Dear Swimmer

Are the young ones ready to join you in the water? One of the best things about swimming is that it's something the whole family can do together - and we just love introducing them to the water.

So, how do you pass on the joy? When can they take part in swimming events? And how can you impart that safety message as they go into teenhood?

In our Event Swimming issue, we meet the swimmers who started young, and find swim events that are suitable for the whole family.

Ella Foote, Editor

STARTING YOUNG

Aged 10, Becca Mann swam across the Maui Channel. That's ten miles from the Hawaiian island of Lanai to Maui. It's a feat for any swimmer, but for a ten year old, it's mind boggling. 

Rather than discourage her, her mother supported her from a boat. In her interview in this month's issue, Becca explains how facing and overcoming that challenge at such a young age felt.

“As a kid, I was overly confident in my ability to swim for a very long time and to do it painlessly. I proved that I was capable, but I didn't prove the painlessly part,” says Becca. “It was one of the first instances where I realised that the challenge was what made it so much fun, because there's nothing better than struggling for three hours and touching land. The pride, joy and accomplishment that comes after is so much greater and more powerful than the pain that you go through during the time.”