Beth Davis

Swimming Instructor – Competitive Swimmers – Adults Learning to Swim – Triathletes – Young Competitive Swimmers – Getting Children Started

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John’s Story – A Perfectionist Who Finds Compassion

 

By Shoney

The coolest thing is last September I could barely blow bubbles and in February I did the breaststroke for two and a half hours nonstop. My wife was ecstatic!

We’d gone on trips down to Mexico and it has always kind of been a bummer, everyone else is snorkeling and I’m sitting on the beach or I’m out there in a life jacket – I wasn’t really in the water.

My wife and I used to go to Lake Powell. There were all these coves and everybody else would be jumping off the boat or cliff driving. I was the one babysitting the boat, making sure the beer was cold.

Stigma was part of the reason it took so long – I’ll be the first to admit I felt embarrassed about not being able to swim. So for me to have to go to a swimming pool and take swimming lessons – that was an embarrassment.

I wanted to learn to kayak. One of the stipulations my wife had was I had to learn to swim if I was going to kayak, despite wearing a life jacket. I had always wanted to learn so this push helped. My wife got me a kayak for my birthday, so I researched swim instructors and came across Beth. Her website said she dealt with people who had a fear of deep water. She seemed like the one. I called her up and set up lessons.

I had a bad experience when I was a little kid. I was at the public pool and somebody pushed me into the deep end – I was close enough to the edge that I could grab on but after that I always had a fear of deep water. My parents remember I’d never go to the pool when I was a kid. My mom wanted me to take lessons, I took them one semester in grade school, but it didn’t click for me.

I wasn’t nervous or scared before my lesson. Even getting in the pool, I knew it was just four feet deep, so no worries there. She tested me and found out that I wasn’t comfortable in the water. When Beth had me try to sit down under the water and blow bubbles, I completely froze up. I couldn’t blow the bubbles at all. Beth had me do a couple drills – starting out on my stomach first, just relaxing. She had me stand up, bend over, and put my head in the water a little bit and start blowing bubbles.

I’m a perfectionist. I put undue pressure on myself, trying to do everything perfectly. After my third lesson, Beth had me describe my practice time and show her what I was doing. She said, “Don’t judge yourself – let me do that. You’re harder on yourself than I am.” It has been a great learning experience to stop putting so much pressure on myself.

A lot of learning is relaxing and trying to get comfortable with the water. We’re not all built the same. We don’t all react the same in the water or have the same mobility. The greatest thing I can say about Beth is that she adapts her teaching to what people can do. Lots of times she’ll have me do a drill and I just can’t do it. I’m tight in my shoulders or something and she adjusts the drill to fit me.

Try a couple of different instructors; the biggest thing is having a connection with your instructor. What I love about Beth is she’s very free-spirited. She’s not a drill sergeant. If you yell at someone that stresses them out – she makes it about having fun. That’s important.

One of the things I had trouble with is getting the kicks down. My wife’s a swimmer – last night we went to the pool and did a couple lengths up and down the pool. I was kicking on my back and my wife was so amazed, she hadn’t seen me swim for a while and she said, “I can’t believe you did that.”

My goal right now is to get the freestyle down. Next summer, or the summer after, I’d like to do a duathlon; biking and swimming.

The more I talk to people, the more people I find who admit they can’t swim. I’ve told people, “You’re never too old to learn.” That’s the great thing, but it’s true.

I went kayaking this summer in the lake. I would have done it before, but I wouldn’t have been very comfortable.

I’ve been thinking about learning how to ski next. Born and raised here in Colorado, everybody skis here. I’m going to try it, though right now my main focus is swimming.

Swimming is a relaxing part of my life now. If I have a hard day at work, I go to the pool. The exciting thing is going to water and being able to swim!

 

Dear John: Typically, I start off a new student with learning freestyle and backstroke kicks. After having you see a physical therapist, chiropractor, and massage therapist, I concluded that I had to change tactics. The tension in your hips was not ready to release. So, I taught you breaststroke first.  In a short period of time, you were swimming for two hours! Thank you for reminding me that the student’s body comes first, not the lesson plan.  ~Beth

Life Altering Experiences …

Stories from Courageous Adults Learning to Swim

My inspiration for asking my adult students to write about their swimming experiences came from reading an article in the Wall Street Journal. The journalist had interviewed me for the piece on adults … [Read More...]

ROKA Sports Partnership

roka-logo2SwimBoulder, Inc. has partnered with ROKA  to bring all of you the best quality swim gear at a discounted price. Contact me to learn more about this benefit.

What Beth's Clients Are Saying

Beth Davis is an amazing coach. She worked with me to create a plan that pushed my limits while supporting and fitting it into my everyday life. She believed in me when I had no idea of my strengths and limitations. Best of all, she consistently pushed me to look within. I highly recommend Beth for her personalized approach, her consistent support, and her superior knowledge as a coach and athlete.

— Erin Blakemore
Beth Davis
2023-09-26T23:03:42+00:00
Beth Davis is an amazing coach. She worked with me to create a plan that pushed my limits while supporting and fitting it into my everyday life. She believed in me when I had no idea of my strengths and limitations. Best of all, she consistently pushed me to look within. I highly recommend Beth for her personalized approach, her consistent support, and her superior knowledge as a coach and athlete. — Erin Blakemore
https://swimboulder.com/testimonials/beth-davis-is-an-amazing-coach
I came to Beth when I was 11 years old. At that point I liked swimming, but had had little success in competition. One year later I qualified for summer league finals for the first time. In high school, I qualified for State and earned a spot on an All-American relay. Through Beth’s help, I was recruited by Division III schools and ended up swimming for Claremont McKenna College, where I had success in numerous conference finals. Without her help, I would not be the swimmer or person I am today.

— Nathan Lenssen
Beth Davis
2023-09-26T23:05:17+00:00
I came to Beth when I was 11 years old. At that point I liked swimming, but had had little success in competition. One year later I qualified for summer league finals for the first time. In high school, I qualified for State and earned a spot on an All-American relay. Through Beth’s help, I was recruited by Division III schools and ended up swimming for Claremont McKenna College, where I had success in numerous conference finals. Without her help, I would not be the swimmer or person I am today. — Nathan Lenssen
https://swimboulder.com/testimonials/when-i-was-11-years-old
When I started working with Beth I was the typical 9-year-old who didn't want to focus on anything for more than 10 seconds. I went from only being a breaststroker (and a slow one at that) to a well-rounded swimmer, getting relay spots in freestyle and excelling at butterfly, posting State times in all three strokes in my time at Fairview High School. Beth was very positive about my personal development as well and helped give me confidence that was hard to find elsewhere.

— Michael Lenssen
Beth Davis
2023-09-26T23:05:45+00:00
When I started working with Beth I was the typical 9-year-old who didn't want to focus on anything for more than 10 seconds. I went from only being a breaststroker (and a slow one at that) to a well-rounded swimmer, getting relay spots in freestyle and excelling at butterfly, posting State times in all three strokes in my time at Fairview High School. Beth was very positive about my personal development as well and helped give me confidence that was hard to find elsewhere. — Michael Lenssen
https://swimboulder.com/testimonials/didnt-want-to-focus
When I was 5 years old, I fell out of a boat in the middle of Broadmoor Lake. Since then I have had a continuing fear of water. Beth Davis has helped me ease that fear, to begin to trust myself in the water, through amazing patience and understanding. She has zillions of exercises for me to try in the water; if one is too hard, she comes up with another that's easier.

Beth is a topnotch swimming instructor. She is knowledgeable, dedicated, and kind.

— Jane Carlson, age 72
Beth Davis
2023-09-26T23:06:15+00:00
When I was 5 years old, I fell out of a boat in the middle of Broadmoor Lake. Since then I have had a continuing fear of water. Beth Davis has helped me ease that fear, to begin to trust myself in the water, through amazing patience and understanding. She has zillions of exercises for me to try in the water; if one is too hard, she comes up with another that's easier. Beth is a topnotch swimming instructor. She is knowledgeable, dedicated, and kind. — Jane Carlson, age 72
https://swimboulder.com/testimonials/fell-out-of-a-boat
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Contact Beth Davis • 303.554.8857 • bdswimboulder@gmail.com