Splish Splash...my morning with Clive

It's always cold in Gornal - but this morning was particularly bitter

Motivating myself to go swimming full stop was always going to be a task - but at 8.30am on a Sunday morning in January....well, shall we say there were a few expletives said aloud when my alarm went off at 7.30am this morning.

My mood was hardly lifted by the biting cold air which only those who know the heights of Gornal can appreciate.

Nonetheless, I made my way to Wombourne Leisure Centre for my first swimming lesson in more than 15 years.

The swimming experience hasn't changed much - but somehow the chlorine smell didn't seem as potent as I remember - and the tiled floors didn't seem as cold. I'm beginning to wonder whether this process is more mind over matter?

Clive and I after my first lesson

Poolside hasn't changed - the same shiver of dread descended upon me as I stepped out of the changing rooms. But then I met Clive.

Clive seems like a really nice guy. A former competitive swimmer, he reassures me (and the three other clearly anxious beginners) that he's been instructing for  more than ten years - and that we'll all be fine. I like Clive - he doesn't seem as stern as the swimming instructors I remember from years gone by.

We get in the pool and are straightaway given these long foam sausage-like floats. The colours of these mean they resemble some sort of prop from a Timmy Mallet 'Whack-a-Day' set circa 1988. I avoid the pink floats and am handed the rather snazzy yellow and green ones.

Clive then talks us through the breaststroke - one that I've never really done before. The idea of moving my arms and legs simultaneously is just weird. But I think I did ok. Only major problem was that I was concentrating so hard on staying afloat and doing the strokes right - I keep forgetting to breathe. Turns out breathing's quite important - without it you sink and subsequently die. Good lesson to learn.

Now - as I alluded to earlier - it wasn't just me learning to swim. Three others were there: Dave, Chris and Sat. Turns out all of them are there for the same reason - they all have young kids who can swim and they want to to be able to swim with them. I like that. Dave in particular was really interesting. Probably in his early thirties, clearly a physically fit bloke - but, like me, lacking confidence in the water and genuinely quite frightened. It's reassuring to know it's not just me - but hats off to him for facing his fears and going for it.

I have to admit - it wasn't the most dignified Sunday morning I've ever had. For those who know the pool at Wombourne, you'll know there's a spectator area. With young kids having lessons in the shallow end, the spectator area was quite full with parents and grandparents, there for moral support. On more than one occassion though I'm sure I saw a few people pointing and laughing at us newbies floundering with our floats...or maybe it's just paranoia kicking in?

So, what have I learnt so far?

1) this will not be dignified so just embrace it
2) It's not just me out there who dreads stepping into water
3) breathing is important
4) there's no physical reason why I can't do this - it's about overcoming the barriers in my own mind
5) I have to buy goggles - that will not be a good look.

In any case - first lesson down - I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Before I sign off, here's a bit more splish splash from my childhood...