Summer Swim Tips for Home

We work hard with the young swimmers AND THEIR PARENTS all year long at our swim school. Often at this time of year, we see the kids coming back into the pool with some bad habits. MMMM, we wonder, where did they learn that? SO in an effort to keep those swimming skills up when the weather is warm and to give our parents some hints on what to do at home, we are offering up our Top Ten Tips for Home!

1. Headed for the backyard pool? Give the kids time to warm up and have fun and then work on their swimming skills. Ten minutes of “teaching” is enough – you’ll be surprised what a big difference that will make.
2. Incorporate the 1, 2, 3's of counting to invite the swimmers into your pool. DO NOT let them run and jump without an invitation. They have to understand they need permission to enter the pool or leave the wall or the steps.
3. Let the children play on the steps. Be nearby BUT if their heads goes under or if they step off and are not able to swim .... calmly guide them back to the steps or to the wall. Do not be dramatic with your assistance. If they are capable, give them a few seconds to work out their problem for themselves. This is a chance for them to learn to trust their buoyancy and receive the reward of getting to the surface and back to the steps or wall.
4. Encourage underwater exploration. Research tells us that the more comfortable a child is under water, the more relaxed a swimmer they become. So when your swimmer pushes off the wall or steps to you ... Let them swim for 0ne one-thousand, two one-thousand and pick them up or roll them over at three one-thousand. Play underwater games. Let them retrieve rings from the top step, then a lower step then the bottom of the pool.
5. Do not put your swimmer in floaties. They will ruin our goals of teaching your child to swim with their head down and their bottoms up! Floaties allow them to paddle about, head above water and destroy any sense of balance and trust for the water that we have been working so hard to achieve. If you are boating on a lake – yes they need life jackets! If you are swimming in a pool – they need supervision, not floaties!
6. More than one non-swimmer in the pool with you? Try keeping the one that you are not working with holding onto your back. That way you know where he/she is at all times.
7. Resist the temptation to have your swimmer jump off the wall to you and you catching them above the water. When they jump in, let them go under the water. There must be a consequence for stepping off a step or the edge. They have to learn to turn and grab a wall, swim back to the steps, or roll over and float. Those are their 3 choices to be safe – not being rescued by mom or dad! This takes time, repetition and patience! It is fine to invite them in and let them go under and surface on their own, then pick them up. When they jump into the pool and you catch them above the water you are creating a false sense of security and over-confidence.
8. When trying to work with them to roll over and float, give them a brief chance to initiate the roll over. Let the child swim for a few seconds off the wall or step then Yell “roll over” first (you might be surprised on that day when they really do it without your help), then help them roll over and THEN pick them up. Be consistent – they will eventually roll over by themselves and you will have a safe swimmer. Let the water do the work – just guide them as you roll them over! You are not just teaching your children, you are training them! Through repetition! If you wait a few seconds after them come off the wall to initiate the rollover, they will appreciate the breath they receive when the roll over.
9. Some students will swim safely for their teacher and then “forget” when they get home. We focus on giving the students confidence. Give them time to warm-up. We practice streamlines and unders and bobs on the wall or even kicking on a kickboard before we ask the child to swim any type of distance. When you are swimming with them at home – if they are a jellyfish or higher - don’t rescue them too quickly. If they can swim and roll over here they can do it at home. Try yelling “roll over” before you rescue them and you might be pleasantly surprised when they do!
10. Finally have a great summer in your home or community pool and always practice the Safer 3's of:

Safer Water Lock your gates and secure your pools
Safer Kids Keep working on their learn to swim skills
Safer Response Always have a designated water watcher and phone on your pool deck

The Value of Working With Your Hands

Kathy and I often chuckle about how we have learned to handle being identified as "swim lesson teachers". When asked at a party or in a meeting by someone that we have never met before, they get a strange look on their face, that seems to say "ohhh you make a living and support your family teaching swimming?" One of my favorite questions is, "and what else do you do?" I will sometimes go off with a long winded explanation about how our small business is much more complicated than it seems. We have to train and recruit staff, work daily on our teaching techniques, interact with not only the children who swim in our programs or play in our sports camps but also their parents, schedule our pool use and yada, yada, yada. With a little internal smile I will share our story and move on through the day.

In these tumultuous economic times, I have had the opportunity to reflect on how lucky we are that we own our own business. The skills and services we provide to the families in our swim schools and sports camps cannot be outsourced. The economy of Phoenix has certainly effected our business but I am thankful that the great job our staff does in the water and on the sports camp fields is helping to keep our swimmers and campers enrolling. It is an endorsement from the parents of the kids in our programs that we provide a service of value.

This winter, we were short a Little Snapper teacher on Wednesday nights. I jumped in the water to teach one night a week to get us through until we could train another staff member to take these classes. As we looked at our summer schedule, I was asked by my supervisor who also happens to be my spouse, if I wanted to transfer my classes to a new teacher and get out of the water.

I will admit that teaching eight classes of six children and their parents back to back is hard. You have 96 different children and their various parents in the water over that time period. A high level of concentration is required, believe it or not. Trying to remember each child and parent's strengths and personality is important. But, I gotta tell you, my immediate reaction was: Me, get out of the water now? No Way! I have come to realize again, that I really enjoy it. I get as much energy and joy out of the experience of teaching as I possibly could imagine. It also makes me much more appreciative of the hard work and dedication of our many swim teachers, who are in the water far more hours than I.

So how did we get to this topic. Matthew Crawford has a Ph.D in political philosophy from the esteemed University of Chicago. He has written a very insightful article in a recent issue of The New York Times Magazine talking about how he bagged his prestigious job at a Washington, D.C. think tank to open a motorcycle repair shop. It is a great read!

He also has a new book coming out entitled Shop Class As Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into The Value Of Work. Heading to my local bookstore to pickup a copy tonight. So, the message today is that when your kid talks about being a craftsman, do not force them into only intellectual work. The world needs not only the work done by tradesmen and women but their intellectual skills as well. And if you are not happy in your cubicle, try to figure out how to do what you love, you may be surprised by the economic opportunity your energy brings to a business. And to summarize, how do I handle being a swim lesson teacher? With a big smile, a pair of shorts and flip flops and a baseball cap always handy for when i get out to our sports camps! We are in one of the most positive businesses on earth - kids learn quickly and they love to learn! Success brings big smiles and happy faces - we are blessed.

Do You Have Fun At Work ? I do!

Today as we move into a bit of the hectic days of late spring and early summer, I am looking forward with excitement to the opening of our Mesa swim school this week, the opening of our four summer sports camps in two weeks, the summer recreational swim teams and the summer energy that blows in the front doors at the indoor swim schools. As much as I am proud of our curriculum and the quality of our teaching and coaching methods, I have come to the conclusion that I have fun at work not just because of what we do but who I do it with each day.

We are surrounded by an awesome team of swim teachers, camp counselors, managers, and office personnel. It is fun to walk into the swim school or sports camp location and see people having fun at work. Seems kind of rare in today's world, so I have resolved to use this blog to say thanks to our team members for bringing their best everyday. Oftentimes people think about the work we do and do not understand the complexity or intensity of being up for every encounter with a parent and a child. Our goals are to make every visit to Hubbard a scrapbook memory for the children, parents and all of our visitors.

To the parents of our swimmers and campers, I want to say we want you to set your expectations high for your experiences at Hubbard. We may occasionally fall down or miss the target but we do want you to push us to the next level.

To our Hubbard team members, I want to say you rock. Your commitment to each other and the energy and enthusiasm you share with the children and parents in our programs is inspiring. People often ask me where we find our great teachers and counselors. I think quality attracts quality. When people interview for positions here at Hubbard, we run them through a series of interviews with myself, some of our managers and mainly our front line teachers and counselors. You would be surprised by how many people during training elect not to continue with the interview process because they see how hard people work and how much energy and commitment they bring to work each day. They realize that they may not have what it takes to deliver the Hubbard experience to our families, so they self-select themselves out.

So I want to say thank you to all of our staff members. Our goal is that your time here will be the best time of your life. My hope is that every job you hold later on in life, you will hold up against this one. You have my commitment and Kathy's and the rest of our leadership team, Amer, Pat and Otto that we are here to help in anyway we can. Thank you !!!!

Ohhh, I do have to say it is fun to go to work with your spouse everyday. No, seriously, it is!

Relax, it is not that big a deal

What's not a big deal? Well anything really. Just got out of the water teaching today. The thought running through my mind is that parents of little ones today seem to place a lot of emphasis on success in everything their child does or attempts. And if the swim lesson or tumble gym class does not go well, the parent puts too much blame on themselves. They seem to think they are failing somehow or that their child is somehow acting developmentally inappropriately.

Let's look at a swim lesson. One day does not a season or lifetime make. Yet parents occasionally feel that if their child is not compliant during a swim class that they need to make sure the child gets focused or with the program. They may have had six or seven good classes in a row. Then one day the child is just off. Not quite as comfortable as they were the week before. Maybe they are squirming a bit more. Or maybe they, the child, has decided that today is not a swimming day. They may have had a rough day in the sandbox at preschool or may have watched too much Spongebob and are a bit over stimulated.

Now, I am not suggesting that when these occasions arise we abandon all parenting responsibilities and let our children act on their primeval independent instincts. I am suggesting that maybe we, as parents, need to change our expectations and focus and chill out. Rather than get into a physical or mental wrestling match with the child, this maybe the time to step back, relax and assess where your child is at the moment both emotionally, physically and intellectually. If he is tired, maybe we need to ask him to swim not quite as far as the rest of the class. If he is learning something new and is not picking it up as fast as the other children, maybe we need to back up and review some fundamentals. Or let him practice some things that are easier for him to help boost his confidence.

Occasionally, we'll have a child who is a comfortable swimmer just decide that she is just gonna be difficult today. My impression is that the parent then gets more anxious because..... "everyone is looking at my child act out". My view is that if mom or dad, rather than getting anxious would actually respond in a neutral manner or laugh or gently smile at their child's behavior, pretty soon he is gonna realize that he is not getting this huge reaction he anticipated and will eventually calm down. Any reaction, even a negative one is a reaction. And a positive, affirmative, supportive or humorous reaction is far better than ..." we're in swim class and you are gonna swim and pay attention NOW".

I remember years ago when my wife would talk about traveling alone with 5 kids under 8. The airline attendants would avoid her like the plague and then at the end of the flight they often approached her and made comments about how amazing it was that the kids behaved. At that point she had traveled enough with the older ones that she thought of airline travel as a way to get from point A to point B. In other words, she didn't spend weeks preparing and anticipating a 6 hour day of travel and the kids took it in stride, no big deal.

So my thought of the day is a question. Are you one hundred percent effective everyday in everything you do? Do you hit a home run at work everyday. Is everyday at home a blissful one? I would think not. So why do we as parents expect every day's swim lesson or soccer practice or school day or softball game to be the best or even better than the day or week before. Learning happens in many ways. Sometimes, you have to actually go two steps backward before you go one step forward.

So relax, whatever it is, is not that big a deal.

From the Mouths of Babes

Here at the swim school we have advocated for years that swim lessons are a major layer of protection in preventing drowning. We work very hard to teach a child that there will be a consequence for stepping off the edge of the pool. They will go under water! Now I personally have two, yes two, major resources that support this theory. In a recent blog, we reported on the results of the brand new, just released, National Institute of Health study that confirmed the fact that swim lessons play a role in drowning prevention.

The study concludes: Participating in formal swimming lessons was associated with an 88% reduction in the risk of drowning in children between the ages of 1 to 4.
(Arch Pediatric Med. 2009; 163(3):203-210)

Now on top of that great research, I have had the personal experience of confirming the value of swim lessons in effecting a two year old's behavior around a swimming pool. Yup, I ran my own research study.

Last week I was walking a house in our neighborhood that is for sale with my daughter, son-in-law and just turned two year old grandson, Frank. Frank has been in swim lessons since he was an infant and is an excellent swimmer. He could comfortably get himself across a 30 foot pool by swimming on his belly, rolling over and then rolling back on to his stomach. While mom and dad were talking to the Realtor, I wandered into the backyard with Frank to check it out. There was an unfenced pool sitting right outside the back door.

Now as we approached the edge of the pool, Frank looked at me and said:
"Grandpa we can't go in the pool without someone watching us."

I wanted to jump up and yell Hallelujah!!!! This is where the battle against childhood drowning will be won. The kids have to learn and understand the fun and the risks of being around a pool. If we look at other childhood safety issues such as seat belts and bike helmets, it is the kids who remind us not to start the car until they are buckled and the kids who go and get their bike helmets before we leave on a neighborhood ride. In swim lessons we teach you as parents to let the child go under water when they walk off the side of the pool. We teach the children, and often times the adults, how to go under water without panicking and how to think about what to do when they are in the pool (roll over and float or turn around and go back to the side).

So encourage your friends and neighbors to get their kids in the water. You now have two major sources of research to support you --- The National Institute of Health and Frank!!! Both high quality research studies.

Swimming Lessons Do Not Increase Drowning Risk in Young Children - National Institutes of Health

FINALLY, we are beginning to have some research that supports what many of us in the Learn to Swim world have believed for years. Swim Lessons do impact a child's behavior and are a factor in the fight against children drowning. The National Institutes of Health have released a study that states:

"Providing very young children with swimming lessons appears to have a protective effect against drowning and does not increase childrens' risk of drowning"

Click here to read the full press release.

Not only does this National Institutes of Health study ratify what we have been saying but it proves how right all the families in our swim schools are that have been making their choice to enroll their child in swim lessons. We have said for years that exposing children of this age to pools and other aquatic environments teaches them about the risks and also teaches appropriate behavior around pools and other bodies of water.

Now, I have a job for you. This is not about getting more swimmers in our swim schools. This is about saving lives.

Click here to view the original press release, pass the information along to your friends and say:

"If you want to take the next step in making your child safer around your pool or any body of water ---- get them swimming."

This reports states that of the one (1) to four (4) years olds who drowned in the states involved in the study, only three (3) percent had had swim lessons. These numbers and any family's pain relating to the death of a child is hard to comprehend. But we must be forthright and take our message to the streets. I am tired of battling the Oprah Show that every so often shares the American Academy of Pediatrics position on this issue that swim lessons make parents less vigilant. The average child that drowns is a two and one half year old boy. It makes no sense to me to keep those kids away from the water. We now have research that confirms our belief that sharing and developing an awareness and love of the water with our children CAN make them SAFER.

Parents also need to be involved and educated about the risks and rewards of swim lessons. It is incumbent on us as swim teachers and parents of children already in swim lessons to not only educate the child but also their parents about the benefits and safety measures relating to keeping their child safer. Swim lessons are one part of the levels of protection that start with Safer Water (gates that lock) and then move on to Safer Kids (learn to swim) and Safer Response (learn CPR).

The study highlights the need to maintain your safety standards and vigilance even for teenagers and older swimmers. One of our staff members had the best job in the world in college. She was the lifeguard for the morning practices of the University of Arizona swim team. If the national swimming champions need a lifeguard during swim workout, so does anyone in your pool, no matter their age.

So share the good news!!!! Keep your kids swimming and learning these skills to last a lifetime!

Ohhh and I am available if Oprah is looking for someone to articulate our position.

Kids Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa

I spent some time last week with a pretty impressive 7th grader named Max. I got to know Max when he and his sister first started at our swim school several years ago. Max is in a new middle school this year but as a sixth grader he was president of the student body for his grade school. Remember, I said president of the entire school not just his class. Max and some of his friends and parents have been training and working out here in Phoenix for the last eight months in preparation for a climb of Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa this coming June.

Mt. Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania, Africa rises to a height of 19,330 feet! For those of us who have hiked in Arizona or even climbed some of the "Fourteeners" (mountains of 14,000 feet in height) in Colorado, 19,000++ feet is pretty high. You have to work over a period of days to get acclimated to the limited air at that elevation.

Why am I sharing Max's story here? There is a constant barrage of communication in the media about how we are raising a generation of kids who are glued to their TV, Game boy or Computer Screen. Here in Phoenix we are blessed with many local hiking trails and amazing parks. "Get off of the couch" as our sports camp director recommends. So my encouragement to parents is to find ways to get involved with your kids in activities outside of the house. Foster free play and don't worry if and when they fall or scape their knee. And if someone pushes someone else over, there is no need to rush in to protect them. Kids have a way of working it out among themselves.

OK, back to Max and his friends. I have to tell you the Rest of the Story as Paul Harvey says. Max is part of a team organized by the folks at the Foundation for Blind Children, who have put together a team of blind students and partnered them with sighted volunteers to climb Mt Kilimanjaro together. Here is their web site http://www.seekiliourway.org/. I am also including a link to the letter from Pam and Jim Stelzer outlining their family's reasons for being part of the "see kili our way" climb. Click here to read their letter. If you have trouble with the link, copy and paste the following link into a new browser window:
http://www.hubbardswim.com/ConstantContact/SeeKiliOurWay_StelzerLetter.pdf

This is not a fund raising letter (although if you elect to help these kids that would be great). It is an invitation to get up, get off the couch --- parents and kids --- and chase some kind of dream. Most people would look at Max and his friends and be thankful that you have your eyesight. I think Max is gonna look back over his life and feel sorry for people who were limited because they were sighted. I am gonna bet that Max is gonna come back from Africa will all kinds of impressions of life in Africa that we would miss. From the smells and sounds of the cities, the smell of the bush, to the feel of the winds, to the rhythm of language, and to the joy of trying to do something that is a really tough challenge.

If you want to help with their mission, check out their web site. If you want to learn from these kids, just get up and take a walk.