When 10-year-old Francis traveled from Chicago to spend two weeks with his grandparents in Puyallup this summer, his visit was full of new experiences.
He practiced riding an adult bike, went hiking, helped with construction projects, and spent time shooting hoops with his grandfather, Marko. But one of the biggest milestones happened in the pool.
Francis took his first swimming lessons at the Mel Korum Family YMCA.
Making the Most of Two Weeks
Francis has spent time around water before, including trips to Lake Michigan and visits to swimming pools, but he had never learned how to swim.
When his grandparents asked before the trip whether he wanted to try lessons, Francis was immediately interested. Marko suspected there might have been some nerves about trying something new in an unfamiliar place, but Francis was ready to give it a shot.
The family faced one challenge: time. Francis would only be in Washington for two weeks, so a traditional session of group lessons was not going to fit his visit.
Marko reached out to the Y, where staff helped the family find an option that fit their needs. Together, they arranged four private lessons, giving Francis concentrated one on one time with an instructor during the short window he was in town.
"They bent over backwards to help us make this happen," Marko said. "They feel the same way our family does, that learning to swim is a very important life skill."
For Marko, that willingness to work with his family made all the difference. Rather than letting the timing of the visit become a barrier, Y staff helped find a format that gave Francis enough time in the water to begin building real skills.
Progress came quickly for Francis. By his second lesson, Marko could already see a difference. After four lessons, Francis had gained enough confidence to put his new skills to use outside the pool.
"After every lesson, I felt like I could do a little more," shared Francis.
Putting New Skills to Use
Before Francis returned home, the family visited friends at American Lake. This time, Marko got to see what the lessons had accomplished outside the pool when Francis got to swim with no assistance.
"He was extremely proud of himself for learning a new skill," Marko said. "It was awesome."
For Marko, learning to swim matters first because of safety. He sees it as a skill that will give Francis more opportunities to participate as he grows up, whether he's at a pool, a lake, or simply spending time in the water with friends.
A Summer at the Y
Swimming became part of a larger summer of activity Francis and his family. He and Marko used the track, kicked around a soccer ball, and discovered a shared interest in basketball when Francis started shooting hoops in the gym.
Later, the whole family spent a morning at the Gordon Family YMCA, where Francis' younger sister, Esperanza, watched her brother and began practicing in the water herself.
If the family returns next summer, Marko hopes Francis can continue building his skills and Esperanza can begin lessons of her own.
Four lessons were only the beginning. For Francis, they were enough to turn a two week visit with his grandparents into the summer he learned to swim.