MAYOR JOINS IN FREESTYLE SWIM.

Byline: Michael Coit Staff Writer

Taking a dip to beat the Valley heat Tuesday with dozens of children, Mayor Richard Riordan celebrated the surge in swimming since the city opened up its pools for free this summer to youths and seniors.

Riordan managed a few crawl strokes, but mostly enjoyed jostling with boys and girls making the most of colorful inner tube floats usually reserved for special activities. The mayor even dived in a second time for more fun in the sun.

``The program's a great success and these kids are having a ball,'' Riordan said before joining ``I Scream Cafe'' workers to pack ice cream cones and talk with the children. ``Swimming is a wonderful thing for kids. Swimming is a way to get to know each other, a way to be healthy.''

One parent shook hands with Riordan and thanked him for the city's decision to lift the $1.25 fee when all 53 city pools opened for the summer in June.

``I doubt if we would come as much if it wasn't free,'' said Marila Chapelle.

A part-time yoga instructor, the North Hollywood resident brings her son, Robert, 7, and daughter, Marisa, 9, to the pool several days a week.

``It's a good way to cool off. It's very safe, and they meet friends here from the park.''

The mayor picked a good day for a swim in the cool waters of the North Hollywood Park Pool. High temperatures ranged from 99 degrees in Woodland Hills to 94 in Newhall and Burbank and 87 downtown. More hot, sunny weather was forecast for today with Valley highs topping 100 and a downtown high in the mid-80s.

Free swimming gives more children a chance to stay cool in city pools and plenty of children across Los Angeles have taken advantage, contributing significantly to the 62 percent increase in attendance during the first four weeks of summer compared with the same period a year ago. In the San Fernando Valley, pool attendance is up more than 68 percent, according to city aquatics officials.

The $800,000 in revenue the city Recreation and Parks Department loses by not charging youths, seniors and the disabled is a ``great investment in the community,'' said John Vowels, the city's chief lifeguard.

Vowels also said some children always are inspired to become lifeguards, helping fill the ranks of seasonal and full-time lifeguards. He noted that nearly 70 percent of the 1,500 city pool employees, which includes 500 lifeguards, learned to swim at Los Angeles city pools.

Nine-year-old Ana Chalmers, though, was impressed with the mayor's swimming. ``He's better at the strokes than me.''

Another North Hollywood youth said he could match the mayor.

``I can do every stroke except the butterfly,'' said 10-year-old Albert Tsatryan. ``(But) he was a pretty good swimmer.''

Lessons aren't free, but are reasonable at $15 for 10 over two weeks, said Stella Rollins, who has her two daughters enrolled at the North Hollywood pool.

``That's cheap, but for some people that's too expensive. So for them, having the pool free is a great deal,'' she said. ``It's very important to the community.''