Easter is fast approaching and another fantastic term is drawing to a close. We are delighted to announce our Star Swimmers, Spring 2019. It has been a really tough choice for our teachers to nominate their superstar swimmers, those children who they feel have really stood out in terms of their progress, determination or attitude. A super special thank you to Sarah from Reuben's Retreat who had the difficult job of choosing the two winners from all our fabulous anonymous nominations.
A huge thank you to all our SUPERSTARS, coming to class each week super motivated and working hard to improve your swimming skills! Well done to you all!
Our WINNER from Baby and Pre-School is:
Lily - Nominated by Claire 💦
"What a little angel Lily is. She’s 1.5 years, in the Kickers programme and is such a little character as well as being a dainty little lady. She has been swimming with Puddle Ducks since she was a baby and during her time in the last programme she started losing interest in some of the activities. She still enjoyed her lessons but her love for the water was starting to noticeably decrease. Since her move to Kickers she has rekindled her love for the water and is so excited during all the activities, smiling the whole way through and secretly watching me to see if she’s going to get a big smile or thumbs up. Lily and her daddy attend every week without fail and have such fun in the water, dad never pushes her, always respecting her wishes but showers her with encouragement and praise, which Lily thrives from. Since her move to Kickers, Lily started to put her face in the water during surface swims and gradually over a short time this has progressed to her recently doing a fully independent surface swim to daddy. This was such a huge achievement which me and daddy were over the moon with and so proud of Lily for. She really has progressed so much in such a short time and dad’s dedication in continuing to bring her has really paid off. Well done Lily I’m so proud of you and adore every minute of teaching you."
Our WINNER from Swim Academy is:
Ben – nominated by Claire 💦
"Ben is an awesome swimmer who has been with us since we very first launched Swim academy some years ago. He’s always had a love for the water and natural flare in the pool. He has really grown during his time with Puddle Ducks and has worked really hard to progress through all the levels to his current place in level 5 Elite Swim Academy. Ben is always enthusiastic and strives every week to perfect his stroke. He truly is an amazing swimmer at all strokes including starts and turns and is eager to receive feedback and focus on implementing it. He is a proper little character with a fantastic sense of humour and a very cheeky side but always takes his swimming seriously which is evident when watching his grace and style in the water. I’m so honored to have taught Ben for so long and I’m extremely proud of him and all the hard work he’s committed to be where he is today. I truly believe that if Ben continues his swimming journey that I will be watching him compete in the Olympics sometime in the future…..yes he really is that good. Thank you Ben for being such a pleasure to teach and brighten up my Sunday mornings for so long, you are a real Superstar."
Our nominations and stars from Baby and Pre-School:
Jessica - nominated by Abby 💦
"Jessica hasn’t completed one week without making me laugh and throwing me off my explanations! She is brilliant. Jessica is the perfect example of just how much our swimmers explore the water and gain their own water confidence!! She loves to face dip the pool every couple of minutes and is always one step ahead - whatever I’m explaining to the group Jessica has already took it upon herself to have ago before mum is even ready! She is so happy in the water and it’s so rewarding for me to share this journey with her every week! I feel very lucky to have her in my class she is an absolute pleasure to teach and she makes my Monday mornings without a doubt! 🌟"
Arlo - nominated by Kirsty 💦
"From the moment Arlo gets in to the pool until the moment he gets out, he has a beaming smile on his face and is splashing his hands none stop. He has finished the Floaties programme and has recently moved to Splashers and every lesson he just takes each activity in his stride. You can tell that he loves being in the water and it is clear that he knows the ‘signal’ because as soon as it’s said, his head is down in the water and he’s kicking straight back to mum or dad! He really is a delight to have in the class! Well done Arlo, I hope your love of the water continues!"
Isla - nominated by Rachel 💦
"I’d like to nominate my little fire cracker kicker and Ariel-Wannabe. I’ve taught Isla for over a year now and from the get-go I knew she was special. She is a little superstar!! Just recently she has started to use her arms and legs whilst doing surface swims, which is amazing to watch and oozes confidence! She’s such a pleasure to have in class and always arrives with a great big infectious smile on her face. Isla loves to cause a splash (sometimes right in my face) and makes my lessons so much fun. They really wouldn’t be the same without her. "
Lucas - nominated by Joanne 💦
"He has really amazed me recently. He started with me as a very nervous Little Dipper but now he is an incredibly confident Dipper. Lucas has a go at every activity and absolutely nothing fazes him. He makes me laugh every lesson with his cheekiness, he does like to be silly sometimes but that doesn't mean that he's not trying super hard and I can see him pushing himself to do better each week and it's paying off as he has the longest lions arms I have ever seen and he had also been showing me his independent back swimming. Lucas is a pleasure to teach and I'm glad I've been there to see how far he has come."
Lily - nominated by Sally 💦
“Lilly is one of our newest little dippers having only started her journey to being a great swimmer in January of this year. Lilly was a little apprehensive of the water at first, taking her journey one small lion arm and kicking leg at a time, whilst ensuring she is having fun in a safe environment. Lily’s hard work has really paid off, from doing standing jumps to swimming on her woggles independently, chatting to the group and answering lots of questions. It is great to see someone develop so quickly and build confidence in the water, she is certainly a little Swim Star. We are looking forward to watching you develop further. We are all very proud of you!”
Ruby - nominated by Joanne 💦
" I am so proud of how far she has come, even just since Christmas, she must have got this new found confidence from Father Christmas! When we used to do any activity that involved potentially going under water, I could see her recoil at the thought and say no to mum, but recently, she's nodding with an excited look on her face and she does it all happily. She is the most chilled out little girl in the pool and does some beautiful back swimming on her woggle. This new found happiness of having her face in the water means that she'll soon be able to move on to the new challenges of Dippers. I love my job because I get to see the journeys that my swimmers go on and Ruby really has come so far!"
Jessica M - nominated by Kirsty 💦
"Jessica comes to lessons every week with a huge smile on her face and is always raring to go. She gives every activity her all, even the ones that she’s not so sure of. Over the past few months, Jessica had a little dip of her confidence whilst in the pool and didn’t want to go under the water for a while. With some help and gentle encouragement from both me and dad she has managed to overcome this phase and is back swimming under the water like a little mermaid and is now even more confident than she was before. She is such a polite young girl and is a pleasure to teach and that is why she is my star swimmer."
Our Swim Academy nominations and stars:
Charlotte B - nominated by Georgia 💦
"Wow! I have been wanting to nominate Charlotte for some time now. I call Charlotte one of my three Dream Girls as she is one of the three super swimmers who have all moved up into Level 2 recently, the title suits Charlotte perfectly as she is a dream to teach and to have as a part of any lesson she is in. Throughout my journey as a Swim Academy teacher Charlotte I feel, has progressed with me, starting in Level 1 and working her way up, soaring through criteria and earning her well deserved spot in Level 2 by being determined, focused and always bringing a positive ‘I can’ attitude to all of her lessons. She is always willing to demonstrate any activity to the rest of her peers and feedback given by me and Abby is consistently taken on board. I am so proud of how far she has come, overcoming any minor hurdles to perfect her swimming technique at this stage and literally blowing me out of the water. Her infectious smile, participation in lessons and massive improvements since I first met her are the reasons behind my nomination. Well done Charlotte I am bursting with pride at the little mermaid you have become, keep it up and you will be unstoppable!"
Megan - nominated by Rachel 💦
"Megan started her lessons as a very shy and nervous girl who didn’t want to put her face in the water. We have taken it slow with Megan and suited activities around her abilities to which she has just excelled. She recently achieved her 5m front crawl and has even mastered rolling on her back now. She is an absolute delight to teach - she comes with a “can do” attitude and always answers questions first. She really pushes herself every week and I can’t believe how much she has grown in such a short space of time. I am so proud of you Megan you really are a star swimmer."
Charlie - nominated by Kirsty 💦
"Charlie comes to every lesson ready to learn and try his best. He listens to every instruction and every critique given and really tries to correct himself and get the best technique possible! Whenever a question is asked he is the first one with his hand in the air and it’s shows that he has watched and listened to what me and Abby want him to do! Even when it’s been a long week at school and you can see how tired he is, he still comes to lessons on Friday nights and gives it his all and that is why he is my nomination for star swimmer!"
Charlotte B - nominated by Abby 💦
"Charlotte reminds me every week of the reward that comes from doing the job I love so much. I have watched her move through each program and watched her confidence grow and dip also then had the opportunity to watch her try so hard every single Week to get over the fear of having her full face in the water and every week her telling me Just how much she wants to do it and be swimming Independently! She melts my heart every week and this year she has made me the happiest swimming teacher ever smashing her 5m, finding her own self confidence in her abilities and reaching Level 2 in swim academy! I want to thank Charlotte for Keeping me on my toes and putting all her trust in me to help and support her and for giving me that rewarding feeling every single week!!! She is a huge superstar to me and everything she has achieved is because she always gives 100% to trying!"