LUCAS VASQUEZ: Hello everybody, I’m your host Lucas Vasquez from the Minnesota Daily, and welcome back to another episode of In The Know, a podcast dedicated to the University of Minnesota.
Today, we are diving into a staple of our local identity: Minnesota summer lake and swim culture. It’s no secret that as soon as the ice melts, this state undergoes a massive vibe shift. We are, after all, the land of 10,000 lakes. From pontoons and tubing to neighborhood pool hangouts, water is the magnet that pulls Minnesotans together when the heat hits.
But beneath the surface of lake days and sunshine lies a critical conversation about public safety, historical access and a stark reality about who actually gets the chance to learn how to swim—and enjoy some of Minnesota’s quintessential summer activities.
To unpack this, I sat down with local lifeguards at the University of Minnesota, as well as a community aquatic center leader, to explore how water safety is evolving from general knowledge into an intentional push for equity.
First, I wanted to understand what summer by the water looks like to those who watch it the most.
I spoke with Andrew DeMare, an assistant aquatic program manager at the Aquatic Center in the University’s Recreation and Wellness Center. DeMare told me about the accessibility of water in a place like Minnesota.
ANDREW DEMARE: I feel like, especially at least in Minnesota, I would say there’s definitely a lot more opportunity here of, even my work we’ll go out, we have a boat day, so we rent a pontoon and we sit out on the boat and go swimming or go tubing, things like that. And I feel like that’s definitely a lot more normalized here because of people’s access to the water.
VASQUEZ: I also spoke with Zoe Bel, a lifeguard at the Aquatic Center. She has six years of guarding experience under her belt, and she told me about what summer water life looks like for her.
ZOE BEL: I love going to the lake and being around bodies of water. But since I’ve been a lifeguard for so long, when I go to lakes or something, I can’t relax and just enjoy the pool because I’m always on edge. I’m worried that someone’s going to need help or something like that. Just because we’ve been trained to like, see things. And so it’s just you can see someone splashing out the corner of my eye and I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, are they okay?’
VASQUEZ: While water offers leisure and fun for many, the physical risks are immediate and unpredictable. And they can catch even experienced swimmers completely off guard.
However an even larger crisis is looming over public pools and open water: a systemic inequity of who has access to life-saving water education, and who does not.
To fully understand this gap, I spoke with David Albornoz, the aquatic director for St. Paul. In his 30-year career in water safety, Albornoz said that he’s observed how drowning rates are heavily related to socioeconomic and racial divides.
DAVID ALBORNOZ: I saw right away that there was a massive need for it. Because drowning, being a national epidemic, impacts disproportionately people of color, Black people, immigrant communities, and communities without access to education or swim lessons.
We drown at the rate of three, four times the same as people that have access to water safety, which is usually white people that have access to swimming lessons or whatnot.
So that was striking to me. I found a purpose in that. So I built my career around the concept of water safety and drowning prevention and making sure that we serve the audience that is most at need, the audience that is more at risk of drowning, which again, happens to be people of color and immigrant communities.
VASQUEZ: Driven by this purpose, Albornoz approached St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and the city council in 2021 to pioneer a program that would go on to become the first of its kind in Minnesota and even the nation.
Instead of traditional paid swimming lessons, St. Paul launched what Albornoz calls “priceless swim lessons.” They are completely free.
But Albornoz realized that simply making a program free wasn’t enough to solve the core issue of swimming skill inequity in the Twin Cities. If he were to simply open registration online, the slots for free swim lessons could be instantly filled by families who could comfortably afford to pay for lessons.
To fix this, Albornoz built a system called TER, which stands for Targeted Equity Recruitment.
ALBORNOZ: So what we did is that we designed a system which is called TER, Targeted Equity Recruitment, that allows me to save in any class, if I have 10 kids in a class, five of those kids have to come from these communities. So it takes more work. Because we cannot just open the classes online and people go and register.
Because what that does, again, is prevent the people that is drowning are folks that don’t go online. So you have to reach into the communities. You have to work directly with them and make sure they get those spaces in the class. I’m really proud of that work. I really think that’s my life purpose.
VASQUEZ: When you look at the numbers, private programs like Goldfish Swim School run about $30 per class, which quickly adds up to over $120 a month. Meanwhile, a class at a local community pool or the YMCA generally hovers around $20. By dropping those costs or providing classes completely free for youth through city parks, you’re making sure that safety isn’t just a luxury for families who can afford it.
By working to remove the financial barrier to swim lessons by actively reaching out to underserved groups, Albornoz’ program has broken traditional swim education models.
He also applies this same equity-focused approach to building out his staff, ensuring the lifeguards on the stands actually reflect the community they’re helping to protect.
ALBORNOZ: If you look around, all these kids in the pool are kids that I have trained. So you’re going to find kids that are not traditionally what lifeguards look like. Usually lifeguards are white folks from swim teams. Nope. We have people from all ethnicities being lifeguards because we recruit them and we teach them how to be lifeguards.
So now you got the lifeguards, you got the swim team that always opens up. We have the free Sundays in which people swim for free so people get used to water.
Systemically, certain groups of people have been prevented from access to the water. And what we’re trying to do is break in those barriers.
VASQUEZ: Breaking these barriers requires shifting our collective mindset around public spending. Albornoz argues that providing free water education isn’t a drain on city resources—instead, it’s a massive long-term investment.
ALBORNOZ: The biggest barrier you would think is money. It’s not. It’s political will. You’re able to convince the leaders. And understand the difference between saying, ‘Well, why would we give away free swim lessons?’
Keep in mind that one drowning on average to the city, besides the deep pain to the community, we’re talking of millions of dollars. So if you give away free swim lessons, you’re really saving money. You’re not losing money. You’re saving money. By making sure that your community is prepared to avoid death by drowning.
VASQUEZ: And while city-level equity recruitment programs are actively reshaping future swimmers and lifeguards, the day-to-day realities of staying safe in the water still depend on individual behaviors and understanding of water safety rules.
DeMare pointed out that even at the pool, strict codes dictate safety behind the scenes.
DEMARE: So there are specific state codes that are in effect that basically say, ‘Oh, if a pool has a certain depth’ or I think it’s square footage is the main thing, then that really delegates how many lifeguards you can have on duty.
VASQUEZ: But when you move from a regulated pool to an unorganized, minimally lifeguarded lake day, built-in safety measures can disappear. DeMare explained that dangerous behavior often gets masked as innocent summer fun.
DEMARE: Keeping in mind of what you’re doing, especially if you’re at the pool or at a lake over the summer, things may seem like, ‘Oh, hey, we’re just kind of fooling around, doing whatever.’
One of the big things is people holding their breath and having contests with that, or just other things that you, as a swimmer may not think off the top of the head, ‘Oh, we’re just having fun, whatever. I’m a good swimmer, nothing will happen to me and I’m okay.’
But I mean, there have been numerous stories, accounts, whatever, whatever of people having a swimming background and knowing how to swim, but still things happening.
VASQUEZ: This type of unsafe behavior is the exact type of thing swim lessons can teach kids to avoid. Bel said she’s witnessed this phenomenon firsthand. She recalled a critical rescue that perfectly illustrated how quickly a situation can turn dangerous.
BEL: I wasn’t on stand, but my co-worker was and someone was with her group of friends and they decided to go in the deep end. Her friends could swim, but she couldn’t. But she was trying to keep up with them, and she just got in the deep end and then she was trying to swim and she couldn’t. And so my co-worker had to get in and save her.
Luckily, she was fine. She just had some water in her lungs. But because we acted quick enough that it was okay. But because of that, I had to push for my company to get ropes for the deep end because we had rope, and then it was obviously in Texas, things decay in the sun and so we had to get new rope.
But it was definitely a scary situation for the family to be in because all of a sudden their kid wasn’t next to them and all of the sudden we’re pulling her out of the water.
VASQUEZ: Bel noted that people frequently rely on the wrong things to keep themselves afloat in these moments, confusing pool toys with actual safety gear.
BEL: Actually a couple weeks ago I was at a lake and this kid was playing on an inner tube away from the actual swimming area of the lake. And his tube flipped over and I was almost up and ready to go. Because you know, you can be in an inner tube and then I don’t know if you can swim.
That’s why a lot of pool places won’t allow blow up pool toys in deeper ends because some people will just use the pool toys as life jackets. Even though nothing substitutes a life jacket other than a life jacket.
VASQUEZ: The data heavily supports a focus on foundational safety gear and education. Just this past Fourth of July weekend, Minnesota had four drowning cases. Albornoz pointed out that none of those tragedies occurred at facilities with active lifeguards or proper life jacket usage, proving that the core pillars of water safety are literally the difference between life and death.
Fortunately, the push for accessible water education is spreading across the state. Albornoz noted to me about the intention of replicating his equity-focused swim education model through partnerships at places like the University of Minnesota’s Aquatic Center.
And for those looking to get into the water, no matter your age, DeMare emphasized that the university offers ways to build those skills right here on campus.
DEMARE: We also have private lessons. So even if you’re a college age student and adult, you can still have that experience to learn how to be in the water and get that exposure to the water even if you didn’t as a younger child. So you can still be in the water and have fun like everyone else.
VASQUEZ: Ultimately, safety around summer culture in Minnesota shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for a select few, nor should the water safety knowledge that comes with it.
On top of this, learning to swim might seem like a small detail for some, but it can offer people more opportunities for exercise, fun, socializing, and even opportunities for employment. When around the water this summer, stay safe, informed and take advantage of the amazing resources the Twin Cities have to offer.
Thank you for listening. This episode was written by Lucas Vasquez and produced by Grace Aigner. If you would like to share your opinion on the topics discussed today, you can email us at [email protected].
Thank you again for tuning in. My name is Lucas Vasquez, and this has been In The Know.
