I have wanted to be a lifeguard for a long time. That is just one of a long list of accomplishments I’d like to check off.

I had a chance back in 1986, when I was a camp counselor. But I didn’t think I had the swim skills to make it. We’d have to get up early and do all our swimming in the lake, and I was intimidated. So, I was certified with basic water safety skills instead.

In the back of my mind, my swim training now has been in part ot get me ready to do lifeguard certification. I was sure the yardage required was massive.

Now my daughter has started lifeguard training, and I found out you must swim 300 yards. I could do that even after a long time out of the pool like I’m experiencing now. She said you had to swim 100 free, 100 breast, and 100 either breast or free.

And there were people in the class who didn’t know what the breast stroke was, fat people, smokers, out of shape people, you name it. I couldn’t believe it! And I have been holding out for perfection all these years!

Then my daughter told me about the other component. The diving to the bottom to get a 10 pound weight that you had to swim back to the shallow end against a timer. And all the drowning scenarios where you get to be either a victim or a hero.

I remember when my daughter had to train with bungee cords and do a kind of tug-a-war with another swimmer. The two girls were attached by an elastic cord and had to swim in opposite directions. The girl closer to her end of the pool won. My daughter surprised everyone by her strength. She had struggled with the volume of swimming, but was very strong.

So I expected her to have no problem with her lifeguard training. But it was hard for her to rescue heavy people. She dreads having to swim holding the 10 pound weight out of the water in front of herself.

And I am brimming with pride over a kid who was once terrified of the water now ultimately conquering it. And inspiring her old mommy to do just the same thing.

You must see this video. The Los Angeles County swim team is not just a group of kids who can swim. They swim well, and have a recent state title to prove it.

We should hold this goal in front of us if we are to reach 100% swimming literacy in our community. What do I mean by this goal? I mean the goal of swimming excellence–of climbing as high as possible in the sport of swimming.

Just not drowning is not enough.

I walked in the family room to laughter. On my way there, my kids told me that there was this girl on the TV with arm floaties on, scared to go down a water slide. I looked up and saw a black man on the screen. I instantly wondered if it was another black non-swimmer on the TV embarrassing herself.

No, actually it was a white woman. And she never did get the nerve to go down the water slide.

Neither black man in line behind her, however, hesitated to go down the slide. I later heard that there were sharks in the pool at the base of the water slide.

What have we learned here? Swim skills get you through The Amazing Race? Folks that can’t swim are funny? Or don’t judge a book by its cover? Insert cliche here?

Yesterday I asked the question if black swim teachers matter. Here’s a black coach speaking for himself. Let’s keep this dialogue going. What do you think?

My daughter taught a private lesson today. She was standing in for another teacher who was sick. The lifeguard warned her that they were beginners. She expected this to mean that they had some swim skill, but after observing them, my daughter knew these kids couldn’t swim at all.

They were a family of African children, ages 7, 9, and 11. My daughter encouraged the young swimmers to use kickboards, showed them proper form and helped them by holding up their legs. By the end of the lesson, the oldest, a boy, was kicking independently. She cheered for him, and their mother told my daughter she hoped to see her next week.

The lesson reminded me of the things I read about closing the swimming gap between blacks and whites. Most articles tap dance around the subject of black swim teachers. Maybe because since the drowning rate is generational, black swim teachers are uncommon.

But Cullen Jones is going all over the country getting in the pool with youngsters, encouraging them to swim.

And now my daughter, who once quit swimming because of hair (or so I thought) is now happy to share what she learned with other young black people.

I thought back to her long rough road to learn to swim. The teacher she had when it really clicked for her? Black. I hadn’t thought of that before. I remember the young man with the bleached out afro who either just happened to be there when everything came together for my daughter to get it, or who actually pushed her over the hump.

The way she grumbled about his coaching, it was probably the latter.

checking goggles

Originally uploaded by kzoomoo

I watched this same kid, (my son), accidently (?) pull those flags down. As they fluttered into the pool, my son. . . tiptoed away. In his defense, he was only 10 at the time. I’d like to think he’d fix the problem, or at least tell someone today, at 14.