Swim WIth Meryl
Mission Statement
My mission is to work with your child (or yourself) to learn how to build swimming skills and safely explore movement in water. While primarily seeking to develop strong foundational form and technique, safety and fun will be emphasized in my lessons for swimmers at any stage in their journey. My goal is for my clients to grow a respect for and love of the water while increasing their ability to freely explore movement in aquatic environments.
Red Cross Certifications
About Me
Growing up on the central coast of California, it was a given that swimming would be a part of my life. My parents enrolled me in swim classes early and were often in the water with my sister and I, teaching us how to play safely. As I got older, I started to want to explore on my own. While always encouraging of our independence, my dad would be sure to stop and take time to go over water safety rules in depth before anyone dipped a toe in. At the time I’m sure I rolled my eyes and thought he was being overly cautious, I just wanted to get in the water!
As captain of my high school’s water polo team (on left in photo from our final game as seniors!), in addition to racing on our swim team, I spent a lot of my time as a teenager in and around the water. My friends and teammates would swim out to the end of the pier just to tread water and chat out there for hours. In college at UC San Diego, I was always ready to hit the beach between classes, but I soon found out how few of my new friends felt confident swimming in a pool, much less the ocean. I realized how privileged I was to have grown up in a community with great access to recreational aquatics and near to so many beautiful natural bodies of water. I am extremely grateful my parents enrolled me in swimming lessons and encouraged me to play in and explore the water from a young age.
I believe everyone should learn to swim as it opens many more opportunities to incorporate movement and exploration into your life, as well as being an invaluable safety skill. As an adult I swim often for exercise and to give myself a quiet space to meditate. Swim lessons are worth the investment, whether your individual swimming journey ends with feeling comfortable playing and relaxing in a backyard pool, exploring natural bodies of water, or even going for Olympic gold! Swimming has always been an incredibly important part of my personal life and it is an honor for me to be able to teach others this lifelong skill.
