Ifeanyi, 32, "Water intimidates me"
It's one of the last adjectives I would use when describing water: intimidating. But this is how Ifeanyi (Ife) felt about it and I was ready to change her perception.
Nhu, 20, "First time in a pool!"
I met Nhu three years ago in my ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom at Hoover High School. She had just moved to the U.S. with her family from Vietnam. Right away, we connected when we found out we shared the same birthday. Nhu's written English was incredible- her grammar was perfect :) But she didn't speak the language or understand me at all.
Colleen, 47, "The air will be there"
Colleen uses the pool as a safe place. I really enjoyed hearing about her respect for the water. She told me, "Swimming is a time to reflect.
Natalie, 30, "Sign me up for a triathlon!"
Natalie explained her experience in the water as generally un-athletic. We started with the concept of continuous breathing- inhaling and exhaling, which as an athlete, Natalie understood right away.
Michelle, 34, "Sometimes someone just has to break it down for you"
Once she got over the water on her face, Michelle began blowing her bubbles and figuring out the whole inhale (in the air)/ exhale (in the water) routine. The beauty of it is that the air is always there. It's consistent.