Making Waves

Three siblings moving through the Club’s swim development program prove it doesn’t take gold-medal ability to have Olympic-level fun.

As a top-flight aquatics facility, it’s only natural that the Sky Pool attracts its fair share of accomplished swimmers. While a world champion is yet to emerge from its lanes, only time will tell whether there’s something special in the water.

Until then, the Club’s youngest splishers and splashers are doing just fine perfecting the basics at their own pace.

“My dad used to take me swimming when I was 7 months old,” says young Member Charlotte Weeks. “I used to love it.”

Alongside her younger brothers, 8-year-old James and 5-year-old Thomas, Charlotte, 10, is one of many Club youngsters who are finding themselves almost as comfortable in the Sky Pool as they are on dry land. All three are currently enrolled in the kids’ swim development program, which guides young tadpoles through the early stages of water confidence to stroke development and, eventually, competition.

“Benni [Edriansyah] is my teacher,” says James, who swims at the Club twice a week. “He taught me how to dive and do front stroke and backstroke. He’s taught me lots of stuff that’s really helped me.”

Transplants to Tokyo from their previous home in Hong Kong, the British trio originally fell in love with the water at a pool that featured a diving platform made to resemble the plank of a mock pirate ship. At first, it was just Charlotte and her dad enjoying the water, but James and Thomas weren’t far behind.

After learning about the Sky Pool kids’ program, Laura Weeks decided it was time for her children to refine their aquatic skills.

Charlotte, James and Thomas are among the 35 students taking the pool’s group lessons. A further 136 take private classes and around 100 have moved up the ranks to the competitive swim teams that attend meets throughout Tokyo.

“The learn-to-swim kids’ groups are tailored to produce young swimmers faster,” says Haldane Henry, Sky Pool manager. “Teaching methods and skills taught are structured for consistency, even if the instructor changes.”

Starting at level three, Charlotte has progressed to level five.

“In level four, I learned how to go much faster and how to be more powerful in my strokes,” she says. “And now I’m working on getting faster and getting stronger, and I’m doing a few races sometimes.”

Charlotte and her brothers might still be mastering swimming’s fundamentals, but the three already have plans for how they might use their newfound abilities.

“I kind of want to do the Olympics when I’m older,” says Charlotte.

“If I go exploring in a jungle,” wonders James, “I’d be able to outswim crocodiles and piranhas.”

For Thomas, the youngest, there are only two opponents he cares about beating to the wall.

“My sister and brother.”

Words: Owen Ziegler
Image of (l–r) Charlotte, Thomas and James Weeks: Kayo Yamawaki

For more information on the Club's swim development program, visit the Sky Pool webpage.