âMom and Dad met each other when he was stationed in Vietnam, and she was the secretary in his office â they fell in love and have been married for 50 years. But now, theyâve sold their Fairborn home and are moving to the Villages in Florida, so she wanted to learn to swim. But she was still terrified.â
Dupree was finally motivated when Dawn, 47, described her success with a 76-year-old just learning to swim. âMom said âIâm going to do it!â,â and she started her lessons the next day.
âAt first, I walked her through what I wanted her to do, showed her how to put her face in the water and hold her breath. Eventually, as she moved into the water without me, she used the water pole to hold onto, then lifted her legs and pushed away.
âShe learned how to trust the water, a huge feat for her, and I had her in the deep end, a big step for her, by her third or fourth lesson. Sheâs doing really well, is able to swim freestyle for half the pool, about 20 meters. When she gets tired, she can roll onto her back and swim the backstroke. Sheâs done that many times back and forth, about 300 meters.â
Now, after two lessons a week for five weeks, her mother is relaxed in the water, can swim, then roll over onto her back in the deep end with just a noodle supporting her. âSheâs so relaxed that she looks like sheâs sleeping,â says Burns, âbut now sheâs more focused on endurance.â
âAt first, I didnât want to get my head in the water,â said Dupree. âIâve always been terrified of the water, and, in our first class, she had to keep reminding me that she was there, while I said âIâm going to drown.ââ
âIâm thankful she was so patient with me, because sheâs taught me how to float, blow bubbles, and now, Iâm very comfortable in the water, relaxing instead of fighting.â
Her husband, Daniel, escorts her to Dabney Pool on Princeton Drive in northwest Dayton for her lessons and got in the pool with her a few times, âbut I prefer walking, so I usually just walk in the neighborhood while she had her lesson,â he said.
âIâm impressed with her success. Sheâs always wanted to swim, and tried before, but she was serious this time. Iâm happy for her because she does so many things well, but swimming was something that mystified her. Iâm really proud of her, that she stuck with it this time.â
According to Burns , the Villagesâ pools are only about 4 feet deep, so thereâs no fear of her drowning there now, âbut sheâs been on a boat and needs to swim in case of an accident. Now, she can relax in the water if something happens - it was just a process of building her confidence.â
Her mother agrees. âWe made sure both of our daughters got in the water at 2 and learned to swim, but I was terrified,â she said. âNow, I wish Iâd been swimming when I was younger, but this was my second chance.â
Contact this writer at virgburroughs@gmail.com.
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