Women’s Wednesday: Learning to Swim

By Cheri Felix
Learning to Swim with Erin Hansel
Swimming. I wish I had some great story about why I never learned or why breathing under the water really panics me. I do however, have a great story for why, as an adult, I’m learning to swim; my kids. I kept it a secret (the good kind) that I didn’t know how to swim. I wanted them all to be great swimmers before I let that one out the bag. Mostly I didn’t want to give any of them the excuse of “You don’t know how to swim. Why do I have to learn?” So now, as a middle aged woman I am learning to swim. My kids know it’s hard for me and they see me struggle through it.
Learning to swim pushes me to the far outer reaches and corners of my comfort zone. It touches on the part of my soul that is bratty and negative and self-defeating. I know. You thought I didn’t have parts like that to me but I do. I am just like everyone else. Except I barely know how to put two 25’s together.
Erin Hansel. She’s my swim coach. And I vacillate between wishing she was my mom (although I’m older than her) and wishing that she’d lose my cell number. I love her and she’s tough and funny and she has more PATIENCE than anyone I know. I am so easily distracted and I can be a bit of a con artist. I’m fond of the stall technique; “Have I ever told you the story about…”. But she handles me beautifully. I once asked her “Am I your most challenging client?”. She responded “No, but you are my most fun one.” I am sure she was placating me but at any rate and in all seriousness, she’s awesome. She’s just what you want in a coach; non-judgey, kind and patient. And she knows how to break it down. Piece by piece. Stroke by stroke. Breath by breath. And that’s just for me; the non-swimmer swimmer. She’s the Aquatics Director for Colorado Athletic Club. And she works with all types, the Cheri’s of the world, the triathletes and life long swimmers.
Bottom line: If Erin Hansel can help me, she can help you. If she has patience for me, she can make your swim portion of the triathlon all that more bearable. If she can listen to me tell the same story over and over again, she can make you the queen or king of the master’s class. She’s that good. A good coach can coach any level. She has four kids. There’s not a lot she can’t handle. The other day I saw one of her kids and I said “Your mom’s mean.” They laughed. She’s not really mean. I was joking. She knows that dance of coaching; when to push and when to pull. And course when to say “You’ll get it.”
I asked Erin about her favorite thing about teaching. Here is her response: “Watching people get it. If getting it means proper breathing, a better technique or trust within themselves. I love being a part of that. Watching people tackle something hard reminds me that I can too.”
It’s never too late to learn and it’s never too late to get better. Get after it. Happy summer!
Email Erin for more information on swim coaching.