Jul 30, 2024
“Between 2003 and 2008, Woodward ranked in the top 50 [swimmers] in the world in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events,” according to The Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame website. A fraction of a second was the only thing that held him back from qualifying for the 2008 Olympics but Woodward’s fated swimming experiences had already been well established on the world scale, far above and beyond anything he could have dreamed of as a young person.
“I love doing things with my heart, including having a wife and kids,” said Woodward. “I also really want to say that I love the Lord and my faith is at the center of my life. I started Bakersfield Swim Academy in 2012 but I’ve been teaching lessons since I was 13 or 14 years old and it is a privilege to teach locally. I live with my heart and we have greatly loved the last dozen years of teaching Bakersfield's kids how to swim. My philosophy is to teach the staff how to serve the community, just as learning to serve comes from the Lord.”
Gabe and Staci are the proud parents of four children, ages 12 to 19. Gabe’s parents are from Taft and Gabe started swimming at age 4, along with his older and younger brothers.
Swimming is particularly good for brain development because it uses so much of the body in coordinated motion, Woodward noted.
“When you teach a child to swim, you are also teaching them something to enjoy for the rest of their life and to be active. Swimming engages the whole person, with a sense of independence, because even if there is team participation, when a person is swimming, they’re in their own world, excited to participate and using their own imagination in the water,” he explained. “Kids will have times they have to sit still and be on screens but the mental and physical health benefits of being active in a sport that is low impact and presents less risk of head injury than other youth sports are numerous. Plus, the lifesaving techniques of swimming can be important at any age.”
In addition to the often touted benefits of physical activity, swimming is an excellent way to prepare children for life experiences around water.
Woodward sees Bakersfield Swim Academy as an outlet to help change local statistics and reduce the number of drownings not only in Kern County but in the communities where the children who learn essential swim skills visit and make their lives for decades to come.
“I love family activities and watching my kids thrive,” he said. “My biggest wins will always be at home.”
Find out more about Bakersfield Swim Academy at https://www.bakersfieldswimacademy.com/
Sports and family: Wise words from Woodward
Q. What advice do you have for parents when it comes to children's participation in swimming and other sports?
- Since starting Bakersfield Swim Academy, parents would come to ask me if their child should be in year-round swimming because they're 6 and really good, for example, so there’s that question: What’s next? What else should I do? My answer is always to diversify: I'd say to sign them up for soccer. Have your kids play lots of sports when they're young. I think it's really helpful for them to try lots of different things and not get stuck in one category of sport. Also, be careful on the performance side. Remember to enjoy the sport, whatever it might be, allow the child to do their best to just enjoy it and not take it too seriously.
Q. What should families in the Kern County area know more about in their community?
- Kern County actually has a pretty thriving swim community and now water polo is really starting to be known. I love to see that and more parents should definitely be aware. Participating in a summer rec team is a great way for kids to be introduced to the sport. With any of our swim teams at Bakersfield Swim Academy, there are a lot of practice opportunities and we can point them to their local teams. Getting together on Saturdays for a swim meet makes for some great summer memories of doing something active and enjoying the sport together.
Q. What is your parenting PSA?
- Childhood goes by fast. Just enjoy the time with your family and not only being in front of screens.
