I think I was five years old when my parents took us to a nearby lake to swim.  I was floating in the water in an innertube watching my older sister and the other kids swimming in the distance.  I decided it couldn’t be that hard to swim and scrambled out of the innertube.  I immediately sank to the bottom.  I remember sitting there in this green murky water looking around.  For some reason I was not afraid.  Then one of my mother’s friends tripped on me and pulled me up.  After that my parents made sure I could swim.  We moved to the suburbs of Chicago and joined the YMCA. 

My experience was unique, but for many others the fear of water is very real.  It could be they were never around water, or that a bad experience when they were younger influenced them for the rest of their lives.  For whatever reason that fear only grew exponentially as they got older. 

In the spring of 2023 Barb Sloan, with her Adult Learn to Swim certification, advertised new Adult Learn to Swim classes to Sun City West.  The response was overwhelming.  During the 8 one-hour sessions in a walking pool, swimmers were helped with breathing, kicking, and freestyle arm movement along with a high dose of encouragement and confidence. 

To pass the course swimmers must swim the length of the pool, but not without Barb and her helpers walking beside them and cheering them along.  The excitement and joy in the eyes of the men and women alike is so amazing when they reach the wall at the other end.

Today these graduates can be seen at the pool continuing to determinedly swim the length of the larger RH Johnson pool in Sun City West.  Many of them swim with other graduates encouraging each other.  It’s truly amazing to watch and see the satisfaction on their faces. 

Additional classes will be held this fall starting in September.  You must live in Sun City West.  For more information go to: The Sun City West Masters Swimming Website.

Authored by:  Terri Stauffer-Schmidt of Sun City West