Marga Heres could not go anywhere with her swimming daughter Aniek (14). And that while Aniek swimming really likes and it is important for children with Down syndrome to exercise. That is why Marga took matters in her hands: she started a swimming club for children with a disability in Smilde.
Last Wednesday it was finally time. Normally Marga is a teacher in primary school, but on this afternoon she went through life for the first time as a swimming teacher in swimming pool De Smelte in Smilde. “I am very nervous,” she said prior to her first lesson for children with disabilities. “What everyone thinks of it, I am very curious about that.”
Marga has set up a ‘unique’ swimming club in Smilde, as part of GSC De Stroom in Beilen. With her daughter Aniek, who is overweight, she often took walks of about 3 kilometers. Because moving is important. But walking is accompanied by grumbling: Aniek does not think it is the best activity.
They later discovered that another sport fits better with Aniek. Because when mother and daughter once participated in the Swim4daagse in Smilde, Aniek turned out to be a real water rat. With great pleasure she swam twenty jobs without any problems. Marga did not hesitate and wanted to make a splash in the water with her daughter more often. That turned out not to be that easy. For example, they could go to Beilen, but only in the evenings and that was too late for Aniek.
So Marga decided to organize something herself. An experienced swim teacher watches with images of the lesson and will occasionally help Marga with instructions. Also important: every child must take a supervisor into the bath. She now has eleven children together. In the meantime, there is also a crowdfunding, which means she has money together to be able to move forward about three years, but she hopes that she can continue this for at least ten years.
“Someone has to get up for these children,” says Marga resolutely. “I have been running into this for fifteen years. In the end I came to the conclusion that I am the one who has to do something. For the body it is also very good to swim. You have no problems with muscles or joints.”
During the first lesson last Wednesday, the children started in the shallow, so that nothing could happen. After the warm-up it was time for a game and then the group closed together. Everyone was happy afterwards, says Marga. “A great success.”
If Marga will soon have more experience and the children knows better, she might allow more swimmers. For the time being she has to keep it to the current group not to lose control.
“I am not a bath teacher, but just an enthusiast,” says Marga. “I wake up the group. I hope they eventually leave the pool with a big smile.”