Beth Davis

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

  • Schedule / Register
  • Boulder Location
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About Beth
    • Beth’s Bio
    • My Philosophy
    • Media
  • My Clients
    • Getting Children Started
      • Stroke Development for Children
      • Overcoming Fear of Water for Children
    • Learning to Swim as an Adult
      • Stroke Development for Adults
      • Overcoming Fear of Water for Adults
      • Shoney’s Story
      • Adult Swimmers’ Stories
    • Competitive Swimmers / Triathletes
      • Using Film to Enhance Your Stroke
      • Open Water Swimming
    • Teaching Families
  • Schedule / Register
    • How to Register
    • Schedule
    • Policies
    • Rates
    • Payment
    • Forms
    • FAQ
  • Locations
    • Boulder
    • Louisville available only for children
    • Outdoor: Boulder Elks Pool and Patio
  • Stories
  • Apprenticeship

Lesson Six: Success

By Shoney

 

“I did it! I did it!”

In Lesson Six Beth showed me how to roll from my belly, blowing bubbles through my nose, and return back on my back. I’d tried this before and never could do it without a nose full of water — but I suddenly did it.  Then I begged Beth to let me try it again and again, full of joy that I could do it. I got it!

I’ve been watching kids at the pool lately, watching how they learn. There are two tiny girls, maybe one- and two-years-old, who jump repeatedly from the edge of the deep end into the water and swim to their mother’s open arms. They laugh in the water, look like sleek little seals. A little boy does forward and backward somersaults. I want to learn like a kid. I imitate them — even as they imitate each other. Turning over, making big arm movements, kicking, doing “jumping jacks” while floating on my back. I also try pretending to swim — this seems to work well for me — trying movements the way it looks like “real” swimmers do. Beginning readers pretend to read, why not beginning swimmers pretending to swim?

Sometimes I “channel”— try to imagine myself with the confidence of my 13-year-old niece, Gabriella, a champion swimmer and triathlete. When she was two and a half, my sister called and tearfully reported that Gabriella couldn’t swim yet — I assured her that Gabriella would learn and she quickly did. On one visit to their Texas home, five-year-old Gabriella patiently tried to teach me to swim (she swam with the ease of an otter by then). Patiently she demonstrated the same moves over and over, letting me practice, moving my arms for me. If I lived closer to Gabriella, I might have learned to swim years ago.

Every lesson Beth helps me adjust my head, my neck, and my hips into a more relaxed position. Relaxation in the pool doesn’t come naturally to me. She helps me move my arms more gracefully. I think of the mermaid painting in my bathroom with the floaty arms and that becomes my visual. Beth kicks my legs for me, while I float high on the water, near the surface.

Last week I was in the California high desert where between hikes, I delighted in the Mt. Whitney hotel pool — “swimming” underwater. My partner, Carol, did laps in the deep end one day, but another she huddled on the edge with a bunch of European guests — the water too cold, while I was that blue-lipped kid who wouldn’t leave the pool even when it began to rain, until forced out because of lightning.

After my lesson, I got into the car with Carol and announced: I did it! I got it! I flipped from one side to the other and breathed! The child-like “I got it!” exuberant joy stayed with me for days.

 

Dear Shoney: Success is contagious, builds confidence, and sets up a state of receptivity. I equate the excitement I saw in your eyes with the way I imagine a puppy feels when being off-leash for the first time.  Congratulations!  ~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
0
0
Beth Davis

Search This Website

Contact Beth Davis • 303.554.8857 • [email protected]