What I Learnt From Adult Swimming Lessons
I thought about taking swimming lessons for a while before I actually did it. That’s my nature: I don’t do things on the spur of the moment. I knew that I wanted a female instructor, I wanted a pool that was really clean, I wanted private sessions – I didn’t want people to be staring at me while I was working on my swimming.
I grew up in the Philippines where swimming wasn’t a big thing. I remember playing in the water when I was a child, and we had compulsory swimming lessons in college, but it was a big class, more than 30 of us and only one teacher. I didn’t learn anything from her. For our final test, we had to swim the entire length of the pool and I think I made it about two-thirds of the way.
Even after 30 years in Australia, I haven’t done a lot of swimming. I know swimming is a big thing here, and we enrolled our son in a swimming school when he was two. He really loves to swim. We actually have a pool in our backyard, but it’s not heated and water temperature is a big thing for me. I can’t go into cold water – I really need it to be warm.
It was COVID that got me thinking more seriously about actually signing up for lessons, because I was starting to gain weight and I wanted some sort of exercise. I looked around and found Swim with a Smile, a swimming instructor offering private lessons, which was exactly what I wanted. I took a good look at the instructor’s photo, thinking, ‘Is she the type of person who will yell at me?’ I knew I would have a hard time re-learning how to swim and I didn’t want to be yelled at.
I signed up for 10 lessons. The first few lessons we focused on the breathing and the floating parts. Breathing has always been something I have struggled with. That’s why backstroke is my best stroke, I don’t have to worry about the breathing. My instructor was very calm and patient which helped me through. Once we had that sorted, we worked our way through the different strokes. Because it was a private lesson, I didn’t feel self-conscious. I was very relaxed and actually enjoyed the lessons, which I hadn’t expected. I had such a great feeling when I first completed an entire lap. I still hold on to that feeling.
It turns out I really like swimming as a form of exercise. I love the fact that it exercises your entire body. It’s not like going to the gym, where you do one exercise for your forearms, one for your thighs, one for your shoulders. It’s a great way to work out.
I wouldn’t say I’m a good swimmer. My swimming is competent but I’d like to refine my freestyle – it’s my weakest stroke. It’s surprising how wonderful it feels to have finally gotten on top of something that has been a weak spot all my life, and it feels great to be more confident when I’m in the pool with my grandchildren.
Interview with Lyra Martinez by Ute Junker
Photos_ Taylor Simpson/UnSplash