Kelly, Burl, Ron in wading pool circa 1969

This year my husband and I signed our 8 year old son up for swim lessons at the local YMCA. He has had so much fun, and is slowly gaining the confidence he needs to know that he can swim. I am hopeful that he may enjoy it enough to also join the local swim team. I loved the swim team competitions when I was a teen, it gave me the opportunity to compete with my peers in US schools as well as my counterpart peers in Manila.

Kelly resisting photo session at Manila Swim Meet, 1976

We live near the sea, Yorktown, Virginia to be exact. All my life I have either lived a short distance from the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. I am originally born & bred from Vallejo, California where one of the Sea World parks is now located (wish is had been there while I was a kid!). I grew up in Subic Bay, Philippines as a teen and lived in Honolulu and San Diego during my early twenties. When I joined the Army, I was trained at Fort Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts and ultimately stationed on the island of Korea for duty.

While in the Army I had a severe ankle injury, a trimalleolar fracture (a fracture of the ankle that involves the lateral malleolus, medial malleolus and the distal posterior aspect of the tibia. In a word, painful.) that ended any regular running programs as a first choice for regular exercise. My experience as a swimmer though prevented my being released from the Military, as I was able to substitute a 1 mile swim in lieu of the run that the military typically uses for their Physical Readiness testing. Swimming is much less damaging on the knees and joints also, making it an ideal exercise program for those that have been sedentary or need to use caution with their physical activity. If running is not an option, the low resistance and low impact of swimming is a great physical fitness alternative! Knowing how to swim has always been part of my life, both for fun, exercise, and practicality.

It is good to teach our children to swim, as a safety precaution even if you do not live by the ocean or other water source.