It was quite a noisy, busy affair as I think there were about 15 kids doing the exam and all the parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters were watching! This first (A) exam tests that they can do all the basics in the swimming pool. Quite strange to people living in SA who have access to pools every day I guess!? But here, Dylan has been going to swimming lessons once a week, during term times, for nearly 2 years to learn all this.
They have to swim a length with their clothes on, show they can do breastroke, backstroke, life-saving kick and crawl, float on their backs and on their tummies with their faces in the water, dive in and swim underwater through the hole in a plastic sheet. Lastly, they tread water for a minute. The last 10 seconds everyone watching counted down out loud and then we clapped and cheered for the clever fishes who all passed! Time for a victory lap and they all marched around the pool waving their diplomas while we cheered some more. Amazing to watch and quite hard to keep dry eyes! I have lost count how many times I have teared up watching other kids do this the last 2 years. Great to be able to feel extra proud this time around!
Dylan took his diploma to school this morning. He gets to show it to his class and then take it around to show all the other groups as well! On we go to the B diploma!
ready to start
awaiting instructions
Everyone ready? Time to tread water... (Dylan is 4th from your left.)
arms spread out and turn around.
see the smile as we started to count down
He wouldn't (couldn't?) stand still for a photo so all the ones of him with his diploma are blurry.
The march begins!
See Marko's facebook for a video of the (end of the) vicory lap.
