I first learn to swim with my father at the mobile home park pool as a 7 year old. Then I took lessions in the summer time at the community pool in our area thru Red Cross. I went to a swim school to learn butterfly.
Parents
Former Member
I grew up as a "river rat" and there was no such thing as technique or different kinds of strokes!!! My family lived on a river in Maryland (Back River) and I had a bunch of cousins who lived next door or across the road and we simply swam (every summer day)-- however it took to get out to that raft to play "king of the raft" or to play "tag" or take a boat out for an adventure as pirates. I remember that "swimming underwater" was really "running" underwater to get away from whoever was "IT" during the tag chases. We would look for the bubbles of breath to track the direction our prey had taken. I don't recall actual swim srokes, but I do think it was at first the dog paddle, and later a simulation of a crawl with head held out of the water so we could breath! I think the "trudgeon crawl" was something similar to the "Australian crawl" but with no flutter kick in there anywhere.
It wasn't until I got to college and as a Physical Education major I learned how to swim with strokes and techniques that had names! I never did compete in swim competitions, but did do some synchronized swimming events and learned even more about different ways to stay afloat for different reasons.
The journey has been fun and I have such fond memories of it all. I shall remain a lifetime swimmer even if I do take a hiatus periodically:p
And now I train for my very first triathlon.
Nancy
I grew up as a "river rat" and there was no such thing as technique or different kinds of strokes!!! My family lived on a river in Maryland (Back River) and I had a bunch of cousins who lived next door or across the road and we simply swam (every summer day)-- however it took to get out to that raft to play "king of the raft" or to play "tag" or take a boat out for an adventure as pirates. I remember that "swimming underwater" was really "running" underwater to get away from whoever was "IT" during the tag chases. We would look for the bubbles of breath to track the direction our prey had taken. I don't recall actual swim srokes, but I do think it was at first the dog paddle, and later a simulation of a crawl with head held out of the water so we could breath! I think the "trudgeon crawl" was something similar to the "Australian crawl" but with no flutter kick in there anywhere.
It wasn't until I got to college and as a Physical Education major I learned how to swim with strokes and techniques that had names! I never did compete in swim competitions, but did do some synchronized swimming events and learned even more about different ways to stay afloat for different reasons.
The journey has been fun and I have such fond memories of it all. I shall remain a lifetime swimmer even if I do take a hiatus periodically:p
And now I train for my very first triathlon.
Nancy