Who Taught You to Swim

[Torchwatch]

My father taught me to swim taking me to an old Victorian Pool. It was rusting, rotting and freezing. There were water polo goals hoisted to the roof that were never lowered for use.

I was too skinny to enjoy the cold water and although I did swim I was too chilled through to relax.

Then Rolf Harris came on TV with a teach children to swim programme. I guess it started with a Public Information Film:

http://625.uk.com/pifs/teachem2swim.htm

Which was so successful that that gave him his own series.

From Rolf Harris I learned to blow water out of my nose by running my hand down my face and to enjoy being in the water.... Thanks Rolf.

At the time Rolf Harris was a light entertainment singer and high speed artist from Australia.
He matured to become the grim reaper in Animal Hospital "It's so sad, poor little Rover was just too weak to make it though the night......."

I had to download Ultimate Media Player to actually play the video as it is in *.ra format, but it does play.

[Byron]

Oz junior backstroke champion in Perth 1945 and showbiz ever since.
At 82 never been busier and his new Rolf's Animal Clinic is running on Channel 5. Not many get invited back to Glastonbury at his age either.
(better not forget the sitting by HM for him - not bad - saw it at the Queen's Gallery)

[kumu]

a neighbor taught me, he about 50, me about 5

[NakedBudd]

From England, Mr. Ivey had married an American woman somehow and come to the United States, where he taught high school math... and also taught children to swim in his backyard pool, as a public service. He did well, but I didn't... and couldn't really swim until college, where it took me an entire year to pass the class.

[Byron]

I often liken it to snow skiing - so frustrating when you seem to sink so many times in the attempt - but one day something clicks into place all of a sudden.

[Malcontent]

I taught myself!

[WaterPolo]

Grew up in small town and during the summer the only group running swimmng lessons was the Girl Guides.

So me and three other guys found ourselves at swimming lessons run by and primarily for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

For first while was pretty intimidating as the girls were a lot taller than me and many of them were already swimmers. Some of the girls made fun of the few boys and others loved that the swim classes were mixed with guys.

But that lake was cold as I recalled in late June and July.

[SwimForHealth]

I was about 11 and the girl who lived down the street who worked a lifeguard offered to teach me at their home pool.

I was so shy around this girl. I was also so scared of the water. She made me climb down the ladder and ease my self into the water. First lesson I put my face in the water, blew bubbles and she tried to get me to float on my back.

After my lesson she seated me on the side of the pool and I watched her do a lot of super dives into the pool.

She was on the high school swim team and synchronized swim team squad.

Her sister who was my age was teasing me about learning to swim at 11 when they learned at 3.

I remember I was wearing the baggiest trunks ever that I was continually tying up.

Watching those girls do those fancy dives made me want to learn even more and after one or two lessons I wasn't scared of the water any more.

[speedos123]

A guy named Craig at our Local YMCA taught my twin brother and I how to swim. I remember learning how to swim from him.

[ReservedEnthusiast]

I learned in stages. First, when I was a little kid (we're talking like 5 or 6 years old), my mom enrolled me in a basic safety-oriented swimming class so I could avoid drowning. Then later on my dad taught me freestyle. And then in college my friend Aaron taught me the proper way to do the other strokes as well as improve freestyle and structure a swim workout to be more complex than just 20 laps of freestyle.