Junior Otters
Many people still call the property at 25 Golden Hinde Blvd in San Rafael “The Ann Curtis School of Swimming” or “Ann Curtis Swim School” and Will and I love that! Every now and then a grandparent will come watch as their grandchild learns to swim in the very same pool that they were taught in the 60’s and 70’s. All of these stories are just a testament to Ann Curtis’ legacy in Marin swimming.
It is estimated that over 40,000 kids have learned to swim at our swim school over the years, including two swimmers who competed in the Olympics for Team USA. Ann clearly knew what she was doing when she created her teaching methodology. We do feel, however, that after a child completed the lesson curriculum there was a little bit of “what’s next” syndrome. Full on swim team can be an intimidating jump for kids, and continuing to do the top level of lessons just because a kid loves the water seemed like it left little room for growth in terms of skill acquisition and coordination.
That is where our Junior Otter Swim Team comes into play! Junior Otters is a place for those kids who aren’t ready for the big time commitment of joining a true team but are still interested in developing their skills in the water. Practices are 45 minutes long and are either three days a week (M/W/F) or two days a week (Tu/Th). Some students have even signed up for both sessions for a total of five practices a week because they loved it!
Practices are designed to give the swimmer all the skills and confidence needed to join a team without any hesitation. Coaches work on introducing common swimming terminology along with the math skills necessary for interval training. There is also a heavy emphasis on technique for the entirety of the 45 minute practice. Will and I firmly believe that technique is the foundation for successful swimmers and in our experience it is infinitely easier to teach proper form and feel for the water at a young age.
If you have a young swimmer who has the skills necessary to swim 25 yards of freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke (we work on learning butterfly skills in the program), please email us or check the website regarding availability in our Junior Otter program. With the current Covid-19 restrictions space is extremely limited but as we transition back to normal life we will be able to accommodate more than one swimmer per lane per practice and we’re really excited to see this group grow!
