I was thinking of and eagerly waiting for day#2 of my swimming class. There was a lot that we got to do today. I seem to be getting more comfortable in the water and hope that I get over my fear completely!

Before going into the pool,  Mary demonstrated to us the hand and the leg movements needed to stay afloat. The hand motion, when it is used, is sculling. It can be compared to spreading frosting on a giant birthday cake. By properly waving the hands back and forth through the water, the swimmer creates a force perpendicular to the direction of motion. The legs seem to follow a cycling motion.

We also witnessed a mock rescue operation, where a swimmer was carried from the center of the pool to the side and then pulled out of the water. This was done as follows: place arms under each of the victim’s armpits. Bend your arms back so you are pointing at yourself. The victims face is above water. Paddle to safety.

When in the pool we began with floating in beach ball position, with a partner pushing me down to the bottom. I have made a few friends. I seem to end up as a partner with Melanie or Zoreh. It is interesting how fast one floats right back up. As a bonus, she gave a few of us instructions on how to somersault inside water and a few other tricks. It felt horrible the first time I tried to somersault. There was water in my nose that seemed to choke me. There was water in my ears and I felt disoriented!  After a few determined attempts, I was doing a few somersaults in a row. Then extended my new-found skill to do a little water salsa! I tried touching the floor and sticking my legs out vertically and trying out a few imaginary dance moves like I have seen in water ballet shows!

We  floated horizontally, with hands straight along the body, propelling forward with very simple movement of legs called the flutter kick (no splashing). We focused on the shoulder to roll the body from floating on the stomach to floating on the back and so on. Eventually, I did a cork screw, turning four times. It was a lot of fun!

I feel like a little kid excited with the achievements of the day!