I never expected that one of the outcomes of being here in HK would be that I would learn to swim again. It’s not that I didn’t know how to swim already, it’s just that I think I have been swimming the wrong way.
I learnt to swim when I was about 6 years old in the sea near to Dymchurch in Kent. I can remember my dad patiently encouraging me, holding me above the water and then letting me go many times before I could actually stay afloat, move my arms and legs and realise that it was not the impossible task it seemed at the start.
Since then I have never been a serious swimmer, although I love going in the sea when the waves are strong. I haven’t been swimming for a long time but when I came and saw the great 25-metre pool her I decided that I would go in when it was on the schedule. It isn’t every day, but yesterday (Sunday) we had a 2 hour swim in the morning and I went in. It’s tough, but someone has to do it!
I have watched people swim many times before but as I watched one of the Brothers swimming the breaststroke I noticed that they were doing it differently to me. Their co-ordination of the leg kick and the arm pull was timed differently to how I had been doing it. Strange how on this particular day, I noticed it.
Having seen the way they were swimming I decided I would have a go doing it their way. It felt strange at first because for many years I’d done it my way – arms and legs at the same time – but now I had to think about what I was doing moving my arms and legs at different times. Kick, glide, pull, glide, kick, glide..... It was hard at first, so hard I ended up hitting the side wall, which was even harder! But as I swam more and more this new way I began to get into the rhythm and I realised I was making more progress than I had swimming my old way, the way I had been swimming for 44 years! Who said that you can’t teach an old dog...?
I never used to like swimming, but my new stroke has given me a challenge. To keep practicing it, keep working at it until it becomes natural and who knows, 2012 is just around the corner! Do they have a Veterans Olympics?
What’s the point of my story? I’ll leave you to work that one out for yourself. For me, I’m seeing new ways, new things (I guess they are really the old ways) and with a bit more practice... Well, who knows what the outcome might be.
I still might not be doing the breaststroke properly but it seems to be working. I wonder if I could learn the front crawl?
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