Can you swim?

[Ed Anger]

I too find it odd that there are many people who don't know how to swim, unless they're handicapped or something.  And I grew up in West Virginia.  We didn't have pools in the schools (at least not primary or secondary schools, with maybe a couple of exceptions;  colleges were a different matter), nor are there a lot of Y's or other public pools, but still pretty much everyone I grew up with knew how to swim.

Some of us wasn't beggar children who ran down to the pond or creek in the holler every evening to cool off.

[DGuller]

The reason I can't swim is because I was extremely skinny when I was a child in Ukraine, and the gym teacher was very bad at conveying the basics of propelling yourself in water.  That led to lack of confidence, and lack of desire, to swim later in life.

Well, hopefully you've managed to fatten yourself up since coming to America.

Yes.  I literally gained 20 pounds in my first month in US (and I was 12 at the time).

[Caliga]

  America, FUCK YEAH.

[Ed Anger]

That explains that twinkie shortage years ago.

[KRonn]

I learned to swim as a young kid, parents taught me. Then in the Boy Scouts with all the summer activities and aquatic type achievements, one being the mile swim. Also some water survival ideas. Then in the naval reserve, boot camp with swim qualifications and  survival techniques. I especially like and still remember the one about using your pants for flotation. After taking them off, tie up the leg ends, then you can blow them up with air easily while underwater; just exhale into the waist and the air bubbles do it. Then use as a crude life preserver.

[saskganesh]

I'd like to know how far the people who can "swim like a fish" can indeed swim?

I recently swam in the lake by my town and it was the first time I've been swimming since I was in Mexico in 2005 or so.  The next time I go swimming in the lake I'll see how far I can go and report back. 

you gotta beat KRonn. he is setting the new bar.

[Caliga]

Well, the lake is 21 miles long as I recall, but it's downright dangerous to try to swim it in its entirety, because large sections of it are used as ski courses and overloaded with ski boats/jet skis.

[Malthus]

I'd like to know how far the people who can "swim like a fish" can indeed swim?

I *was* able to swim a mile (I had to prove it), but that was a long long time ago and I haven tried recently. Dunno if I could do it now - though if I was allowed to set my own pace and use various strokes, I probably could - I think.   

[derspiess]

Growing up, we had a kick-ass pool in our development & it was in easy walking/bike distance, so I started taking lessons as soon as I was old enough.  Spent just about every summer day there as a kid, as well.

My next door neighbors have a pool & hopefully they don't move away any time soon, so my kid can get the same early swimming experience.

But here's some weirdness.  When I went to my ROTC basic camp, we had quite a few cadets from Puerto Rico in my company.  When it came time to do our water safety training, not a single one of them could swim.  They live on a small island with beaches, FFS

[garbon]

so basic floundering really shouldn't count.

I'm glad that "Enough to keep my head above water" was an option then.

[KRonn]

I'd like to know how far the people who can "swim like a fish" can indeed swim?

I *was* able to swim a mile (I had to prove it), but that was a long long time ago and I haven tried recently. Dunno if I could do it now - though if I was allowed to set my own pace and use various strokes, I probably could - I think.   

When I did the mile swim I used different swim strokes - sidestroke, backstroke, etc. We could stop for a rest, we weren't training for a marathon swim, just had to make the mile for the achievement. But I loved swimming  and was in the water a lot.

[merithyn]

"swim like a fish" would imply adapting to water like a fish. so basic floundering really shouldn't count.

bad use of metaphor. bad poll.

By that phrase, I meant that they easily frolic in the deep end, can swim various strokes, and have no problem swimming out to the dock from the beach at the local pond/lake. (I grew up in Iowa, for heaven's sake. No one had to swim a mile to do anything. We didn't even have a single lake that I knew of that was a mile across when I was a kid.)

I'm pretty sure that people who can do the above are not just floundering around, but you seem to have a different assumption going. How about we just agree to disagree on the use of the phrase?

[Strix]

But here's some weirdness.  When I went to my ROTC basic camp, we had quite a few cadets from Puerto Rico in my company.  When it came time to do our water safety training, not a single one of them could swim.  They live on a small island with beaches, FFS

Good rum and HOTT women at the beach = the little guys swimming ain't in the water