Goldsmith Swim

04/21/2026

Upcoming heartcode BLS skills class for women. Tentatively 4/30 in the evening. Please PM me for details. Limited availability.

04/15/2026

I may be going through a hard time, I may be handling a really rough mix of serious medical conditions , I may be hospitalized often, but.. I am trying my best not to let that stop me. For all customers who are ok being a little flexible with scheduling, not coming when your child has any sort of contagious illness ( due to my lack of immune system) , and being understanding with me if I need to make changes due to illness/ appointments/ etc, we are happy to see you back.
Please note: due to my weakened state from kidney cancer , surgery not healing well, psoas injury and pain, along with my many time consuming medical appointments and tests and infusions , I will likely be aiming to work about 1 hour a day for starters, so spots are extremely limited. Fill out your information at www.goldsmithswim.com/register .
Happy Swimming!
Shira L Goldsmith

02/19/2026

Sorry , its been a while since I last posted water safety tips. As it’s hopefully getting warmer and we start getting ready for outdoor swimming seasons, some important things to consider before you buy a pool membership?

1) Tip 1: when possible , bring an extra adult to the pool for each non swimmer

As much as we mothers are super heroes, going to the pool with 2-3 non swimmers by yourself is a really bad idea for multiple reasons.
What happens if one kid needs the bathroom? Needs to vomit? Is too cold and needs a break?
I always recommend to bring an extra pair of hands with you if you have multiple kids you are watching, particularly if the kids aren’t swimming yet.

2) Don’t think that bringing your child swimming at a pool with a lifeguard , means the lifeguard is taking full responsibility for your child . Lifeguards aren’t babysitter’s .

This is a very common misconception. The lifeguards job is to prevent your child, or any one from getting seriously hurt or dying. Their might be 25 other people she is also keeping an eye on.
The lifeguard doesn’t know how strong of a swimmer your child is and how long it’s safe for them to be swimming when they can’t stand. The lifeguard doesn’t know that you’re child has asthma or diabetes or any other health conditions that require extra attention when exercising. The lifeguard isn’t watching to see if your child is getting bullied or not acting nice. The lifeguard isnt there to do anything but enforce safety rules.

3) Tip 3: Encourage your child to treat the lifeguard like a teacher or any other adult. It doesn’t matter if they are 15, they are the adult in charge and responsible for the pool.
Scenario:
My child really wants to jump off the diving board. That mean lifeguard is saying she has to pass the deep water test.It’s probably safe because there’s a lifeguard there. I will go distract the lifeguard and meanwhile signal to my kid to take her chance.
Wrong on so many levels. Your child might be traumatized . She might have a near drowning experience. You also have just taught your child that the rules are optional, a very dangerous message. Rules are for safety.

Safe swimming!! 🏊

01/18/2026

08/20/2025

As we are starting to wrap up the summer, posting some general questions and answers to clarify some misconceptions .
(1) Is it true the Goldsmith Swim is going out of business because of Shira’s health concerns?
Absolutely not. Although I have reduced hours and sometimes have to hire more help than I would have in the past for safety reasons , I am still teaching whenever I could, primarily in smaller groups withmore support or one:one.
What does that mean practically? (a) I have a very limited immune system, if you are sick please let me know and stay home and (b) I frequently wear oxygen while I teach depending on how my breathing is that day
(2) How about CPR classes?
I am still teaching cpr classes. If I need physical help, my husband is currently also an instructor and helps me out.
(3) Will the quality and service of lessons remain the same?
If anything, I think they are better. My schedule is less packed, more relaxed, with needed breaks in between students allowing me to really get to know each individual student.
(4) What does easy schedule mean?
In my case, it meant my goal case load is max 8 students per day spread out over around 4 hours, more or less depending on my appointment schedule.

My recommendation for the winter :
Take your child swimming at least every few months, enough to keep him comfortable and not lose any skills.
Just keep swimming 🏊‍♀️

There is a tentatively planned swimming group in Novemberfor beginners .

We still have 2 weeks or more of warm weather, it’s not too late to polish your swimming skills.

And everyone keep praying that our contractor Derrick with Container Homes USA can get his act together before the fall and finish our pool already.

07/07/2025

Today’s water safety tip:
Nose goggles or nose plugs and why you should train your children not to use them.
1) It makes it harder for your child to breathe properly and exhale through the nose while swimming and makes them only breathe through their mouth (which can actually make them more likely to swallow water).
2) It can make a child more likely to hold their breath while swimming.
3) Water can get trapped in there.
4) Like anything else, once one gets dependent on something in place of learning proper technique, it can make it harder to learn to breathe properly.
I recommend learning how to breathe properly from the beginning. Teach your child the difference between exhaling and inhaling, how to exhale only under water, and then hopefully they won’t feel a need.

07/07/2025

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1hgRpZ_oJYtXrxTDCOrx9aoQq9FQuvnfP/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=101041230479438014336&rtpof=true&sd=true

Sharing the slideshow from my recent presentation. Feel free to ask questions below.

06/09/2025

I will be speaking tomorrow at 2 PM , the topic Splash Safely, Swim Smartly .
Looking forward !

03/25/2025

Spring is on its way, what does that mean for your family and swimming season?
Time to start thinking about if everyone has swimming gear that fits and most importantly… does everyone know how to swim?! Learning how to swim is one of the most important safety skills you can give your child in regard to preventing drowning. Next, would be education about never swimming unsupervised and listening to lifeguards/ supervising adult .

This year swimming lessons will be scheduled a little differently on a weekly basis (due to my respiratory/ health issues), but have no fear, your child can still attend lessons. If you would like your child signed up, please go to www.goldsmithswim.com and fill out the waiting list and we will contact people when we are ready to schedule in order of who signed up.

https://www.goldsmithswim.com/register

Learning how to swim is essential for every person . Countless tragedies could be prevented if more kids knew basic water safety skills. At Goldsmith Swim we want swimming lessons to be available for everyone, regardless of special needs, anxiety, developmental delays, or socio economic difficulties...

01/26/2025

https://online.anyflip.com/xpdxy/vvpa/mobile/index.html

(Still a few spots left in the intermediate and advanced group for Hac students only).
I have 2 awesome lifeguards running these groups and I will there overseeing them and teaching as I am up to it .

Enrichment Program Spring 2025 Brochure