The Sooner. The Safer.
Kim’s Story
Hello and thanks for stopping by! I want to take a minute to tell you a bit about me. I am proud to say I am a native Coloradian, I have always had a love for the outdoors which includes being active in all kinds of water activities.
I have three children, two of whom have been through the ISR program. I myself have been through a drowning scare, as my middle child came close to drowning when she was two years old. My daughter Brandi fell into a sink hole while we were walking around a lake. Thankfully my husband was able to feel around in the water and pull her out.
That was a very upsetting time in our lives and I began to research different swimming lessons.
After about two years of different lessons, I spoke to a friend who told me about the Infant Swimming Resource program. We signed up for the lessons and drove 45 minutes each way just to participate. In a little over four weeks Brandi was fully skilled and passed her testing fully clothed. After my son Cody went through the program, I began to get the idea of becoming an instructor.
In 2003 I became a Certified Instructor for ISR and began my teaching at the Duncan Family YMCA where I had received my training and certification. Since that time I have taught over 500 students to learn the ISR Self-Rescue™ technique. I enjoy teaching all ages of children, but close to my heart is teaching older children who are afraid of the water or have had a bad experience in the water.
When I was at the age of eleven, I went swimming with my dad in a hotel swimming pool. We were having such a great time playing around in the water until when all of a sudden, I looked over and saw my dad struggling in the water. I still don’t know today what caused him to struggle, but I do remember getting to the area where I could touch and just watching him, feeling helpless that I couldn’t do anything. No one else was around, but by a miracle he got to the side and was ok. We still talk about it to this day, remembering the time he almost drowned because he didn’t know how to swim.
Swimming is a lifelong sport to enjoy. When children are young, there are so many activities to enjoy in the water; and to not have the skills to enjoy the water breaks my heart. I love the challenge of getting children over fear of the water and teaching them to become fully skilled in any depth of water.
Mary Davison R.N. and Certified Instructor encouraged me to become an instructor. She has been a wonderful mentor while becoming an instructor and I would not have been able to complete the training without her encouragement and support.
In 2008, I was recruited by ISR to become a Master Instructor. I am in the process of going through the training in which I hope to be certified by 2010. After the certification is complete, I will be able to train others to become instructors to help fulfill our mission of “Not one more child drowns.”