Student Spotlight
Meet Brooks, a 3 year old that pretty much has gills! Brooks started swimming at just 7 month old and has grown into an independent and confident swimmer at the pool. His mother Ashley heard of Aquatics Academy through a friend and decided to try it out! She began lessons with the hope of him being comfortable in the water but more importantly safe in and around water. Did we accomplish that goal? "100%" says mom! We asked Ashley to share a bit about her experience along the way and answer common questions we get from parents looking into our program.
What has been the hardest part of swimming lessons?
"Brooks is stubborn so some lessons he would do great and other lessons he would regress which could be frustrating. We continued to stick it out even after 20 plus lessons of crying and now he is a fish at three years old."
If you could give advice to a potential client, what would it be?
"Consistency is KEY! Don’t give up even with the tears or if progression is not as fast as you would like. Don’t be afraid to ask the instructors if you have questions."
How have swimming lessons effected your experience at pools?
"As a mom I feel so confident knowing my son is SAFE. I love that I can sit by the pool and watch him swim comfortably without hesitation."
Have others noticed his swim skills?
"When we are at pools, people are always so
hesitant the moment he jumps in, until they realize
what a strong swimmer he is. People comment every time
and say how smart it was that I got him in lessons so young."
In todays society everything is focused on instant gratification, we swipe through a hundred posts in single day. Our program has to slow down for the sake of our kids, because thats really who it's about. Learning a skill, especially one that carries over into a life long hobby or sport should be given the time for a solid foundation to be laid. We don't put your kid in a level learning system and hope the teaching style fits their needs. We cater each lesson to the child's individual learning based on their personality. So for Brooks, knowing he was stubborn helped us direct his determination into something productive. The challenge for him was allowing him to be independent and make his own choices but to teach him what was safe and what his body could handle. Stubborn kids are my favorite to work with because they become my best swimmers with all that determination to do more and be the best in the pool! Allow the process to take its course, especially if your child is fighting it, they have it in them to be phenomenal swimmers at a very young age, we just have to give them the right tools to do that!