Swim lessons with Mariane L.

Hello! My name is Mariane! I am bilingual (French and English) and grew up as a competitive swimmer on numerous swim teams across Canada. I transitioned into becoming a lifeguard, swim instructor, and high level swim coach, as swimming has always been my greatest passion. I have been teaching and coaching swimming for the last 25 years and have taught Red Cross and Learn to Swim swim lessons for all age groups from babies to adults. I have worked for numerous private and public swim programs in Vancouver and still do so to this day. I completed my teaching degree at UBC in 2007 and in 2010, I was hired by West Point Grey Academy private school as a Physical Education teacher. I was asked to help develop the school's swim program for the junior and senior Physical Education department. I am currently the head swim coach of the junior swim team from grades 2-7. I am also the coach for our Senior Varsity swim team from grades 8-12, who now have been Provincial Champions for the last 4 years. I teach swimming every day as an aquatic specialist and love what I do. I have learned many ways of teaching swimming over my years of experience and can teach all of the necessary components for Red Cross lesson levels, however; I have developed my own unique style to fast track swimmers into becoming strong and confident in the water. I call this teaching method the "Super Seal Swim Style" which is primarily focused on comfort, learning how to float and breathe, and moving through the water efficiently and effortlessly. In coaching a high level swim team I am specialized in the 4 strokes: front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke, and butterfly, including dives and flip turns. I develop strong swimmers in terms of technique and endurance. Whether one is just learning to swim, wanting to reach a personal goal, or improve their fitness, swimming should be fun and enjoyable in order to foster progression and success. My goal is to cultivate a passion for this sport and develop swimmers who are safe and skilled, as it is also a life skill. I use my own equipment to support learning including: flutter boards, fins, paddles, pullbuoys, toys, etc. I show great care with my students and make sure that their comfort levels are observed at all times, during their lesson. Nothing brings me more joy then seeing their smiles in reaching a milestone and seeing their motivation to keep learning more. I will see you at the pool!