Page 12 - ISI_173_AugustSeptember

Spotlights
PAGE 12 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2021

She’s Gotta Swim—and Sing

and Dance—in the Pool

INSTRUCTOR NANCY KUNAU

their confidence grow as they learn breathing,
BY DIANNA TROYER steps to strokes, and then master the stroke.”
Most of Kunau’s students are children.
It’s never too late to learn to swim, “About 80 percent are younger than 12,”
insists longtime swim instructor Nancy she said. “About 20 percent are adults older
Stoller Kunau, 59, who teaches aquatic than 45. No matter what your age, learning
activities in southeastern Idaho. to swim is like climbing Mount Everest. It’s
She has been teaching most of her life— one breath at a time.”
43 years, in fact—at the Burley Swimming To teach breathing techniques to chil-
Pool, making her students laugh along with dren, one of Kunau’s favorite exercises is to
her as she sings and dances her way through have them warm up doing 10 bobs.
lessons for students of all ages. “Bum on the bottom, bum on the bot-
“I love everything about teaching people tom, bum on the bottom … Go!” she sings.
to swim,” she said. “It’s an amazing and A student, Blair Harper, 7, grins as she
gratifying experience. It allows me to be in does it.
the water for hours, doing the silliest stuff
imaginable. They call it swimming instruc-
tion, but I believe it’s more like singing and
Nancy Soller Kunau prepares to launch Myles dancing in the water. It never gets boring
Fletcher on the kickboard. “Teaching people to or routine.”
swim, you can see their confidence grow as they
learn breathing, steps to strokes, and then master Kunau said swimming is a life skill she
the stroke,” says Kunau. Photo by Skye Burch Fletcher. can teach any adult or child in 15 minutes
“With all the
canals, rivers, lakes,
and reservoirs we
have around here,
you’ve got to be
able to swim. For
that reason—being
safe in and around
water—I never get
tired of teaching.”
Kunau said man-
aging your breathing
is the key to learning
Are you over 55 to swim.
and struggling to find a job? “After you mas-
ter breathing, the
strokes are the easy Rayce Fletcher, 6, is exuberant as he goes off the
Let SCSEP help you get back in the workforce. part,” she said. diving board with Nancy Stoller Kunau. She tells her
students to be brave and eager when learning new
“Teaching people to skills. Photo by Skye Burch Fletcher.
Easterseals-Goodwill’s Senior Community Service
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2 4 / 7 E M E R G E N C Y
Celebrating 70 Years!
Bear Lake Memorial Hospital perpetuates and foster access to optimum, high
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Hospital was established as a memorial for veterans who had served in the
World Wars and now celebrates its 70th Anniversary this past April.
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eds of the community and plays a key role in the economic development
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www.esgw.org/scsep have recently been recognized as a Top 20 in best practices for Quality.