Superfins swim school: Learn to swim program, funded by Telethon, reaches life changing 15 year milestone

WA’s smallest tide changers prove you have to keep swimming when life gets choppy.

With the help of Subiaco’s Superfins swimming school, the State’s toughest little soldiers are flipping the script and pushing beyond their limits; proves that with the right support, anything is possible.

Six-year-old William Lovell has autism and DeSanto-Shinawi syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting two children known only in Western Australia.

His mother, Kate, tried for years to find a way to teach him to swim. He loved the water, but traditional lessons weren’t working.

“He wasn’t getting anywhere in regular group classes,” Ms. Lovell said.

“He loved the water, but he wasn’t progressing. And they were about to stop me from being in the pool with him. I knew it wasn’t going to work.”

Superfins was the light at the end of the tunnel for Mrs. Lovell, who believed William had hit a dead end.

Superfins Learn to Swim Programme, funded by Telethon, offers one-to-one lessons personalized to each child’s needs.

Superfins began 40 years ago as a team program for children with cerebral palsy.

Fifteen years ago, with the support of Telethon, the learn-to-swim program was born and has changed the lives of hundreds of people since then.

“From there, about four or five months after starting, he was swimming independently,” Ms. Lovell said.

The first time she saw William floating alone afloat was a moment she would never forget.

“It’s very humbling, very flattering to see him swim independently,” he said.

“It was a really proud moment to see him achieve things that I never knew he could do.”

Before Superfins, Kate couldn’t take William to a cafe with a water feature without strapping him into the pram.

“He loved water so much that he would dive right in,” he said.

“This wasn’t just about learning to swim; it was about keeping him safe.”

He is now about to join his classmates for a swim at school for the first time and can jump in the pool like other children on family holidays.

“After he started swimming here, when we went to Bali I didn’t have to hold him the whole time,” Ms Lovell said.

“He even went on the water slides and I knew he would be fine once he got to the bottom.”

At the heart of the Superfins Learn to Swim program is swimming instructor and coordinator Helen Harris, who has seen Superfins grow from a handful of swimmers to a team of instructors teaching dozens of children each week.

“This is more than just swimming,” he said.

“It’s confidence, it’s independence, it’s access to a part of life that many families think is off-limits.”

Ms Harris said the transformation from a child too anxious to get in the water to a child who swims independently was “magic to behold”.

“They shine,” he said.

“Kids come in after a hard day, maybe they’ve been pushed to their limits at school, they get in the water and they can just… let go.”

Morrison Rose, 25, started swimming with the team when she was 10, and it not only gave her strength and rehabilitation, but also a community.

“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be able to swim like I do today,” said Mr. Rose, who has cerebral palsy diplegia.

He trains with the first team twice a week and says the water gives him a sense of freedom that he cannot find on land.

“You can do whatever you want in the water,” he said.

“Swimming is like backyard cricket; everyone in Australia gets to be a part of it.

“If there is a pool, everyone is in it. Thanks to Superfins, I will be a part of it.”