Swim Lessons is the beginning of our sport. It also teaches a vital skill for all people. I have seen bad lessons for so long in the area I came from (around Fresno), and I feel good that I was able to come with a program that I hope can become a better opportunity for those in the area. Lessons before were so boring, and the instructors were not engaging. The idea was to get more teachers who wanted to be engaging and demonstrate their enthusiasm for learning to swim. To get away from teach one while the rest on the wall, but develop group involvement in the lessons. Get away from creating a learning environment, but to create a fun environment where learning is done. I hope that the lesson program can still become that which I envisioned.
I also hope that those lessons will feed directly into the Raisin Country Aquatics swim team, as was the purpose. To get away from making an emphasis on Summer League, and begin to develop a culture where Club swimming is more important, and Summer League as only a step. It will make it so that the swimming in the area will become better, and even the high school level of competition will become better and more competitive.
I think that the good relationship with the city of Selma was crucial, and we now offer a better product, and the city doesn't see it as a loss on their books. Now the Raisin Country Aquatics has relieved the city of an expense, and it has become a revenue on a year round basis to the school district for a facility they were going to have to pay for anyways. One article I read talked about swimming programs getting cut, and how in these hard economic times, the best way to keep programs has been to establish relationships and become partners. It was a hard thing to do, and it took a long time, but I feel like I helped setup many of those relationships for that program to work and I am so happy that I did that. Sure the relationships still aren't great, but they are growing, and I hope that the City, the school, and the team realize the importance of their working relationship to help keep a good program going.
Although I left, I still hope that the program can succeed, and that they are better off now than before I was there.
printing it for the instructors. your program is great - but we are still learning the new teaching methods as the swimmers are learning---who will learn quicker remains to be seen
ReplyDelete-the lessons are FULL! I had to open another TIME SLOT -thanks for all you did/have done and continue to do for swimming in SELMA - it matters!