Heh. I remember the frantic re-application of mousse in the locker room after gym class, and that was in an all-girls school! Those stereotypical '80s 'dos were all over the place back then. I had the top high and the sides slicked back (very mulletesque, sad to say) when I didn't have it long (and usually pulled in a ponytail) or permed (which always went waaay too tight and I ended up looking like Linda Kelsey in Lou Grant).

is your mother originally from Jamaica?

Yup.

You can imagine how traumatic swimming in the middle of the school day was in the era of big hair.

Halloo. Try being black (and the concomitant typical processed hair). It was the inception of my Tina Turner hair, because that was the only low-maintenance way to go.

We had swimming classes at my high school in Jamaica, but I don't think they were mandatory. I took them because they were the easiest phys ed options. I even snuck onto the swim team (I was small and not a fast swimmer, but the perfect rescue subject).

In England they were mandatory, and I was one of the few kids to test out immediately, and spent time either on the high boards or teaching other girls to swim.

We didn't have mandatory swim lessons where I grew up, but almost everyone learned to swim as a kid. My brother and I had a few lessons and both took to it pretty quick, but then my dad tried to teach me to dive, and hello trauma. Worse than when he tried to teach me piano. He's not a natural teacher when it's someone he knows and expects to be able to do it.

I'm not a strong swimmer at all, but I love the water, and I can float forever. But I am still freaked out by going in headfirst. Thanks, Dad! Love you, man.

I thought it rather strange that my (public) junior high had us going to a local bowling alley for part of our PE class, but didn't have us go to a local pool as well. Guess it was less hassle in terms of time (no changing time necessary) and insurance/liability.

Our high school had swimming as a required part of required PE (two semesters)...unless you took PE during summer school. Then, there wasn't time, or other people were using the pool, or something...so we went bowling instead. I much preferred.

Pools are pretty much only public pools in the summer months where I grew up. If you are university affiliated, you have that. And then a few small clubs or backyard pools. My mother just discovered a private pool near them, wish I'd known about it when I was there (they have lapswim hours) but pools are kinda a luxury.

Hospice is stalking me. The Sun just ran a piece on children's hospice.

Amy, an asshole instructor is why I won't/can't dive. He knocked my feet out from under me when I was reluctant. He was also supposed to teach flip turns. I can't do flip turns.

I don't swim well underwater at all, sara, which is mostly because I wear contacts, I think. I'm just used to keeping my head above water now.

And my dad never pushed me in, but he had that complete disconnect between what he believed his beloved daughter could do, in a matter of one lesson, and what I could actually do. I tease him about it all the time now. Even he admits that trying to teach me piano was a disaster waiting to happen. Parents don't always make good teachers.

Parents don't always make good teachers.

Even parents who are otherwise excellent teachers. See also, why dad couldn't teach me to drive to save his life.

I hid at the back of the line when we got to diving in swim classes at the Y and never learned how. And now I have the blindness without glasses issue. So I'm not much of a swimmer. I do love to be in the water though preferably with a noodle!

a prescription mask like the Hugh Grant character in Notting Hill had.

Back in the day when these cool people were alive, my favorite Jacques Cousteau special had John Denver on it, and John was able to get a diving mask with his prescription--very rare back then--and he went absolutely giddy with glee at being able to see all the cool stuff on the reef Cousteau took him diving on.