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Making water fears disappear BY VANESSA VERA DENVILLEROCKAWAY THIS WEEK Wednesday, July 2, 2008 Laura Tucker started bringing her daughters to KimSwim Pool Academy in Denville for swimming lessons about two years ago. "I never learned how to swim, so I wanted to make sure they had every opportunity to learn," said Tucker, 36, of Denville. Tucker, who two years ago was bringing her eldest daughter for lessons, now attends with her younger daughters: Lindsey Tucker, 5, and Kara Tucker, 2. Tucker said the lessons the girls take at KimSwim have succeeded in taking away her daughters' water fears and make her feel safer as a parent. "It's more comforting for me when we go somewhere, that I'm not petrified of them drowning," she said. Besides the safety advantages Tucker's daughters reap from the lessons, they also have a good time. "They totally enjoy it. They look forward every week to coming," she said. Lindsey, who said she is not afraid to swim, said she likes coming to KimSwim "because I get to try to swim good like my (older) sister ... I get to do strokes and I get to jump in and dive in," she said. "(Kim) helps us swim, and it's fun." Kim Hazelton of Denville is owner of KimSwim Pool Academy, which is located on Route 46 West behind Richie's Music. Previously, she worked in the same location for 19 years as a swimming instructor for what was, at the time, business owner Doris Germansky's Pool Scool. Hazelton purchased and reopened the business as KimSwim in 2002. "Our motto is: 'Learn to swim. It's a lifesaver,'" Hazelton said. "Learning to swim saves your life, and you're never too old to learn. Everyone needs to learn how to swim ... it's not an option. It's a must-know." KimSwim serves children as young as 6 months, as well as adults. However, the concentration is on teaching babies and young children. One of the goals of the children's classes is to encourage children to be comfortable and independent in the water so parent's don't have to constantly hold their kids. Safety, of course, is also emphasized. Hazelton said one of the focuses in teaching babies and even older children is showing the children to recognize, swim toward and hold on to the pool wall. If the children ever fell in the pool, Hazelton said, the wall will always be there. Classes at KimSwim have a lot to do with conquering fear, and Hazelton takes on the challenge of allaying the apprehensions of little ones. Getting children, and even adults, over their fear of swimming and the water is one of the best parts of her job, Hazelton said. When Robert Leonardo, 4, of Montville, began taking classes a few weeks ago, he was "petrified" of the water. Hazelton said Robert arrived kicking and screaming. "I got him in the pool, and I got him to trust me ..." Hazelton said. Robert was scared at first, "but now not anymore," he said. "I tried it, and now I love it." Robert even thinks other children who are scared should take swim classes "so they could swim good," he said. Mamatha Aetukuri of Rockaway brings her son, Revanth Tripuraneni, 5, to KimSwim for classes. Aetukuri started bringing Revanth because she wanted her son to learn how to swim. Aetukuri said swimming is "a lifesaver," and because she doesn't know how to swim, it makes her feel safer that her son can. Revanth said he likes taking the classes "because they are fun," and agreed that knowing how to swim makes him feel good. Bob Collum's three children have all gone through lessons at KimSwim. Collum, 45, of Parsippany, was bringing his children Danny, 3, and Catherine, 2, for lessons. His eldest daughter, Julia, 6, already is done with lessons. Collum said his children love their swimming sessions, and that lessons have helped his son, Danny, be more independent and less "clingy" in the water. "They are learning how to swim and be comfortable and be safe in the pool. It just helps them to be comfortable in the pool -- and if they're comfortable, we're comfortable," he said. Shannan Biddelman of Rockaway agrees that getting a child comfortable in the water is one of the benefits of the classes. Biddelman, 31, attends a class at KimSwim with her 8-month-old daughter, Zoey. Biddelman said she got her daughter involved in the classes so she would be used to the water in the summer. "The benefit really just is having fun and being comfortable in the pool," she said. Teaching children to be comfortable and safe in the water is all part of a day's work for Hazelton. She doesn't limit it to children only, however. Adults are welcome to conquer their swimming fears as well. See our feature in DRTW: http://www.denvillerockawaythisweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/NEWS01/807020425 "I love my job," Hazelton said. "Everybody should learn to swim, and it should be fun. If anybody's really afraid, give us a call. We'll get 'em in."

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