Swimming lessons a successBecker does a great job Local swimming coach Herta Becker, sponsored by Marlins Aquatic Club, held a successful swimming outreach programme in Ondangwa last year. LIMBA MUPETAMIWINDHOEK
From 20 to 23 December last year, Marlins Aquatic Club (MAC) sponsored Herta Becker, who has more than 35 years’ experience as a swimming coach, to teach children and adults how to swim.
The course was held at the Ondangwa Town Council tennis club, which was made available by Johan Roelofse, who not only provided the pool facilities, but also helped with the organisation and logistics of the course.
According to Irma van Rooyen from MAC, the intensive four-day course provided swimming gear such as caps, goggles, pool noodles and kicking boards to all participants.
She said there was significant interest in the course, with Becker teaching about 105 swimmers ranging in age from six to 40 years.
“There were also 22 youngsters from the local SOS Children's Village. The first day was spent evaluating all the participants and dividing them into groups according to their ages and abilities. They were also taught relevant rules applicable to water safety in and around the pool,” added Van Rooyen.
How it went
On the second day the participants were taught how to float on their fronts and backs using pool noodles and swimming boards and how to confidently blow bubbles under water.
They were also guided through the importance of exhaling through their noses and inhaling through their mouths and opening their eyes under water.
On the third day they ventured more into proper swimming and were taught how to kick using a board, how to make swimming arms, and swimming on their backs without aids. Furthermore, they were shown how to swim independently on their stomachs and backs without focusing on a specific stroke.
They also learned the crucial swimming skill of treading water at the deep end of the pool for ten counts and how to jump into the pool and get out again safely.
The last day focused on learning swimming strokes and lots of waterplay, such as ball play and water polo.
“These fun activities were meant to show them how their newly acquired skills can help them enjoy the water with confidence instead of fear. This was followed by a certificate presentation to everyone who participated on all four days and was attended by Gerhard Sam, manager for local economic development and marketing at Ondangwa Town Council,” Van Rooyen said.
In conclusion, she added that there is still a lot of work to be done to reach communities most in need of water safety and to promote the sport of swimming in Namibia.
“Many participants even enthusiastically indicated that they would like to participate in competitions in the future.”
The next development course in Ondangwa is planned for the Independence weekend. If you, or your company, would like to get involved with sponsorship of any subsequent courses, please get in touch with MAC at marlinsaquaticclub@gmail.com.