Congratulations to The Sato Family for winning the Share Your Sea Otter Swim Story Contest!
We would like to say a HUGE “Thank You” to The Sato Family and all the other families who took the time to share their stories. We love hearing how Sea Otter has positively impacted the lives of your children and families.
Here is the winning story from The Sato Family:
Sea Otter Love
There is no other place like Sea Otter and the instructors make it the best place for your child to learn to swim.My son was 5 months old when I first heard about Sea Otter and enrolled him in the Parent/Tot class. I attribute my son’s love of water and his ability to swim thanks to the staff at Sea Otter, but especially the Hopson sisters.
At five months, we had Teacher Lauren.She made the class fun and introduced my son to the love of water and the pool with skills and songs. We continued going year around and by 1 ½ , he had graduated from the Parent/Tot program and was ready to be on his own.It was then that he met Teacher Rissa. Larissa was the most patient person that I’ve seen. For 6 weeks straight, she tried everything to get that toddler to calm down and regain his love for the water that he had when we were in the pool together.I was ready to give in and put him back in the Parent/Tot class, but she wouldn’t give up. And then one fall evening, something clicked and he just stopped crying.
From then on, it didn’t matter what schedule I had to rearrange or how far we have to drive, he has to have his Teacher Rissa. She has taught him water safety, his kickers, his scoopers, floating, roll over, diving, and the part he enjoys the most, the slide at the end. We have continued to come continuously year around for the past 5 years. At 5 ½, I’m proud to say that I’m confident that my son has gained enough swimming experience that he is “water safe.” It doesn’t matter how tired he is or what a rough day he may have had now that he is a big boy kindergartener, he still always wants to come to see Teacher Rissa. With the skills he’s gained, he just completed his first kids triathlon and swam 25 yards unassisted. Not only was he proud of himself, but also as a mom I was so proud of him. He’s come so far and we’re not going to stop. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Sea Otter and I definitely appreciate all that everyone has done for my son.
We would also like to say a special thank you to Indulge Beauty Studio for donating their time and talent to offer such a special gift to our winner. Your ability to capture the true beauty of people is evident in the picture above!