Can one question change the course of one’s life?
I think so.
I still remember my mom saying, I want you kids in at least one physical activity every year.” So, as long as I can remember, I was in at least one scheduled physical activity every year: ballet, baton, skating, downhill skiing, swimming lessons, and then there were all the unscheduled activities of playing in the neighborhood.
When our family moved to the Deep Cove area of North Vancouver BC, it was my first foray into backyard swimming pool lessons. I didn’t like the instructor at all. I was so scared of the water, but you know, she was the first person in my four years of life who told me what colour my eyes were. I have never forgotten that and that is the positive impression I took away from that set of lessons.
The following summer I started another set of swimming lessons with Mrs. James in her backyard pool program. I continued with Mrs. James’ swimming lessons for three summers. It took that long for me be able to put my head in the water and take my feet off the bottom of the pool at the same time. This equated to finally receiving my Pre Beginners Swim badge. That is the one and only swimming lesson badge I ever received in my life. I think two reasons I finally passed were my dad’s patience with me while we were swimming in local lakes on summer holidays and because we were moving to another city that fall.
Fast forward to a summer five years later, I was 13 in the summer between Grade 8 and Grade 9. My dad was helping with the start-up of the town’s swim club. He took my brother along, who was younger and much more athletic. I wondered why I wasn’t allowed to go as well.
I asked “Why wasn’t I allowed to go to the swim practice?” That question changed my life in more than one way.
You need to understand that I had always been very academically inclined and had done well in school. I excelled at 4-H and other community activities I was involved in, however the sports arena was very different for me. I was, more often than not, the last to be picked to join a team in school PE classes. My high marks in PE came from my attitude and participation, rather than having any athletic talent.
My dad did take me along that day with my brother. Because our town didn’t have a pool yet, we went off for the swim practice in someone’s private pool: a small, rectangular house pool. I wasn’t able to swim even the width of the pool without being thoroughly winded.
To give you a picture of this experience, when most people start swimming in a swim club they start at the grassroots, or even a bit higher, level. The Olympics would be the elite level and I started 1500 feet below the grassroots level. I still remember my first 100-metre freestyle race in the old Quesnel outdoor pool. My time was 2:00.02, which was last place by a landslide.
When I would come home from swim meets and was showing my family my ribbons, my brother would ask (if, for example, my ribbon was a 4th place ribbon), “Were there four people swimming in the race?”
My first swim meet I had no voice, because I had been cheering for most of the swim team. My dad, who was coaching, saw that no one was cheering for me when I was racing. He said to the team, “Rosalyn has been cheering for you guys ; you go and cheer her on.”
It was at the pool where I learned some of life’s tough lessons. I had to deal with a friend’s death and tell someone for the first time someone had died. I learned some people cheer you on and others couldn’t care less, or attempt to walk all over you.
I got my first taste for teaching/coaching in the pool. I had started out as a very weak swimmer and learning the technical aspects of swimming was tough for me, but by learning how to break down complex skills into manageable pieces, pressing through adversity and continuing to practice with my head held high, my physical coordination increased.
I always have had an imagination and I wanted to do so many things: be an accountant, an optometrist, an architect, a nurse, a librarian and I am sure I am missing some. But, because of my newfound passion for recreation and aquatics, I applied to the University of Victoria for the BA in Human Performance program, which had a focus similar to recreation. I had to go through a physical and oral interview to be accepted. Never really being a runner, I made it through anyway, much to the surprise of another swim coach who had helped me once or twice. In my second year, I switched to teaching PE and again had to go through the whole interview process, complete with sport evaluations. PE teaching was a true challenge. I had never run hurdles, swung on uneven bars or for that matter, ever missed so many golf balls. In the end, I excited to discover I had passed a track and field activity class with a “D”.
I didn’t really fit in swimming for the university , so I made the decision to leave and I swam with the city swim team and its younger kids for the following couple of years. However, I did play water polo that year with the university club team. My anticipation skills skyrocketed after playing in goal and seeing the overall game picture from that goal area. There was a huge learning curve for me as I navigated swimming, going to university and living away from home. This is where I looked at the clock and realized I needed eight hours of
sleep, but had to be up at 5:00 so I better aim to be in bed by 9:00, which usually turned out to be10:00. During this time naps became part of my day and to this day I can sleep most anywhere and 15 to 20 minutes of “shut- eye” makes all the difference.The rest of my time in those days was taken up with classes, homework, eating and swimming.
By the time I had finished competitive swimming my best stroke was butterfly and I had dropped almost 44 seconds from the very first time I had swum that stroke. My 2- minute freestyle was pared down to 1:06. One of the biggest things I learned from swimming was when I reach a goal, I need to set a new one. I set a goal to get a provincial time in the 100 m fly (1:13.2), but once I reached that I didn’t set another goal and that seemed to coincide with me “retiring” from swimming. This lesson has been a hidden gem as I often think about it wherever I am in life. I think one of the most transformative things I have learned from my aquatics experience is what I term my Lifeguard analogy: I reached back into my lifeguard training for this analogy and it has really helped me put things into perspective. A lifeguard is a trained professional who has passed their National Lifeguard Service (NLS). They are the trained professionals. When the whistle blows and you go into the water, you know you have someone right behind you. This is referred to as someone “having
your back.”
When you have your Bronze Cross in swimming, you are now in a lifesaving role. It is a different mentality. If you want to save someone you first need to make sure you are safe as you approach the person in distress. You most likely are on your own and there is no point having two people in distress. This analogy has truly transformed me into a new person as I take on life’s challenges, knowing I need to be in charge of keeping my emotional gas tank filled. I have learned when I don’t have the support I need or feel I need, I need to look after myself versus putting myself all out there and emptying my emotional tank. I have learned I always need a reserve.
What would have happened if I had not asked the question, “why am I not allowed to go?” We will never know for sure, but my swimming experiences transformed me into a caring, go-getting individual who looks out for the underdog and draws out those people who are less likely to voice their opinions. My determination and perseverance have accentuated my love of learning and taking on life’s challenges.