit of 4 kids in a class. Siblings can be kept together upon request as long as they’re similarly-abled. Classes are 30 minutes.

Classes will be Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 3:00 pm. Times will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, but may be subject to change slightly due to pool spacing and staff availability. If there is only one child in a class, we may ask to adjust times OR charge an additional $15.

Swim Team will run from 5:30-6:30 pm, and will be limited to 5 swimmers. If there is enough interest, we may add another lane to allow for more participants.

We will offer an Angelfish class on Saturday mornings, and a parent-led Beluga class, depending on the demand. In these classes, parents will be in the water with their child and an instructor will be on the side teaching the class. These classes will also be limited.

Private lessons during other times are available, depending on our instructors’ availability. The cost of private lessons outside of our scheduled swim lessons hours are $30 per 30-minute lesson.
You can call the front desk at 360-676-1800 to sign-up. Payment is due upon registration. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me: aquatics@bellinghamathleticclub.com.

COVID precautions/protocols
Please wear a mask when you are in the building. Masks are not required in the pool.

Restrooms will be available for bathroom use and hand washing only. The hot tub will be closed.

We ask you to limit to one adult bringing the swimmers. We understand that siblings may need to come, but we urge you to try to limit the number of people coming when possible.

Teachers will wear face shields. While chlorine is known to kill COVID and other viruses, we feel this will add an extra layer of protection for both our instructors and your swimmers.

We will be checking the temperatures of anybody who enters the building and ask you to sign in at each lesson.

We also have an updated waiver. We will have hard copies available on the first day of lessons, but can email a copy to you upon request.

If you are unable to attend a given day, please email or call so we can adjust staffing accordingly.

Most important: nobody should come to the pool sick or with symptoms! Do not come if you or anyone with you can answer yes to any of these questions.
o Do you have a fever or have you felt hot or feverish recently (14 – 21 days)?
o Are you having shortness of breath or other difficulties breathing?
o Do you have a cough?
o Have you experienced a recent loss of taste or smell?
o Are you experiencing any other flu-like symptoms, such as gastrointestinal upset, headache and /or fatigue?
o Have you been in contact with any confirmed COVID-19 positive patients?

Swim Lessons are Back!

Hello BAC Swim Families! We are thrilled to be able to offer swim lessons again! Swim Lessons will start on October 6th.

Because of the ongoing pandemic, we do have some temporary modifications to our regular program. Hopefully, when Whatcom County moves to Phase 3, we can resume “normal” lessons again. At this time, we will only be able to offer Clownfish, Dolphin, Flounder, Jellyfish, Manatee, and Swim Team. It is important for our teachers to practice safe social distancing with the kids, and we don’t feel that we can deliver safe, effective swim instruction to Beluga classes given the conditions. However, we are excited to offer a parent/child class for those abilities. You can find more details below.

Lessons will be private or semi-private. We will keep similarly-abled siblings or close friends (upon request) together. Classes will be 20-minutes. The cost for a 4-week session is $96 for one child or $156 for two children. (MEMBERS $86/$136) Your child will receive tailor-made instruction, which is an ideal way to progress in their swimming abilities. Classes will be Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 3:00 pm. TImes will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, but may be subject to change slightly due to pool spacing and staff availability. Our parent/child classes will be offered Saturday mornings. Swim Team will run from 5:20-6:20 pm and will be limited to 5 swimmers. If there is enough interest, we may add another time.

We will offer an Angelfish class on Saturday mornings, and 2 parent-led Beluga classes, depending on the demand. In these classes, parents will be in the water with their child and an instructor will be on the side teaching the class. These classes will also be limited.

Please wear a mask when you are in the building. Masks are not required in the pool.

Please bring your own towel. There are none available at the Club at this time.

Restrooms will be available for bathroom use and hand washing.

The hot tub will be closed.

We ask you to limit to one adult bringing the swimmers. We understand that siblings may need to come, but we urge you to try to limit the number of people coming when possible.

We will also provide a disinfectant and ask that you clean your seating area before use.

Teachers will wear face shields. While chlorine is known to kill COVID and other viruses, we feel this will add an extra layer of protection for both our instructors and your swimmers. Teachers will rely heavily on verbal instruction and visual demonstration to teach skills.

We will be checking the temperatures of anybody who enters the building and ask you to sign in at each lesson.

We also have an updated waiver. We will have hard copies available on the first day of lessons but can email a copy to you upon request.

If you are unable to attend a given day, please email or call so we can adjust staffing accordingly.

Most important: nobody should come to the pool sick or with symptoms! Do not come if you or anyone with you can answer yes to any of these questions:

Do you have a fever or have you felt hot or feverish recently (14 – 21 days)?

  • Are you having shortness of breath or other difficulties breathing?
  • Do you have a cough?
  • Have you experienced a recent loss of taste or smell?
  • Are you experiencing any other flu-like symptoms, such as gastrointestinal upset, headache, and/or fatigue?
  • Have you been in contact with any confirmed COVID-19 positive patients?

Private lessons during other times are available, depending on our instructors’ availability. The cost of private lessons outside of our scheduled swim lessons hours is $30 per 30-minute lesson.

You can call the front desk at 360-676-1800 to sign-up. Payment is due upon registration. If you have any questions, please feel free to email aquatics@bellinghamathleticclub.com.  We are looking forward to getting back up and running!

Five Swimming Drills to Build Muscle, Drop Weight, and Give Your Joints a Break

by Lindsay Williams, Aquatics Director

1. Kick Drills

Hold a kickboard in front of your body at arm’s length. Tighten your core muscles while you kick across the length of a pool. Try these alternate kicks to target different muscle groups:

  • Flutter Kick: Legs are extended straight back, in line with your body, as you kick them up and down.
  • Frog Kick: Bend your knees and bring your feet together, drawing your legs up toward your body (like a frog’s). Next, straighten your legs as far as you can, and then quickly bring them back up again.
  • Butterfly Kick: Bring your legs together completely from your thighs to your feet. Point your toes. Use your hips to kick your legs, keeping them together, acting as a fin to push through the water.

Swimmers should complete 150 meters of kicking.

2. Breaststroke and Butterfly Drill

Full body strokes like the butterfly and breaststroke engage your core muscles and improve endurance and speed.

Swimmers should complete 10 25-meter swims with 15-second rest intervals between each.

3. Water Running

This exercise provides the high-intensity cardio aspect of running without the punishing impact of striking on a hard surface. Essentially, you run through the water just as you would outdoors. The water should be just below your neck, your back should be straight, your arms should be bent at the elbow, and your hands balled into fists as you pump them through the water. Run as hard as you can.

Do 3 rounds of 5-minute running intervals.

4. Leg and Core Toners

Stand with your back against the side of the pool, and your arms extended backward holding the edge of the pool on each side. Then, pull your legs up toward the surface, keeping them together until they’re extended straight out in front of you. Next, move your legs outward to a V-position and then back together. Keep them together, and move back down to the starting position. Keep your movements controlled, engaging your abs and glutes to complete each motion.

Continue pulling them up, out, in and down for 3 sets of 20 reps.

5. Water Crunches

Float in the water on your back perpendicular to the side of the pool. Put your legs, from the knees up, on the deck of the pool, while the remainder of your body is flat in the water. Use your abdominal muscles to pull your upper body up out of the water as far as you can. Use your muscles again to lower your body back into the water.

Do 3 sets of 20 reps.