Coach Juan's Corner
Hello PSA Family,

Many of you have met our Director Pam Delker. While Attending the US Swim School Association spring conference earlier this month, my partner David Parker took the opportunity to interview Pam so our customers could get to know her better. His interview appears in the Coach Spotlight.

As a reminder, we will not have classes during Spring Break, but the Front Desk will be open for those wishing to enroll for the spring. The hours for the Front Desk will be as follows

Monday and Tuesday : 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday : 9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M.

Again, Thank You for allowing us to work with your children and we look forward to becoming the #1 swim lesson provider in Pearland.

Head Coach - Juan Caraveo
"Swimming Begins...at the Pearland Swim Academy"

Coach Spotlight - Pam Delker
Pam grew up in Franklin Louisiana, which is 45 miles south of Lafayette. In these parts, the depths of the numerous bayous were not the concern for young swimmers, but what else might be swimming along side you. Needless to say, she did not grow up with a swimming back ground, but she has an insatiable love for children. She brings to PSA a nurturing spirit, but is firm when dealing with our neediest swimmers.

PSA : What brought you to the Pearland Area?

Pam: I moved here in 1979 as a teenager with my family and attended Alvin High School. I found that there is so much more opportunity here than where I grew up. I'm a licensed cosmetologist and I've started a restaurant and a landscaping business in the Manvel area. I'm also grateful for the excellent healthcare we have here. As a stage-one cancer survivor, I can tell you we are blessed to have the Texas Medical Center in our backyard. I have a special place in my heart for our parents that come in with their scrubs after a long day at work.

PSA: I know what you mean. Tell me about your family:

Pam: I have four grown kids and three adorable grandkids. My husband Ross and I are definitely enjoying the grandparent stage of life. I highly recommend it.

PSA: That is something that all of us parents are looking forward to, believe me. What have you enjoyed the most about working at PSA?

Pam: Working with kids! I enjoy seeing each and every one of them.

PSA: Since you have been teaching, how many kids have you taught to be Water Strong?

Pam: I've personally helped six make it through. I really enjoyed working with Michelle Thai. She and I worked together for five months and she just passed Water Strong last month.

PSA: What would you say to a parent as to why it takes so long to become Water Strong?

Pam: It can happen faster, it depends on the child. Some children start out having to overcome the fear of getting their face wet, others have no fear of the water what so ever. Some are good learners, while some (mostly boys) get distracted easily. We train our coaches to take any child from where they are to becoming confident in their water skills. I like to say that we teach more than swimming. We help a lot of children overcome separation anxiety, too.

PSA: From what you learned at the US Swim School conference, what will you be implementing first?

Pam: Teaching our staff better class management skills. Class management sounds like something you would expect to see in larger class sizes, but keeping the attention of a handful of three-year-olds for 30 minutes is not easy. I learned this is a common problem among swim schools and the ideas shared at the conference were great, I can't wait to share them with the staff.

PSA: I was delighted to learn that all swim schools struggle with that. What else did you learn?

Pam: I learned the importance of kinesthetic learning for this age group. Just telling a child what to do is not enough, you have to show them, over and over and over again. We all know this intuitively, but teaching tips shared at the conference will be helpful as we train our staff.

PSA: Good thoughts. I've enjoyed seeing you grow into your Director role at PSA. I think the coming year will be a good one for PSA.

Pam: I think so too!

Happy Birthday PSA would like to say Happy Birthday to our swimmers who were born in March. Barrett M., Anusha K., Matthew S., Mia C., Pavel B., Alexander G., Braeden C., Hannah L., Tyler L., Kimaya S., Tanmay S., Jacob P., Princess J., Jacob L., Noa H., Banjamin E., Jackson B., Ashley C., Alannah J., Albert N., Emma P., Rhett F., Grace B., Bria R., and Mary P. Facebook Don't forget to add us on Facebook to keep up to date and be informed of special events.

Links
Pearland ISD
City of Pearland
Brazoria County
Keep Pearland Beautiful
Pearland Kids Eat Free Website

Please visit our website at www.iswimpsa.com for details and registration info or contact us if you have any questions at 281-586-4499.