I can think of three reasons to use sidestroke:

Use in lifesaving.

Survival swim.

A teaching tool to illustrate what NOT to do when teaching breaststroke kick.

When you teach swimming lessons we want to make an effort to teach swimming strokes that our participants are going to use. 

Sidestroke is an archaic swim stroke that is often glossed over and ignored today. We only mention sidestroke two different times. 

1. During lifeguard classes when we are reviewing how to rescue someone without a tube. 

2. When we are teaching breaststroke kick in swim team and participants do a side stroke instead of the correct breaststroke.

Have you taught sidestroke to anyone? If so, why? what was the intent?

What do you think about sidestroke and whether we should keep or ditch it?