‘Swimming is a sport’

Lawrence Mphuti, a swimming coach at the Orlando Community Pool in Orlando East is urging parents to be supportive when it comes to letting their children attend swimming classes.

Mphuti holds free swimming classes at Orlando swimming pool and he says his main concern is that children don’t attend because they don’t get support from home.

“The children show a great interest initially but as time goes less and less children attend the swimming classes. When you ask why you find out that their parents tell them to stop attending the classes and to rather stay at home and do their house chores,” he said.

Mphuti said that parents tend to think that swimming is just a waste of time.

He says that he wants to send a message to people that swimming is a sport and it is a skill that everyone should have.

“Children should learn from a young age how to swim, my dream is to see black children swimming at a professional level. The only way we can develop sports in South Africa is if children are exposed to different kinds of sports but in order for children to get into these different sports is if there is support from home,” he said.

Mphuti urges parents to find out more about swimming and to come to the pool and watch their children swim.

He said that when children get support from home they tend to be more motivated.

“It will be swimming season again in September, I hope that we will have more children coming to join our swimming classes. We also welcome adults to come and learn how to swim, it is never too late to learn,” he said.