Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
Don't Give Up
June 21, 2005
Larry Polyak, Scoutmaster

Tonight, and last week, we did swim checks to be able to classify scouts as swimmers, beginners, or non-swimmers. This is required for water activities at Summer Camp and is also the first requirement for the Canoeing, Motorboating, Rowing, Small Boat Sailing, and Water Skiing Merit Badges. As a member of this troop, you won't have the chance to learn how to swim. If you don't already know how, I urge you to take lessons on your own. Swimming is a great sport, one that will open up those other merit badges to you, and well as give you a sport that can be enjoyed for many years.

And now for my personal swimming story... When I was a young boy, my mother took myself, my brother, and my cousin to the local pool for swimming lessons. The first lesson was floating. The instructor told us what to do and how to do it. After some practice, she tested all of us to make sure we had learned how to float. Everyone easily passed. Except me. I flunked floating. Everyone else was moved on to the next lesson. I was kept behind, in floating class, and had to retake it with the next group of younger kids. I flunked again. I sank when I should have floated. The teacher told me I was a "sinker". All the other kids laughed. I never did make it to the next lesson.

I didn't think I could do it. During summers after that, I went "swimming" at the pool with my friends, but I never went in the deep end and never went off the diving board. I am not sure if any of my friends ever knew that I couldn't swim.

When I was about 24, and living in Arizona, I decided to try again and took swimming lessons at the local YMCA. It was me and 5 old ladies. I think the average age of the class was 67. I flunked floating again. Luckily, this time the instructor was smart enough to teach me some basic swimming strokes and techniques anyway. After that class, I signed up at another YMCA across town and took more lessons. I finally got the hang of it.

Now it doesn't matter if you are a non-swimmer or a BSA lifegaurd... there is a bigger lesson here, one that goes beyond swimming. And that is: "Don't give up.". Don't let someone else tell you that can't do something. And if you fail at something, don't wait 15 years to try again, like I did.

Thank you for listening.