Ellen McGowan’s mother nearly drowned decades ago, so Ellen didn’t have much chance of learning how to swim when she was growing up north of Boston. Today, Ellen’s 69, and just a few lessons away from swimming the length of the pool at the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard. And she couldn’t be more proud.
It’s just the kind of achievement the instructors hope for as the Martha’s Vineyard Masters Swim Club offers adult swim lessons for free this month. Eight lessons are offered in total for adults ages 18 and older, and the sessions continue into next week.
Ellen said that this is her second series of adult swim classes at the Y, and she’s sure that if she keeps building on what she learned the first time around, she’ll be successful.
“They almost had me swimming last time,” Ellen said last weekend as she waited for her instructor, Les Cutler, to give her the OK to head into the water.
Les, a trim 73-year-old, is a member of the local masters swim club, and said the group ranges from recreational swimmers to some of the best competitors in their age groups in the country. Les said he swims five or six times a week, and prefers swimming in the open water off the Vineyard’s many beaches. “It’s one of the best exercises you can do,” he said.
At last Saturday’s morning lesson, Les had Liz Fox and Todd McGee assisting him as instructors. With only one student that session, Liz took off for a long swim and left the coaching to Les and Todd. Ellen made her way into the pool while Les stayed on the sidelines, giving guidance and encouragement as she pushed off from the edge into about 4 feet of water, her head under the water and her feet kicking.
“I’m out of a job!” Les told Ellen as she came back up to the surface. “You’ve come so far from that first lesson.”
Todd eventually joined Ellen in the water so that he could show her how to position her arms and how to use her core muscles to help keep her feet up as she swam.
“The more your feet drop, the harder it is. I want you to focus on being long and tall,” Les told her. Ellen nodded and then pushed off from the side of the pool. This time, her strokes and kicks were spot-on, and Todd gave her a thumbs-up as she resurfaced.
As part of the lesson, Les explained the physical requirements of swimming, and said as a person ages, a lot of body fat moves up to the hips, around the back, finally settling in the middle. “Once you understand this, it’s easier to understand what you need to do to keep yourself afloat,” he said.
Ellen spent 45 minutes at her lesson, a feat noted by Les and Todd.
“When she first started, she wouldn’t even put her face in the water,” Les said.
“I’ve come so far,” Ellen added, smiling. “Now I know if I fall off a dock, I could save myself. And when I go to the beach now, I do a lot more.”
Les said that many of the members of the Masters Swim Club give lessons to children, but adults need to learn to swim too.
“When you live on an island, you see a lot of adults standing in ankle-deep water watching their kids swim,” Les said. “The little ones, they’re most open to new experiences and exploring; most are not fearful. Most adults who are not swimming have had a bad experience: Maybe someone threw them in the pool and they couldn’t swim, or they were in a lake and found out they couldn’t touch bottom; there are different fear factors.”
He said adults can get a great start at the free lessons, and Ellen said, “I’m 69 and I’m still learning.”
Free swimming lessons for adults who can’t swim will continue through next week. Call the YMCA for more information, 508-696-7171.