What on earth does a sleeping cat have to do with nervous swimmers?!
I know this page is supposed to be about swimming so why have I written a post about my cat?! (His name’s Mickey by the way!)
Well, firstly because he’s cute but also because he’s a valuable, if occasionally unreliable, member of the Swimmingly team. Let me explain – often our nervous swimmers and water confidence clients, and sometimes others too, are full of nerves when they arrive for their lesson, they worry about what might happen, that they won’t be able to do it or that they’ll be a hopeless case (they won’t, no one ever is!). It’s very common for a swimmers’ emotions to bubble over – coming for a lesson and facing their fears is a huge step that takes courage and a real desire to change and overcome the issues that are having such a negative impact on their lives. (It’s always easier than they think by the way!)
As you know Mickey likes to spend his days snoozing in the pool cabin, it’s a lovely peaceful place that’s warm, quiet and relaxing; perfect for a sleepy cat. It’s also perfect for nervous swimmers, who love the calm feeling of the cabin. They often make a beeline for Mickey, particularly if he’s awake enough for a stroke, having him there instantly eases their tension and watching him snoring away during their session really adds to the sense of peace and calm, giving them a focus and helping them to relax – after all, “It’s impossible to be tense when looking at a sleeping cat”. (Jane Pauley)
He sometimes chooses to sit right on the edge of the pool, (he’s never actually had a dip – yet!) I have no idea why but on more than one occasion when he’s done I’ve been working with an espescially nervous swimmer; it’s as if he knows they’d particularly appreciate him being there – it could of course also be a coincidence, but whatever the reason, it doesn’t really matter.
Obviously being a cat means he’s not always predictable; occasionally he’ll decide he’s got other things to do and disappear halfway through the session and of course I always check that people are OK with him being there but there’s no doubt that his snoozy calming presence brings a certain something to lessons that really helps those clients taking that courageous first step to overcoming their fear of water.
Click here for details of how we have helped hundreds of nervous swimmers and swimmers with a fear of water overcome their fears quickly and easily with no stress- even those who have tried many times before without success
