Blake's swimming lessons

To be on the Hurricane swim team kids need to be able to swim across the pool.  Blake was old enough to be on the swim team this past summer, but he didn't know how to swim by himself.  I realized that if I wanted him to be ready to be on the swim team next year we need to start working with him now. Towards the middle of the summer I had Riley Gruwell (a YW from our ward) teach him 8 - 30 minute lessons.  He improved a lot throughout his lessons. He learned freestyle and backstroke.  He also learned how to float on his back. After he started doing his lessons he didn't want to use his speedo vest anymore whenever we went swimming.   He was motivated to practice his swimming, but it meant I had to be by him all the time in the pool and I couldn't hang out on the chairs. Blake told me he was motivated to swim because he wanted to get the same "presents" (trophies and ribbons) that he saw the 6 and under kids get at the end of the swim season.