Turning the tide from reluctant non-swimmers to passionate swimmers

Like many, I was seeking to make the most of the Black Friday Sales in preparation for Christmas, when something unusual caught my eye - Snorkelling with sharks for 6 - 10 year olds. Really?!?

Jokingly, I called over to my 7 year old, asking if they were interested and, without hesitation, they immediately jumped up to come find out more.

This is the same innately cautious 7 year old who spent the first 6 years of their life avoiding water slides, running away from waves at the beach and generally finding their cautious nature dictating their response.

In reality however I shouldn't have been surprised. Through consistency, breaking experiences down and working at their pace (they started lessons at 3.5 years old on return from the first lockdown), before the age of 8 they have developed an amazing passion for and growing confidence in all things water based.

Yes, despite talking for over a year about how much they wanted to snorkel, it still took us three days of working with them to get there when we finally made it on holiday in the summer but now it is something that they have the confidence to jump straight back into 6 months later.

Their journey hasn't been unique - in writing this I am reminded of the other incredible journeys we have supported - some of our most elegant swimmers started as some of our most reluctant non-swimmers. Each one has inspired and taught us so much about how best to support, reassure and guide both our swimmers and their families to breakthrough their challenges and open up a world of opportunity to everyone.

(For those that are wondering, my 7 year old takes after their dad for their cautious nature so no, being a swim teacher didn't mean that they took to it like a fish to water. It has however given me the best possible understanding of all the emotions that we go through as parents when our children face mental barriers to progress).