This past April, my swimming buddy Macy Ray and I taught an Adult Learn-to-Swim course at the Oregon City Municipal Swimming Pool. We held two 30-minute sessions with three students in each session over a four-week period. Out of the six students who took the course, four were able to complete the course by swimming one length of freestyle and one length of backstroke at the end of the course.
This is the fourth year I have taught the Adult Learn-to-Swim course during the months of April and November. Teaching Adult Learn-to-Swim is one of the most rewarding things a swim instructor/coach can do to help adults overcome their fear of the water. The following story is from Kevin Tran, who took the class so he could be safe around the water and improve his physical fitness.
“In early April, I took the Adult Learn to Swim class in Oregon City hosted by Tim Waud and his assistant Macy Ray. It’s a four-week class with sessions on Monday and Wednesday. When I first took the class, I struggled to float and move at least one inch in the water using my legs and strokes. After the first week, I was not very confident in my ability to swim. I was considering re-enrolling in the class at that point.
“After each session, I found improvements. Tim helped coached me to try different techniques and challenged me to try something different. Which helped a lot. One of my weaknesses is that I get comfortable, but having Tim around kept me challenged. He is around and near the pool, which helped to improve my confidence in case things go wrong. Near the end of the session, he was willing to work with me and another student for 30 minutes before the class started. I am grateful that he is willing to put in time to help his students succeed.
“It has been a week since the class ended. I have been swimming on my own at my local community pool. One regular at the pool saw me and asked if I was taking classes. I told them I took classes, and she said I improved a lot. Just today, I was confident in my ability to swim that I was able to swim across a 25-yard pool without fins and float.
“I am glad that I was able to work with Tim and Macy for my swim lesson. I learned a lot and feel confident in my ability to swim. Thank you very much for all of your work Tim and Macy!”
– Kevin Tran (April 2022 Student)