There's nothing like doing a round of swim lessons when it's 21 degrees outside! The kids started a winter session today, but thankfully the rec center is super heated. At least the leisure pool is a little bit of a comfy temp, but the Olympic pool is ice cold. The kids are a little rusty because of not swimming a lot since the end of the summer. At registration I was a little iffy about what levels to put them in, so I guessed. I was right on with all but one of them.
Ethan is doing level five again. He is one level away from being able to be on the swim team and he's a pretty great swimmer. At the beginning of the lesson he showed that he was out of practice, but half way through he seemed to have grasped it all again. To me, swimming is like riding a bicycle- you just can't forget how to do it. Your technique and strength might lack, but the ability to do it never goes away. Ethan's entire class took place in the 13 foot deep lanes of the pool!
Hailey's the one I was really on the fence about. I didn't know if she should be in level three or four, and wanting her to be challenged rather than bored, I opted for level four. I think she would have done better in her lesson, but this was her first lesson in the FREEZING cold Olympic pool and she just couldn't ever get used to it (level four and up is in that pool). As a result, she was paralyzed with an inability to perform. The girl has absolutely no fat on her body to speak of so there is nothing to keep her warm! After talking it over with the coordinator, we put her back in level three for the remainder of the session. So she is back in the leisure pool and it turns out one of her best buddies, Jack, is in the same class!
The Chudda is doing preschool level three again and loved it today. I honestly think it's a little boring for her because this summer she proved to be able to swim at least four meters unassisted; but since it's been a while and she barely turned five, she is re-doing PS3. She was in heaven!!
This was Devin's first session of lessons since he just turned three. The have to be at LEAST three to do lessons. I went on and put him in PS2 rather than PS1 because the entry level is all about getting them used to the water. HA! This summer we found out that he's a natural in the water and he was able to swim from my arms to the stairs over and over again. He has ZERO amount of fear. But where he has oodles of ability, he lacks the maturity to go with it. He was furious and cried most of the time because he wanted to go off on his own and play. At first the teachers thought he was afraid of the water, until I let them know it was the opposite. So one of the teachers took him away for most of the class for a one-on-one lessons. They went around the lazy river several times and he practiced floating on his back, but he was rebellious the entire time. Ten minutes before the lesson was over, it was over. I took him and and dried him off, and THEN he thought it was time to go play by himself. I think we are in real trouble with this independent and stubborn guy!
Even though the air was frigid, the kids had a fantastic time and can't wait to back for lessons next Saturday. We'll probably go swimming as a family on Monday (New Years Eve) and I will practice more with the kids.
Oh......and I can't forget to mention this incredibly patient cheerleader/spectator! This guy has been dragged around to his older siblings activities since he was in utero. One day it will be HIS turn to participate. In the meantime, he gets a front row seat for spectating!
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