
Our family is always near the water; not to mention Wilmington is almost completely surrounded by it! So in the summer, naturally, we find ourselves going to the beach or a pool to escape the heat and humidity. As a Wilmington mom, juggling two children near the water, I was eager to get our daughter enrolled into swim lessons. For years, I had heard that the best swim lessons in town were offered through Wilmington Swim Academy, so we enrolled our her.
The first lesson was a little rocky and a bit scary [for me] because this was the first time she stepped into a pool without a life jacket or a puddle jumper on. Two instructors were over five young children and I was skeptical of how the class would go. To my surprise, Brooke was learning various techniques to help her move in the water. Mary Grace, one of the instructors, would explain and demonstrate skills then the class would follow. Sometimes all at once and other times one at a time. They used back floats and pool noodles while treading water and swimming the lap lane. Even after the first class, I was impressed.
After a few lessons and incredible encouragement from the coaches (whom B thought were mermaids) she was confident in the water. She was excited when we told her we had swim lessons and was eager to get home and practice the skills she’d learned from “Coach” in the bathtub, such as blowing bubbles, holding breathe under water and floating on her back.
She started the class as a total beginner and ended by jumping off the diving board and swimming to the pools edge. In just four weeks, we had watched a totally transformation and knew we wanted to continue lessons with Wilmington Swim Academy.
We are so excited to go back to class and get a solid refresher course this spring as the ocean and pools in town start to warm up. I look forward to seeing what new skills she learns and how she continues to become confident in the water. As a parent, you want to keep your children safe and I highly recommend swim lessons!