Swimming Lessons

Is this not the cutest little face you have ever seen? Look at those pretty little baby teeth on that smile. I'm surprised that he is even smiling because this picture was taken just before his third birthday and he had just finished swimming lessons for the day with the Redman sisters in Plant City, Florida. His swimming lessons were for a week every summer. He started just shy of his second birthday. The Redman sisters warned all the parents that most kids would cry the first two or three days but that it was okay and they were use to it. They assured us parents that by Thursday they wouldn't cry anymore. They were wrong! At least for my son. He cried the whole week for the first two years. I think maybe by the third year he was prepared for it.

Now that he is seven, swimming lessons are less stressful for me. There is no crying. Well, except when I have to make him get out of the pool so we can leave. He is now taking lessons through Swim Jamaica in Kingston. On our first visit, Coach Omar assessed his swimming at a level three. There are seven levels in the program.

Class begins with a few warm ups. He makes them touch their toes and swing their arms to loosen up."Auntie" Joyce shows the class how she wants them to enter the pool. Joyce is head of the Montego Bay program.

Perfect form.

Once everyone entered the pool. They were all lined up along the edge waiting for further instruction.First up is floating on his back. Coach Omar makes sure his chin is back and both arms and legs are spread out.

Same thing, only face down. Again perfect form.

Lined up again. Everyone gets a floaty in front of them.

He had to demonstrate that he could swim on his back while holding the floaty against his chest by only kicking.

The class had ten students and it was divided in two. Here they had to hold on to the side of the pool with a noodle under their belly and demonstrate proper kicking by keeping legs straight and kicking from the hip.
At the end of the class they were lined up for a relay race. Nathan loves competitions. He was first in line for his team. They had to swim to the other end of the very loooong pool with the noodle out in front of them. Touch the wall and swim back. Nathan easily beat his opponent but kept slowing himself by looking back to make sure he was still ahead.
On the way back they had to swim through a hoola hoop as well. I can't remember if his team won or not but being the impartial mother that I am, I'm sure they did. I can't imagine where my son gets his over confidence from.