I am thinking about giving beginning adult swim lessons in my backyard pool (5 x 12 yards). Does anyone have any experience with this?
I know I need to look into the nuts and bolts--e.g., insurance, neighborhood regulations, etc. But I'd really appreciate any success or "war" stories to help me think this through. It's a great idea, BAD, great idea, BAD, greatbadgreatbadgreatbad.............!
Former Member
Well, if someone drowns in your back yard pool, and their family starts making a claim that it was your fault, do you have the resourses or the insurance coverage to defend yourself and prove that it wasn't?
that's the worst case situation...
Write down pros and cons and evaluate the likelyhood of each one of thos actually materializing, and then decide for yourself if thos are acceptable risks.
Acceptable risk for you may be tottaly different than an acceptable risk for me or someone else.
Sorry if I'm pointing out the obvious.
There's very little chance a standard or big-name insurer would even cover you for this in a liability policy. That's way more risk than they would take.
I think it would be a really good idea to discuss this with a lawyer before proceeding. A good lawyer should know what liability issues, zoning issues, etc. may exist. He/she should also be able to tell you whether you need to use a waiver akin to the one USMS makes people sign, along the lines of "I certify that I am in perfect health and fully recognize what an incredibly dangerous sport swimming is, so if I keel over and die or get maimed for life, I agree that it's my responsibility and not yours." (Well, all right, USMS doesn't word it quite that way, but that's the general gist!)
It would also make a lot of sense, if you're planning to give swim instruction in anybody's back yard, to get lifeguard training/certification. It's very unlikely that you'll need it, but if you ever did, it could be very hard to explain why you didn't have it.
You should also check with your homeowner's insurance company to see whether what you're planning to do is covered, or even coverable. Many homeowner's policies automatically exclude anything associated with a home business unless you get a special rider.
Bob
Thanks for your replies. I'm taking them seriously and will consult with a lawyer before proceeding. I know one who works on other sports related businesses. I had to purchase a special rider to my homeowner's insurance for another business I run from my home--maybe one to include use of the pool will be prohibitively expenses or not available. And yes, I am certified as a lifeguard. I'm very cautious about these issues you've raised and thanks for reminding me of them.
Still with all the obstacles, I'm still considering it because I meet a lot of adults who are shy or inhibited about taking real beginning lessons in a public pool (i.e., any pool where others can watch them). I think the privacy issues for them (body images, afraid of the water, uncoordinated) prevents them from relaxing and learning to swim.
