What better way to spend your time when the weather is hot?

What better way to spend your time when the weather is hot?

Yes, swimming is one way for people to get through the dog days of summer and to cool down when temperatures near the century mark and the blistering sun doesn't show any signs of going away.

Valencia County residents are no different.

"We love coming to the pool to swim," said Los Lunas resident Ryan Hutson. "You have got to do something to beat the heat."

Hutson said he often takes his two sons, Charlie and George, to the pool for swimming lessons. He said the pool offers his family a chance to spend time together and provides his youngsters with the proper training while having fun.

"I'd like them to be confident in the water," Hutson said. "It's something they really enjoy. I want them to be confident while they are doing it."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that children under 5 and adolescents between the ages of 15 and 24 have the highest drowning rates.

But some local lifeguards say accidents are preventable with proper training.

In Belen, lifeguards hold impromptu drills to prepare swimmers for a drowning situation. In one drill, swimmers were out of the pool seconds after the whistle was blown.

"It's like a fire drill," said K.C. Carter, head lifeguard at the BHS. "We want to have everyone prepared in case of an emergency. It helps us make sure the lifeguards have the skills to evacuate an entire pool."

Carter, a 2006 Belen High graduate, has been a lifeguard for six years, and said all seven lifeguards on duty work together to make sure that the pool is a fun place to be.

He said about 300 to 400 people come to cool down each day, with parents having the luxury to take their children for as little as $3 per day.

"We kind of have a joke around here that we are the cheapest baby sitter in town," Carter said.

First-year lifeguard Julie Baca said she makes sure children get a lot of individualized attention during their time at the pool.

Baca, a senior at BHS, helps out with swimming lessons in the morning hours and rotates to one of the pool's regular lifeguards as the day goes on.

She said constantly talking to children is paramount in gaining their trust to get them to a level where they can swim on their own.

"I like it a lot," Baca said of teaching children how to swim. "It's really fun. The kids get really excited when they learn."

Sarah Rogers, of Contreras. N.M., is among the parents who say swim lessons are essential to the health of her children.

Rogers said practice will help her son, Aiden, be more comfortable in the water. She said there are irrigation ditches that her son could fall into near her home.

"I want him to improve his technique," Rogers said. "He swims a lot over the summer. But I want him to be safe and not to panic in case he falls."

Rogers said the pool gives her a chance to watch her son in a comfortable place.

"It makes me proud to watch him excel in a relaxing environment."

Some residents read books on Kindles or just dangle their feet in the water as ways to relax in the sun.

Richard Sachs, of Belen, said he has frequented the pool with his kids about four times a week over the summer months. He said relaxing pool side is one of the best forms of heat relief.

"It keeps them occupied, and it's good for their health," Sachs said.

He said swimming exercises the entire body and strengthens the heart with every stroke taken in the water.

Kevin Wood, a recent Los Lunas High School graduate, said he uses time at the pool to stay healthy. He said he had been to the Los Lunas pool twice since the pool opened its doors in May.

"It was a good day to come out," Wood said. "It's fun, and it's a great way to stay in shape."

But most look at the experience as a way to hang out and spend time with friends.

Chris Outhement, 15, said spending time at the pool is the perfect way to count down the days of summer.

"There's not a lot else to do, and it's cheap," he said.

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