Pegasus Swimming Lessons: the one-on-one 55-minute lesson

It’s that time of year again – when we can take to the great outdoors and swim under the sun. Although as a family we swim year-round, there’s no contest when it comes to swimming outside in the summer.

We’ve had the kids in swimming lessons since they were each four months old. It’s more than good physical activity; it’s a life skill. And, as I’ve mentioned before, it’s also a scholarship sport. University is damn expensive and I want to expose my kids to as many scholarship sports as possible in financial hopes that they each excel at one.

When I reviewed AquaMobile Swim School last year, it was the first time I’d ever put The K Man in one-on-one lessons – and we’ve never looked back. Even at our community pool throughout the year, we now enroll him in private swimming lessons.

When we have our own pool one day, we will definitely have an instructor come to us. Until that day arrives, however, we are so fortunate to have Pegasus Swimming a stone’s throw from our house.

(Please note that this review is in no way paid or sponsored – and we pay for every lesson all summer; however, if you decide to enroll your child at Pegasus, please mention Mommy Gearest so we can benefit from the generous referral program that’s open to anyone who registers for lessons.)

THE GOOD

The 55-minute difference. The swim school prides itself on the 55-minute lessons, which gives them a lot of 1:1 time with students and allows for a five-minute chat with parents at the end of every lesson. When I first contacted Pegasus last summer, I voiced my concern that a 55-minute lesson would be too long for a boy who had just turned four. They assured me that they had kids even younger than that thriving and that it’s broken up into 15-minute increments to keep kids interested and focused. Turns out they were right; The K Man whipped through nearly two full levels in less than 10 lessons.

This is the pool; it’s nice and warm and there’s seating for parents and siblings just off to the left of the stairs.

Great instructors with strong technical ability. Not that I’ve been unhappy with most of the instructors we’ve had at our community pool, but for whatever reason – which could be that there’s only a half hour’s worth of instruction – I haven’t seen him connect with the instructors like he did at Pegasus, nor has he made nearly the technical strides he did last summer.

Play time. Never discount the importance of goofing around in a structured lesson. Every 15 minutes, The K Man was handed some toys and encouraged to just chill out for a minute or two before getting back into the lesson. This, I’m sure, is the only reason a young child can make it through an otherwise intense hour-long lesson – of any sport.

My kid went in the deep end on lesson No. 2! It had been two years since The K Man – always a very cautious boy – had ventured into the deep end of any pool. Within the first half hour of his second lesson at Pegasus Swimming, though, his instructor “noodled” him and distracted him long enough to get him into the deep end; they spent the rest of that lesson there and she let him in on the secret at the end. And that was the end of his deep-water fear. He quite happily jumps into any depth of water no matter which pool we visit.

Pegasus is more concerned about the swimming itself than the level. As parents, we are hardwired to want our children to achieve, and we measure those achievements in grades, ribbons and badges. At lesson one, the instructor asked me an important question: “Do you care what badge he gets by the end of the summer, or do you care that he can swim well?” Sure, they gave us the requisite swim evaluations but the focus was definitely not on passing through level after level. I’ve heard of other private lessons in our area where they just keep the kids going through levels rapidly to keep parents motivated. After all, we’re suckers for bragging rights.

The referral program. I think every business should have one. Pegasus’s program happens to be one of the best I’ve come across, offering $20 off a lesson every time you refer a new student. With lessons costing $35 each, a savings of $20 is a very welcome one. The cost is probably challenging financially for most families – ours included. We definitely make sacrifices for private swim lessons. On the upside, it’s $25 for half an hour of private lessons at our local pool, so that makes Pegasus feel like a bit of a bargain. As an aside, if you have two children swimming at the same time, it’s $55; three children is $75; and four children is $95.

More than anything, though, it’s the flexibility that’s truly noteworthy. Lessons are available seven days a week, starting as early as 8:30 a.m. You can schedule as many or as few lessons throughout the summer as you like, and time them around planned road trips, cottage visits or even work schedules for shift workers. Best of all, if you need to cancel, you need only call in advance of the lesson’s start time – so if your kid comes down with a fever at noon and your lesson is at 2 p.m., you’re not going to get screwed out of $35. In the land of lessons, this is a very unusual policy.

THE GAFFE

Nada. Literally the ONLY downside is that your lesson could be cancelled due to lightning.

THE GEARS

5/5 – really. I can’t think of a single thing that I would change!

So…where can you do it?

• Contact Lucas or Christyna at Pegasus Swimming to enroll your child(ren) via pegasusswimming@gmail.com or by calling 905-404-8199. Please remember to say Mommy Gearest referred you!