The day a child who said 'I'm done with swimming!' came for a trial lesson

I'd like to share a story about a child who came for a trial lesson the other day.

That child used to attend a different swimming school. But one day, they said something like this:

I don't want to go anymore.

The coaches changed every practice, and the classes changed too.
To a child, these might seem like small changes, but they are actually a huge source of stress.

The mother thought,
I don't want to force them to continue. I don't want them to end up hating swimming.
So she made the choice to take a break.

In the midst of that, they found Rakuei Swimming and came for a visit.
After seeing the children's expressions and the flow of the practice, they felt,
I think we can do it here.

The day of the trial

Until the morning of the day, the child was saying,
I'm done with swimming! to me.

But they invited a friend and came along.
When a friend is nearby, sometimes the door to their heart suddenly opens.

The practice that day was in a shallow pool with a depth of 50cm.
Running, crouching, scooping water with their hands.
Laughter continued the whole time.

The coach keeping up with them was even getting out of breath... haha.

A word from the mother

After getting out of the pool, the mother said,

It's been a long time since I've seen them moving around so happily.

Those words have really stayed with me.

It's not just 'swimming ability' that grows here

At Rakuei Swimming,
children from toddlers to junior high students practice together.
I've never seen a swimming school like this before 🤭
But there is a real meaning behind it.

The little ones learn naturally by watching the older ones.
The older ones develop compassion and confidence by talking to the younger ones.

Swimming is an individual sport, but
here, it is a place where we grow together.

The two who came for the trial will be joining us as friends starting next week.

Fun grows and changes its form.
Playing in the water → Floating → Moving forward → Swimming 25m.
We want to watch over every one of those steps together.

Arriving with a smile, leaving with a smile.
We want to continue being that kind of place.