MAY 19, 1985
+SWIMMING IS NOT DIFFICULT TO LEARN AS THE AVERAGE PERSON CAN MASTER THE BASIC SKILL IN ABOUT FIVE HOURS.
+BUT IN MOST CASES, THE MAJOR OBSTACLE IS THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTOR. MY BEST ADVICE TO BEGINNERS IS NOT TU HAVE ANY FEAR OF THE WATER. ONCE THEY CAN OVERCOME THIS PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTOR, THEY CAN HAVE A SMOOTH TAKEOFF, SAID MR TSANG.
MR TSANG FURTHER SUGGESTED THAT A BEGINNER SHOULD LEARN FROM AN EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTOR IN ORDER TO START IN THE CORRECT WAY.
DURING THE LEARN-TO-SWIM+ COURSE, STUDENTS ARE TAUGHT THE BASIC SKILLS. ALL KINDS OF SWIMMING STYLES -- BREAST STROKE, CRAWL STROKE, AND BACK STROKE -- ARE TAUGHT TO ENABLE THE PARTICIPANTS TO GET TO KNOW THE DIFFERENT STYLES OF SWIMMING SO THAT THEY CAN CHOOSE WHATEVER STYLE SUITS THEM BEST.
SUCH ARE
TO ENABLE THE PARTICIPANTS TO LEARN IN AN EASIER AND FASTER MANNER, VARIOUS ITEMS OF TEACHING EQUIPMENT AS KICK-BOARDS, RATTAN HOOPS, ROPES AND OTHER AIDS USED IN THE INITIAL STAGE OF THE COURSE.
AN INTERESTING TREND IN THE +LEARN-TO-SWIM+ SCHEME WAS A LARGE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF WOMAN APPLICANTS DURING THE PAST TWO YEARS, ACCORDING TO THE URBAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT'S SENIOR AMENITIES OFFICER (SWIMMING), MR PAUL CHEUNG.
TO CATER FOR THE GROWING INTEREST OF WOMEN IN THE SPORT. THE COUNCIL THIS YEAR ORGANISED MORE COURSES FOR „OVEN 176 AS AGAINST 156 CLASSES FOR MEN. PREVIOUSLY, THE NUMBER OF CLASSES FOR MEN AND WOMEN WAS THE SAME.
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MR CHEUNG SAID THE +LEARN-TO-SWIM+ SCHEME HAD COME A LONG WAY SINCE IT WAS ORGANISED BY THE URBAN COUNCIL IN 1972 AS PART OF ITS ANNUAL CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE WATER SAFETY.
+A RECORD NUMBER OF 8 958 PARTICIPANTS OF DIFFERENT AGES FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE TOOK PART IN THE SCHEME LAST YEAR REPRESENTING A SIXFOLD INCREASE OVER THE 1972 FIGURE,+ PE SAID.
+THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS THIS YEAR IS EXPECTED TO PASS THE 10 000 MARK.+
IN AN EFFORT TO PROMOTE THE PROFICIENCY OF SWIMMING AND SWIMMING AS A SURVIVAL SKILL, MR. CHEUNG NOTED, THE URBAN COUNCIL TOGETHER WITH THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE HONG COND LIFE GUARD CLUE, ALSORGANISES THE HONG KONG SWIMMERS' ADGE SCHEME IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE LEARN-TO-SIM+ SCHEME.