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pro sports club<br />
aquatics<br />
You’re not alone. Forty-six percent of American adults fear getting<br />
into water above their heads. Fear no more. Sign up for our Adult<br />
Intro to Swimming and gain the newfound freedom of being in<br />
the water. It can be a fun and empowering experience as these<br />
members have found out.<br />
Adult Intro to Swimming students pictured left to right: Rozita, Lida, and Adam<br />
Afraid of Deep Water?<br />
You Can Conquer Your Fear<br />
By Helenita Jacobs, Swim Coach<br />
Currently, I’m somewhere in the middle of the journey. I feel<br />
emotionally stronger and more confident to meet problems with<br />
a cool and less agitated mind. This class has allowed me to build<br />
patience, know that there’s a path to improvement, and trust more<br />
in myself.” ~ Rozita<br />
“I adored being at the beach but would fall into a panic when<br />
stepping into the water. My husband encouraged me to sign up for<br />
swimming lessons, so I attended the free seminar for Adult Intro<br />
to Swimming. As I watched a video of former participants diving,<br />
rolling, and doing somersaults in the pool, I thought to myself,<br />
‘That’s a nice advertisement. Those people couldn’t possibly<br />
experience the same panic in the water as I.’ However, I decided<br />
to try one session. By the end of that first lesson, I was in the pool<br />
and wasn’t afraid to put my head in water! That was a pivotal<br />
point.<br />
The Adult Intro to Swimming class is based on the philosophy<br />
of being 100 percent confident in the water. Each drill is an<br />
opportunity to develop greater awareness of what’s happening in<br />
each moment and is followed by a discussion of the emotions we<br />
experience. When I tried this for the first time, I felt an incredible<br />
sense of freedom which I’d never experienced before. I could<br />
hardly believe that the water could be my friend, not an enemy.<br />
“I always envied people who could swim. My comfort zone was<br />
‘water below knees and no waves please.’ Being in my fifties and<br />
fully understanding how precious time is, last year I asked myself if<br />
there was anything I wanted to learn that would bring me pleasure<br />
and be good for my health. I realized that I wanted to learn how<br />
to swim. I was lucky to notice that Adult Intro to Swimming<br />
was being offered and have never regretted joining that class. I<br />
overcame most of my fears. I can now swim on my back and front,<br />
and dive and return to the surface. I’m working on becoming more<br />
comfortable in deep water and learning swimming techniques in<br />
freestyle and breaststroke. I can’t imagine any other activity that<br />
could make me happier!<br />
On a recent trip to Hawaii, I spent a lot of time in the water. I<br />
could swim and snorkel, but the most amazing experience I had<br />
was time spent ‘sitting’ in water with a couple of arm movements.<br />
Learning how to swim gave me more confidence. If I can swim,<br />
than I can do anything!” ~ Lida<br />
Photos: Gerald Pope<br />
46 <strong>PRO</strong> PULSE MAY \\ JUNE 2013
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