Written by Camila Fernandez/BBC Managing Editor/Columnist
It’s 81 degrees Fahrenheit and I’m drenched in sweat walking across the Biscayne Bay Campus. Maybe it wasn’t a good day to wear a long-sleeved sweater, but boy was I tired of being inside all day.
As I approached the University’s Aquatic Center, I saw the bright, shimmering light of its refreshing pool waters. Sadly, I had no bathingsuit, yet I was curious enough to visit the alluring site.
Entering the Center, I asked a group of students as to how it occurred to them to go swimming on a Tuesday afternoon. These smart bunch are part of the the Poseidon’s Panthers Club, a new swim club on campus.
“I’ve gotten in better shape than I was in the beginning of the semester because [of the Club],” said Ibrahim Sultan, a freshman business marketing major. “When I come here, I don’t really think about anything. I just swim for like hours,” he said.
His physical shape proved what he said to be true and so did the upper body strength and tight abs of other club members. They train Tuesdays and Wednesdays every week led by trained swimming coaches.
Elianis Nieves, vice president of Poseidon’s Panthers and a sophomore public relations major, said people who already go to the gym should come out and use the facility.
She said it’s a great way to relax and dive into another world.
“I feel like it’s the place where I can be as serene as I want to. If I had a really bad day at work or I had a really bad day in school, I can just come into the pool,” Nieves said. “I just sit there under water, hold my breath and it’s the most relaxing thing I’ve ever felt.”
Francisco Bolado, one of the coaches who happens to also be an ocean rescue lifeguard in Sunny Isles Beach, trains the students alongside Nieves.
“A lot of people are nervous of looking stupid or embarrassed, and you know, there’s no judgement,” Bolado said.
“These are not competitive swimmers. We’re here trying to help students become swimmers and better swimmers,” he said. According to their Facebook page, the club had its first meet-and-greet February 3 of this spring with already more than 20 students on board.
Bolado said they teach students at all levels of experience. Good thing for me, the last time I took swimming lessons I was thirteen years old — I’m not saying I’m old or anything.
Bolado said that first-level beginners learn about breathing techniques. “Basically breathing is very, very important. You need to always learn that you don’t swim holding your breath,” he said.
Afterwards, students can work on different stroke techniques, such as the butterfly stroke in which both arms are raised out of the water and lifted forward together. They also do freestyle technique, all while working on endurance by adding a yard each time.
Bolado said that for some, swimming in the 16 feet area can be a challenge. “It is fulfilling to teach somebody who before was afraid of the water. Afraid to go in deeper water. Then you see them swimming,” he said.
I wonder, how sweet is it to swim in front of the beautiful Biscayne Bay view? That’s surely something the Modesto A. Maidique Campus doesn’t provide for its students.
Sonia Scheuren, a master’s student in religious studies, comes to the BBC to practice, even though all her classes are at the MMC. Due to a serious back condition, a doctor encouraged Scheuren to swim on a frequent basis.
Scheuren said the pool facilities at the main campus seem to cater to student residents. Free swimming lessons at the North Campus didn’t seem bad of a deal.
“I had at the beginning scoliosis and the doctor told me it’d be nice if I join swimming or something like that,” said Scheuren.
“I don’t feel the pain anymore. I usually go to the gym, but during swimming and being in the water…it’s different,” she said.
After being under the boiling sun, expect to see me getting a gnarly workout in the pool before my next class.
camila.fernandez@fiusm.com
About Post Author
