Recreation center pool
Address: 1204 East 14th Street Hastings, NE 68901Phone: (402) 555-0115Hours: Monday and Wednesday: 4:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.Use the south doors; parking is behind the building.
Directions to the Recreation center pool officeSwim lessons in Hastings, Nebraska
Swim lessons at three Hastings pools
Raft is five instructors who teach in rented pools: a recreation center pool, a college pool and a retirement community pool. Choose the pool and the day that suit your family, and start with a short placement visit in the water.
Which pool, which day
Find the level, then the pool
Each level meets at the pools marked below. Choose the pool and the day that fit your week; a placement visit tells us the level.
| Ages | Adults to children | Recreation center pool4:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.Monday and Wednesday | College poolLunch hour and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.Tuesday and Thursday | Retirement community pool9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water comfortAges 4 to 6Yellow cap | 1 adult to 3 children | Offered | Not offered | Offered |
| Floating and kickingAges 5 to 7Orange cap | 1 adult to 4 children | Offered | Not offered | Offered |
| StrokesAges 6 to 9Green cap | 1 adult to 4 children | Offered | Offered | Not offered |
| Stroke combinationsAges 8 to 12Blue cap | 1 adult to 6 children | Not offered | Offered | Not offered |
| Adult beginnersAges 18 and upPurple cap | 1 adult to 4 children | Not offered | OfferedLunch hour | Waitlist |
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Covers the swimmer's file and the placement visit.
- Session tuition
- Set by the level, the class length and the classes a week; our figures are on the enrollment page.
- Cap and goggles
- A cap in the level's color, and goggles if the swimmer likes them, come from home.
Each pool keeps its own calendar, so a pool may close on days we teach elsewhere.
Sample programs.
The three pools
Where we teach
We rent each pool for our classes, so the doors, the parking and the closing days are the pool's. Here is what to know before a first visit.
College pool
Address: 810 West 7th Street Hastings, NE 68901Phone: (402) 555-0115Hours: Tuesday and Thursday: 12:10 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.Use the fieldhouse entrance; visitor parking is in the lot beside it.
Directions to the College pool officeRetirement community pool
Address: 2410 North Burlington Avenue Hastings, NE 68901Phone: (402) 555-0115Hours: Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.Check in at the front lobby; guest parking is by the main entrance.
Directions to the Retirement community pool office
Each pool's own rules
What each pool adds to ours
Because we teach in rented pools, each building sets some rules of its own. They sit on top of our routines, not in place of them.
Recreation center
The center's lifeguard is on duty during our classes. The center sets its own deck rules and closes the pool for its own holidays and repairs; we text families the same day we hear.
College
The college's lifeguard is on duty during our classes. The pool follows the college calendar, so it closes for breaks, and we plan our sessions around those weeks.
Retirement community
The community's lifeguard is on duty during our classes. The pool is warm and shared with residents, so we keep to our hours, and families wait in the lobby.
Sessions
Four sessions through the year
A session runs eight weeks at the same pool and the same day, so a family can plan the week around it.
- Weeks 1 to 8, from late August
Fall session
Back in the pool with the new school year
Classes at all three pools. The college pool follows its fall calendar, so its first class is the week the college is in session.
- Ages 4 and up
- Lunch hour, after school and Saturday morning
- All three pools
Open - Weeks 1 to 8, from early January
Winter session
Indoor weeks for the cold months
When snow or ice closes the roads, we text families and make the class up in the same session.
- Ages 4 and up
- Lunch hour, after school and Saturday morning
- All three pools
Open - Weeks 1 to 8, from March
Spring session
A steady run before summer
The Water comfort classes often keep a waitlist, so ask early for the younger levels.
- Ages 4 and up
- Lunch hour, after school and Saturday morning
- All three pools
Waitlist - Weeks in June and July
Summer weeks
Short blocks for a busy summer
Two-week blocks of short morning classes, planned around family trips and each pool's summer hours.
- Ages 4 to 12
- Mornings
- Recreation center pool and retirement community pool
Sample sessions.
Session weeks follow each pool's calendar.
This session's classes
By pool and level, with room shown on every class.
Fall session
Showing 15 of 15
Monday
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Yellow cap
Desiree · 30 minutes · Recreation center pool
4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Orange cap
Desiree · 30 minutes · Recreation center pool
5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Green cap
Thad · 45 minutes · Recreation center pool
Tuesday
12:10 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Purple cap
Yoshi · 40 minutes · College pool
4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Green cap
Risa · 45 minutes · College pool
5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Blue cap
Yoshi · 45 minutes · College pool
Ages 8 to 12Stroke combinationsFull
Wednesday
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Yellow cap
Desiree · 30 minutes · Recreation center pool
Ages 4 to 6Water comfortFull4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Orange cap
Desiree · 30 minutes · Recreation center pool
5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Green cap
Thad · 45 minutes · Recreation center pool
Thursday
12:10 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
Purple cap
Yoshi · 40 minutes · College pool
4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Green cap
Risa · 45 minutes · College pool
5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Blue cap
Yoshi · 45 minutes · College pool
Saturday
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Yellow cap
Inocencia · 30 minutes · Retirement community pool
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Orange cap
Inocencia · 30 minutes · Retirement community pool
10:30 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.
Purple cap
Inocencia · 40 minutes · Retirement community pool
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Sample classes.
Times change by session; the enrollment page has the latest.
Five instructors, three pools
Every instructor holds the checks on our safety page: lifeguard, water-safety instructor, CPR and first aid, and a background check.
Thad Bedford
Owner and head instructor
After many years teaching physical education in Nebraska schools, Thad started Raft so that families in Hastings could learn to swim without driving to a pool of their own. He teaches Strokes at the recreation center pool on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Desiree Burwell
Instructor, Water comfort and Floating and kicking
Desiree teaches the two youngest levels at the recreation center pool on Mondays and Wednesdays. She likes a slow first class, with plenty of time on the steps.
Risa Terada
Instructor, Strokes
Risa teaches Strokes at the college pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays, after her own classes. She swam through high school and now studies to become a teacher.
Yoshi Okamoto
Instructor, Stroke combinations and Adult beginners
Yoshi teaches the lunch-hour class for adults and Stroke combinations at the college pool. He came to the water as an adult himself, and he explains each step before a swimmer tries it.
Inocencia Cabello
Instructor, Saturday mornings
Inocencia teaches Saturday mornings at the retirement community pool, where the water is warm and the pace is unhurried. She has taught swim lessons at neighborhood pools for many years.
Questions families ask
Which pool should we choose?
Choose the pool and the day that fit your week. Each level meets at certain pools, and the placement visit tells us the level. If your first choice is full, we offer another day or a place on the waitlist.
How is my swimmer placed in a level?
At a placement visit, a short time in the water with an instructor, at the pool you plan to use. The instructor suggests a level and a cap color, and you pick a class from the schedule.
What is a level?
A level is a group of skills, from blowing bubbles to the four strokes, with a cap color so everyone at the pool can see where a class is. Ages are a guide, and the instructor decides when a swimmer moves up.
How long is a class?
Water comfort and Floating and kicking last half an hour. Strokes and Stroke combinations last forty-five minutes, and the lunch-hour class for adults lasts forty minutes. A session runs eight weeks.
What do we bring, and what should my swimmer wear?
A towel, goggles if your swimmer likes them, and a swimsuit or a swim shirt over one. Swim shirts are welcome in every class. Please tie long hair back, and we ask every swimmer to wear a cap in their level's color.
Where do I watch?
From the bench, the window or the lobby, whichever the pool has. A parent or guardian stays in the building during children's classes.
Who is in the water with my swimmer?
An instructor, in the water or on the step beside every swimmer. The pool's own lifeguard is on duty during our classes. Lessons are no substitute for adult supervision.
What happens if we miss a class, or a pool closes?
A missed class can be made up in another class of the same level, at any of our pools, within the session and space allowing. A class missed because a pool or the roads were closed is made up too.
Can adults join?
Yes. The adult beginners class meets at the college pool at lunch hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on Saturday mornings at the retirement community pool. It starts with a placement visit, like every other class.
How does tuition work?
Tuition is set by the level, the class length and the classes a week. Our figures are on the enrollment page, and the page on how tuition works explains each part.
Book a placement visit
Choose a time on our enrollment page, at the pool you plan to use. Bring a towel; swim shirts are welcome.
Phone(402) 555-0115
Hours
- Monday and WednesdayToday
- 4:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
- Tuesday and ThursdayToday
- 12:10 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Friday and SundayToday
- Closed