Deep thoughts

Bit of a non swimming post today. No lessons this week as I was at Coldplay on Tuesday which was awesome!
Was interviewed by a lovely journalist today and she asked me some questions which really made me think. (Takes a lot these days believe me!)
One of the questions was what would I say to people who were wanting to learn to swim and didn't know how to go about it?
This was me at one point. I couldn't just turn up at a pool and start teaching myself because:
1. I wouldn't go near the pool let alone get in it.
2. Not being able to swim was embarrassing to me and I'm not the most self confident person at the best of times so that was a no goer.
3. If I went with the family I wouldn't want them to see me scared cause you teach your kids they can achieve anything they want so I would be a fraud.

I also looked into council run lessons at one point but they tend to be for groups or people who can swim and want to improve and also the idea of bumping into someone I knew while having a lesson...embarrassing...a no goer.

I googled lessons in Glasgow but it wasn't easy to find anything suitable. Either odd times or too far away. I considered a weeks residential course somewhere in England but don't think I would have done it.

So when I found the www.swimmingmasters.co.uk website it was ideal. The lessons are in the Crowne Plaza next to the hydro (other locations too) and they are on most evenings and weekends so times to suit everyone. Also, I knew I needed one to one lessons, probably more expensive but worth every penny to me.

I didn't really find out about swimming associations like @theasa and @scottishswim until I started swimming but these websites have lots of info for people wanting to learn and other countries will have similar organisations.
 Learning to swim is a massive initiative at the moment with #thisgirlcan and #makeyourmove  hoping to inspire people to get in the pool and even if you are just bobbing around....it's a start!

Turn the clock back 25 years and what would I have done differently?  I would have taken the setback of what happened at school and turned it into a positive and started swimming then. I would have asked my friends to help me. I wouldn't have given a toss what I looked like in a swimsuit and got in there anyway and by now I would be an Olympic swimmer!

Ok, a bit far fetched but one thing for certain I would go back and push that PE teacher in the pool, fully clothed maybe wearing something heavy like a pair of steel toe capped boots and see how she enjoys the struggle!