Swimming used to be thought of in the same way as weekend soccer or piano lessons, which parents enjoyed but put off when their schedules…
When parents notice a pattern that seems remarkably similar across playgrounds and parking lots where competitive sports gradually replace joy with urgency, leaving children exhausted…
The parking lots outside the community pools are more crowded on weeknights than they were in the past. Not with birthday parties or competitive teams,…
The quietness of swimming is frequently the first thing people notice. Once your ears submerge, sound dulls and disappears, even in a crowded pool. Breath,…
No one lists the secret skill on college applications, and there is no certificate for it. It is learned in private, frequently at a young…
There was no loud announcement of the shift. It took place early in the morning, when the rest of the school was dark and the…
In a scene that has become remarkably familiar in recent years, children shuffle toward the pool with towels trailing the floor and goggles bouncing against…
The pool sounds different from the rest of the recreation center on a weekday afternoon. Don’t whistle. No yelled directions reverberating off walls. Only the…
When bodies move slowly, deliberately, and without urgency, water folds back on itself to create a layered sound that is remarkably similar across all pools.…
Children who are shy usually show up early, stand near their parents, and watch the water with an interest that seems remarkably universal, as though…