I have been swimming regularly since pools reopened after the most recent wave of COVID. I’m still a bit nervous, but I know everyone in my lane is vaccinated, we do our best to maintain distance, and we all still mask except when in the water. Last week, our Saturday swim time changed to accommodate the restart of lessons.
By going an hour earlier, we met up with another masters club just leaving the pool. Such a nice surprise after months of going into an empty space! People who shared our hobby! Even some people we knew!
After our practice, the pool deck and change room were full of parents and kids getting ready for the first lessons offered in well over a year. There was a woman in a beautiful burquini with built-in skirt and a matching hijab, her friend who wore a fairly standard tankini outfit, and a new mum in a one-piece with a plunging neckline and her four-month old baby going for his first-ever swim in a pool. One little girl asked her mom about why some people were not covered in the breast area, and mom explained that some people like to show more than others and everyone gets to wear what they like. It all made me smile.
I swim because I enjoy how it makes me feel strong, but it is also a huge safety issue for me. Along with all the children, I was delighted to see many adults and teenagers were there for learn to swim programs too. I hope they all get as much joy out of the water as I do.
