the Hoffmans: AquaBrave

Our little mermaids have started their summer of fun by learning to swim. They've had seven lessons thus far (technically only 6.3 lessons for Cora since there was a "code brown" today and they had to clear the pool) and have only one left.

Yesterday Ally did something spectacular. And, since I'm awake, I figured I'd share her accomplishment instead of waiting three months to do so. Here's a hint:

But, let's start at the beginning. . .

Thanks to last year's lessons, Ally started the summer being able to float, hold her breath, and swim a short distance under water. She was semi-comfortable but definitely not proficient enough to be more than an arms' length away from me. Last week she was introduced to jumping in, the freestyle stroke, and the art of taking breaths while continuing to swim. Here she is in 4 feet of water, which is just enough to be over her head. (She's the smallest in her class and the only one that can't stand.)

Somewhere along the line she learned how to tread water and do the backstroke.

On Tuesday --well ahead of schedule-- the teacher tested everyone to see if they could pass the level. They all swam the length of the pool (25 yards) and back, which meant they qualified to try out the two deeper pools.

Ally was a little nervous jumping in at 9 feet (the shallow end of the Olympic pool), but she held her breath and took the plunge before I was even ready with the camera. She popped up out of the water with a smile on her face and then swam to the edge. Then they walked over to the diving well and sat/swam on the edge of the 17 foot cliff, until their teacher said it was time to jump in.

I'm thrilled that Ally had the skills to do it.
I'm impressed that she had the guts to do it.
I'm super-surprised that she went first.
I'm thankful she survived and had fun doing it.

The facility where we take lessons is state-of-the-art and has hosted Olympic trials and other national competitions. My favorite of its "claims to fame" was an off-beat, low-ratings TV special featuring Terrell Owens and other personalities which aired earlier this year. Maybe the "first jump" you just watched is the start of Ally's future as a celebrity diver?

That's enough of praising Ally. Now it's time to give a shout out to my little clownfish Cora. She's never had much fear of the pool. (Originally she was petrified of the ocean and wouldn't go in it until the end of last year, but I'm pretty sure that was a fear of waves rather than water.) I wanted her to take swim lessons for safety, whereas Ally needed them more for confidence.

Cora was splashing around and dunking her head like a pro from day one. I have a hard time getting her to not push me away. Her newest tricks include floating (unassisted unlike the picture) and bouncing off the bottom of the 3.5 foot pool. She's also started to tread/swim a little, which is something that's not covered in her beginner class.