Staff writer
Chance Shults, 4, of Marion likes going to swim lessons at USD 408 Sports and Aquatics Center. After lessons, he tells his mother, Allison Shults, about what he learned.
“I have to go in the water,” Chance said.
The annual lessons taught by Deanna Thierolf and Charlotte Waner have given him more confidence. He hadn’t taken any lessons before but had swam.
“It’s really beneficial,” Shults said.
She has two older children also taking lessons — Bryce, 10, and Tori, 8. Chance is the most excited of the three for lessons, she said.
There are seven levels of lessons at the pool, including preschool, Thierolf said. Kaelyn Thierolf, Julia Hall, and Brianna Hall help Waner and Thierolf. Camille Christensen, Amanda Richmond, and Greta Smith teach level one lessons.
Swim team members can benefit from learning noncompetitive strokes like the sidestroke, Thierolf said. Lessons also give them a chance to fine-tune competitive strokes.
Each lesson includes safety instruction in the form of “Whale Tales,” Waner said. Students learned to check that an area doesn’t have broken glass or sharp rocks before going swimming Thursday.
Helping students become comfortable in water is the most challenging part of teaching preschoolers, she said. Students gain a lot of confidence during the two weeks of lessons, which began July 13.
Trust is important, Thierolf said. Students have to trust that the teachers won’t put them at risk if they try new things.
“The biggest thing for me is watching them grow,” Waner said.