Pool Sharks
Members find improved fitness and strokes through the Sky Pool’s popular swim development program.
Verna Holder glides through the Sky Pool water like a leatherback. A year ago, the Member looked more like the sea turtle from her native Barbados paddling in the shallows.
“I had my own swim style,” says Holder, 52.
After hurting her back a year ago, the avid runner took up swimming for its low-impact benefits. Having had almost no formal coaching, though, she couldn’t complete one length of the pool.
She joined the Club’s adult stroke development program and can now swim from one end to the other with ease. And through sessions of physiotherapy, her back now feels better.
“It’s no problem,” she says. “The next thing is to do multiple [laps].”
Haldane Henry, Sky Pool manager, says the program’s morning and evening group sessions are designed for novice swimmers and focus on technique and fitness.
“After one class, [students] were shocked they were able to swim 1 kilometer,” says Henry. “They didn’t know they could do that.”
Some members have moved on to the Club’s masters swim programs while others have graduated to open-water competitions.
Member Tom Whitson, who took swimming lessons as a youth but never trained with a team, says the program helped him swim faster and more efficiently, and led to improved muscle toning.
“Getting immediate expert feedback on your stroke helps you concentrate. Just doing laps on my own led to sloppiness and laziness,” says Whitson, 68. “I persuaded my wife to join and it’s a great Tuesday and Thursday date night.”
Swimming as part of a group also boosts motivation through competition, he says. For Holder, it allows her to pick up tips from seasoned swimmers.
Member Ola Slonina, who often swims at pools and in the ocean when traveling, joined the program with her husband in February. While she considered herself a decent swimmer, she learned from the Club’s instructors that she was hurting her knees and back through poor technique.
“After just a couple of months, we are able to do freestyle and backstroke,” says Slonina, 51. “Admittedly, we still need a lot of practice, but at least we know how to move.”
Invigorated, she signed up for additional lessons as a way to wind down at the end of the workday.
“The swimming pool at TAC is a great place,” she says. “Taking swimming lessons there is a very enjoyable way to spend a couple of evenings a week.”
Learn more about the full range of adult and youth swim programs.
Photo (l–r): Verna Holder, Ola Slonina, Hiroko Yachi, Sonoe Henderson and Monica Gariglio
Words: Nick Narigon
Image: Enrique Balducci
