Meet the SWIM•Float•SWIM! Team
Boulder Infant Aquatic Survival Instructors
All of our Infant Aquatic Survival Specialists are personally trained by Judy Heumann: mothers and grandmothers with over 100 hours of training and years of teaching experience. We are proud to let our parents tell you about them.
The instructors are warm, loving and beautifully bonded to each child. Carlene would kiss the babies on the forehead to praise their hard work in the water while whispering encouragement and affirmations in their ear. Cynthia was fun and always giggling with the children- almost singing their next instruction. These women are moms and are there to equip each child, emotionally and physically, with grace and love. They first earn the trust of the child, and then the child learns to trust him/herself in the water.
Nonie Rand, Boulder
Cynthia Longo, Manager, Infant Aquatic Survival Instructor, Stroke School Director
My daughters both LOVE Cynthia. She is firm when she needs to be but also fun and silly and playful; her laugh is often heard ringing through the pool room. She is a warm, kind, loving mother and a gifted teacher who can sense when a little one really needs a hug. My girls are learning to have fun and be safe in the water from a person they love and respect…How good is that?
Diana Karowe, Boulder
Cynthia possesses the perfect combination of persistence, patience and playfulness that allows my children to build confidence in their swimming while still having fun. She is great at giving clear instruction that is easy and fun for kids to follow. My 2 year old even pretends to swim with her when he is not in class!
Jennifer Wingate, Boulder
In 2005, Cynthia brought her two children to lessons following a near-tragic water accident with her 5 year old son. The following year she underwent extensive training to become an Infant Aquatics instructor, teaching private lessons and group classes for over a decade. She is now our Stroke School Director as well as our facility manager. Cynthia always has a smile on her face and her laugh is familiar to everyone who knows her. She is a certified pool operator who keeps everything running smoothly. She is loved and respected by staff and parents alike.
Julie Reiff, Infant Aquatic Survival Instructor
Julie greeted Twyla every morning with a big smile, even though at the beginning of her lessons, the last thing Twyla wanted to do was get in the water. It paid off! By week 5, Twyla smiled and clapped her hands because she was so proud that she could SWIM•Float•SWIM! Julie did a great job giving Twyla positive reinforcement, and I could tell how much Twyla trusted her by the way she hugged Julie in the pool.
Vivienne Wan, Boulder
Orla began her first swimming lesson at 16 months old; she had never been taken care of by a “stranger”. Over the course of her 6 weeks with Julie, Orla has found a new friend, developed amazing new swimming skills and gained a sense of accomplishment. It was clear to me that Julie truly enjoyed teaching my daughter such important skills and exciting to watch Orla’s growth as she became eager to please Julie and learn to SWIM•Float•SWIM!
Lindsay Conway, Berthoud
Julie did an incredible job of teaching both my children during a two week swimming “crash course”. Her warm smile and calm energy reassured Jude (3 years). He absolutely loved her and couldn’t wait to see her every day. Julie was able to quickly establish a trusting relationship with him so that with each new challenge (swimming in clothes, for instance) he would listen to her and know that if he followed her instructions, he could do it.
It’s amazing what Julie taught Joy (18 months). By the end of the two weeks, my formerly helpless baby knew how to swim, roll onto her back when she needed air and then flip onto her tummy to be picked up. Even though Joy is in a “stranger-danger” period, she too warmed to Julie quickly, and trusted her. You could see how proud she was of herself every time she was in the water. We’re so grateful for Julie and SWIM•Float•SWIM! for giving us such a wonderful experience, and our kids such valuable skills!
Jennifer Seay, Austin, Texas
Sarah Blink, Infant Aquatic Survival Instructor
Sarah has been a joy to have for a teacher! Joining SWIM•Float•SWIM!, I was a very nervous parent knowing that our daughter hadn’t spent much time in the water. Not only did Sarah ease my worries but she made our daughter feel comfortable as well. In our six weeks of lessons, Sarah has been very informative and helpful, and I highly recommend her. She is always in a great mood with a smile on her face. I’m sad that our next session will be in the afternoons and not with Sarah but I’m not nervous knowing the whole staff is wonderful!
Amanda Ear, Longmont
But for the convincing testimonials of friends, I had wondered how my precocious 2 year old grandson, Charlie, would take to the 30 minute drive from Boulder to Longmont for a series of 10-minute swim lessons, 4 x per week for 6 weeks! It seemed like a lot of time and effort for a mere10 minutes of instruction. Charlie protested prior to every single lesson, saying he didn’t want to go swimming, while simultaneously asking to “go see Sarah”, his SFS instructor, even on the off days.
I closely watched every lesson, wondering to myself if Sarah would break through Charlie’s objections. Over the weeks, I observed her respectfully listening to Charlie, while patiently coaxing him to move through increasingly challenging steps. I also learned right away why the lessons are limited to only 10 minutes!
Charlie’s attachment for Sarah helped him to turn the corner from being a shallow water wader to a budding natural swimmer, earning the nickname “Charlie Tuna”.
Alisa Hall, Boulder
We really were very pleased with the way Sarah taught swimming and floating to our two boys. Both my sons were really afraid to get into the water before coming to SWIM•Float•SWIM! but Sarah’s gentle yet encouraging approach helped the boys lose their fear of water and learn to float & swim very quickly. We couldn’t have asked for a better teacher to introduce our boys to swimming. Thanks so much Sarah!
Monika Deshpande, Longmont
Darla Bradford, Infant Aquatic Survival Instructor
I can’t say enough great things about Darla. Darla was always full of encouraging words and was more than happy to answer my questions while offering reassurance. Both of Darla’s children have gone through the program, so she knows exactly what every parent is experiencing when they bring their kids to SWIM•Float•SWIM! The thing that I loved most about Darla is that she got just as excited, if not more excited, when my children had a success. It is very obvious that she truly loves what she does!
Jennifer Kiley, Boulder
We have loved our experience at SWIM•Float•SWIM! During our first four weeks of our six week session, Judy was training Darla along side of her. Each day of our lesson, Darla was focused, paid attention to every detail and was a calming force during each lesson. Darla comes to class prepared, smiling and exudes an air of confidence that would make anyone smile. During my son Caleb’s last two weeks of lessons, Darla was his solo teacher. Again, I could not have trusted anyone more. Caleb (23 months) felt safe and secure and her reassuring attitude was all he needed to gain the confidence to complete his six week course. I am so looking forward to continuing group classes with Darla this fall!
Dana Vallely, Boulder
Kristin Tabb, Infant Aquatic Survival Instructor
We started swim lessons at Swim Float Swim! because we have a pond in the back yard and we were worried about her safety. Our daughter, 2 years old at the time, had been taking swim lessons since she was 6 months old, but was unable to float on her back or get herself to safety. She also had started disliking the swim lessons and wanted to quit. Within 2 weeks of working with Kristin, Simone not only rediscovered her love for water, but also could float on her back and swim to safety. We felt very lucky that Simone had Kristin for an instructor. She taught Simone the importance of water safety, helped her to be more comfortable in the water, and provided a fun experience.
Michaela Donohoe, Longmont
When my granddaughter started her lessons with Kristin she cried because she wasn’t comfortable with strangers. Kristin was patient and caring and helped her become comfortable in the water with someone besides her mom or grandmother. The first couple weeks my granddaughter didn’t want to kick her feet but Kristin was motivating and used different techniques to eventually get her kicking. Because of Kristin my granddaughter is now swimming and loves the water and having FUN at her lessons.
Joann Merritt, Fort Collins
