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Swimming Lessons

I enjoyed my swimming lessons in Warren Farm Baths, Culminating in swimming for the School, (Kings Rise Sec Mod) in a school Gala down in Victoria road baths, coming second in my race. Then being put off ever doing it again by my teacher. Getting out of the water after my race he said to me, "you were too slow cookie" suffice to say. I never bothered swimming for the school again. Reg.
 
Reg just caught up with your post and I remember Annie Grey Wolf's teacher telling her she was rubbish at art and she lost her confidence in her work till she put it on the forum. Shame you could have become a competetive swimmer. I hope you enjoyed swimming for pleasure from then on?. Jean.
 
Went to St John's School next to Sparkhill baths. Once you could swim a width of the little pool they put you in the big one! I got my certificate for swimming the width of the big pool but never did manage the length, even with Mr Beasley walking holding a broom in front of me! The best bit of swimming lessons was the fact that that was the day we went to visit my gran after school and got lots of bread & dripping as we were always starving after swimming :)
 
elliot school sent us each week. i never did learn to swim proper i swim like a dog lol but i still went to nechells baths most nights.i loved it.then making the attendant try and get us out with the hook on a pole.when
they were ready for the polo team.he said he will ban us but never did.
 
My twins were in the water polo team and it was the same coach that had been there for years and I am trying to remember his name. Jean.
 
I never did learn to swim good, I kept sinking. I went to Nansen Road School, and we were took to Woodstock Street on a corporation bus. The best bit for me then was being able to get off the bus at the bottom of Alum Rock to go home. Then when I went to Hodge Hill Grammar School for Girls, we went to the Stechford Baths in a more upmarket coach, luxury. No, I can't say I enjoyed my swimming lessons.
 
Pete there was a railway next to them and the building shook when a train went past. Fashionz how long ago was it that you went to Stechford for lessons with the school?. Jean.
 
I used to swim at The Nechells Park Rd baths along with Saltley and most of all Woodcock St as a young rascal i was a good swimmer had my free pass but wanted to fool about rather than swim for the School although they did try to get me in the team i enjoyed Nechells as when you had had enough all you had to do was go up onto the balcony climb on the safety barrier and jump into the water you were out before your feet touched the ground good fun though watching all the staff rushing up the pool blowing their whistles like mad and us acting all innocent as though butter wouldn,t melt in our mouths.Dek
 
dek carr ditto.the whistle was always blowing at me.
i hated that very cold shower you had to have.before you got in,if they was not looking i would deaf it and jump in the water.
 
jean.i think they had white pumps on.
jean one day i will tell you true twilight zone story about nechells baths.
 
hated every second of it, went to st mathews school smethwick we were marched to rolfe st baths,the water was allways freezing never given time to dry and dress properly then marched back to school in all weathers no wonder it took till I was forty to learn to swim .
 
I went to school from 1935 to 1944 at Aston (Vicarage rd), Sheldon (Cranes Park), Shirley (St James) and Solihull (Sharmans Cross) and never once did we have swimming lessons, when did schools start swimming lessons ??? I learned to swim myself when I was 19 abroad in the RAF. Eric
 
Loved it,but the best part was walking to the baths.I went to Turves Green and every week we used to walk (in a crocodile) to Northfield baths.
 
We used to go swimming at the Boys school next to us - the Grammar School didn't have its own pool, so it was a nightmare as the boys used to try to get into the changing rooms!!! Loved swimming though, even tho I couldn't see a thing without my glasses on, had to have special permission from the Lifesaving Society to have a marker on the poolside so I knew where to surface dive to pick up the brick as I couldn't see the bottom of the pool.
Went on to help with our local Disabled swimming group, so have good memories!
Actually learnt to swim at the swimming club in the outdoor pool at Tamworth, no matter what the weather was like.
Sue
 
I loved the school swimming lessons and, like many others, got to the level of earning a free pass. I think then I spent my entire summer swimming at Victoria Road Baths. Do many of you remember the 'Penny Slips' you could 'rent' if you had no swimming trunks? Virtually one size fits all .... dark blue laced up on the one side. Don't know how many times they came loose in the water. Also at Victoria Rd when the bell was rung to end the 1/2 hour session it was a clear message for most of the kids to swim to the middle of the pool which only resulted in the elderly woman attendent to reach her big pole with a big hook on the end to fish us out. I remember one male attendent who took considerable time to lecture us one day on the dangers of swimming down to the outlet drain at the bottom of the deep end saying we could be sucked down and held there. From that day forth we knew him as Suction Sam. Those were the days .... we were holy terrors !
 
sistersue61 said:
We used to go swimming at the Boys school next to us - the Grammar School didn't have its own pool, so it was a nightmare as the boys used to try to get into the changing rooms!!! Loved swimming though, even tho I couldn't see a thing without my glasses on, had to have special permission from the Lifesaving Society to have a marker on the poolside so I knew where to surface dive to pick up the brick as I couldn't see the bottom of the pool.
Went on to help with our local Disabled swimming group, so have good memories!
Actually learnt to swim at the swimming club in the outdoor pool at Tamworth, no matter what the weather was like.
Sue
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Sue we have one thing in common I learn't to swim at Tamworth Lido as you say in all weathers. We were bought by bus from my school in Four Oaks.
 
I loved swimming i went To Bristol rd School in the 50s 60s we used Kent st baths we allso used the slipper baths every Sat morning as our house on Irving st did not have a bath room only tin bath in front of the fire back to the baths yes i loved to go swimming but the thirst time i went with the school i was allso pushed in but not the deep end and i won 3 free passes over 3 years and i used them every single night mum used to call me the water baby as i grew up and left school i had 1 or 2 jobs and worked hard only to be made redudent and out of work so i joined the fair and worked with the same family till i retired my swimming came in handy when i was working on the fair we trveled all over the country we went to Temby in wales when i was on the beach i saw a man and woman screeming looking out to sea there was a dingy with 3 kids in it i asked them why dont they swim after them WE cant SWIM so off i went and i got them back to the shore so lerning to swim came in handy i just wish i lernt so spell ha ha it will be great to hear of anybody that went to BRISTOL rd school in the 50s and 60s Peter Marriott
 
great times there apart from when my friend pushed me in.the water went up my nose and in my mouth.they soon fished me out.bless them what a horrible feeling inhaling water.but still i went there.some times i hired them trunks.that had strings on them.if you got out too quick every one saw your bum..i still cant swim.
 
[Pete that happened to so many people. Brian Pete's brother was pushed in the deep end of Victoria road baths and had to be pulled out with one of those big hooks. He still can't swim. It is never too late to learn as I used to teach adults on a one to one basis and had quite a bit of success.
 
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