“Swimming is a Life Skill”: Dorado Speed Swim Club Founder Urges Guyanese to Learn to Swim
Written by EDYOU FM Staff on August 6, 2025
Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death. Therefore, in a country like ours where there are many rivers, creeks, canals and trenches, Coach Stephanie Fraser encourages Guyanese to take up swimming as a sport, a career and most importantly as a survival skill. In a recent episode of EdYou Rewind, Stephanie Fraser, President and Founder of the Dorado Speed Swim Club, shared her journey in aquatics, the opportunities the sport offers, and the urgent need for water safety education.
A Career Born of Recovery and Passion
Coach Fraser is a Level 3 coach certified by the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) and Level 2 coach at World Aquatics (formerly FINA). In 2024, she retired as a PANAM and World Aquatics Technical Swimming Official. She is also a Royal Lifesaving Society (RLSS) Certified Lifeguard and Lifeguard Instructor Trainer. Coach Fraser’s illustrious five decade career in swimming began in Santa Rosa Region One while recovering from a knee injury. Before swimming, Coach Fraser was an avid track athlete. However, when she injured her knee, she was prescribed aquatic therapy and from there her love for swimming grew.
She became a certified swim instructor in 1974 through a Canadian lifesaving program offered at a local pool in Georgetown, eventually founding the Dorado Speed Swim Club in 1993 to nurture the untapped talent of the young people she encountered. Coach Fraser has trained across the Americas and is proud that her swim club has produced four of Guyana’s six Olympians, including current standout swimmer Raekwon Noel, who is preparing for the upcoming Junior Pan American Games in August after representing Guyana in Singapore.
Coach Fraser
“He’s really, really doing well, and we’re so proud of him,” she cheered.
Reflecting on her more than 50 years of professional swimming experience, Coach Fraser emphasised the growing career possibilities in aquatics, especially for students and athletes looking beyond the pool. “There are so many things now. The sport is so scientific,” she said. “You can go study kinesiology, you can become a physiotherapist, a lifeguard, a pool attendant. There’s a wide opening of jobs created.” She also highlighted that many Guyanese student-athletes studying abroad work as lifeguards on weekends to support themselves.
Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Tips
During this August vacation period, outings to pools, creeks, and rivers are a family staple. Coach Fraser offered a few safety tips for parents and guardians, urging them to be vigilant and prepared.
1. Never go alone. “Always go with a friend, go with a buddy,” she warned. “And always identify one or two persons who are going to be the watchers, the ‘water watchers’ as we call them.”
2. Supervise the little ones. Coach Fraser cautioned against allowing children, toddlers especially, to play alone. “A child can drown in two inches of water,” she said. “If the child is not within arm’s length, they’re too far away.”
3. Observe your surroundings. “Make sure there are no obstacles in your way.” Read pool signage.
4. Avoid dangerous habits. Avoid risky practices like diving headfirst into unknown waters, pushing each other and all kinds of horseplay. “I’ve heard about incidents where people go to the creek, and dive in…and injure their neck.”
5. In the event of an emergency, do not panic. “The main thing is not to panic. Throw your head back and relax until help comes. Never raise your hands above the surface. Once you do that, you will shoot down. Keep your hands at your chest and press down. That action alone will keep your head up.”
Get Involved
The Dorado Speed Swim Club offers learn-to-swim classes for both children and adults, competitive swim training, water polo, and aquatic therapy services. Interested persons can reach the club via their Facebook page or visit Colgrain Swimming Pool, where registration is handled by Dr. Karen Pilgrim. In closing, Fraser reiterated the need for parents to ensure that their children learn the skill of swimming from a young age. She said, “ I think every parent should give the gift of a learn-to-swim class to their child. It’s a life-saving skill.”
Written By: Carlene Samuel
