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.

I do love to be in the water though preferably with a noodle!

I revised the end of that sentence with "noodly appendage."

Honestly, your goggle fog up and all you can see is a blurry black line dividing the lane. All you have to do is keep to one side of it. Half the time, my eyes are closed.

Sara, if you can't do flip turns, what do you do when you do your many laps? Just turn around?

I, too, have issues with swimming, because I want to be able to see, and can't.