Jaxon’s Journey with BaySwim

Jaxon Armstrong is learning to swim — and loving it. A year ago, that didn’t seem possible.

For the first six years of Jaxon’s life, he struggled with an intense fear of water. 

“Even in the shower he couldn’t have water on his face,” Jaxon’s mum Ellie says. 

Jaxon refused to get into his school pool. He couldn’t take part in school swimming sports. At birthday pool parties, he’d sit off to the side while his mates splashed about having fun. And when Ellie and dad Jarod would try to gently coax him into the water, he’d just cling to them. 

Jaxon’s fear of water was absolute, and his parents didn’t know what to do about it. Ellie grew up loving the water. She’s a good swimmer; she has even trained and worked as a lifeguard. 

For a long time, she says, “it was really hard for us to understand”. 

They decided to ask their community for help. 

“I actually put it out on Facebook looking for help and Claire messaged me back.” 

Claire Horner, BaySwim Manager, has been a swimming teacher for 20 years. She saw Ellie’s post on a community Facebook page, explaining Jaxon’s anxieties with water and asking for help from someone who was going to be patient with him but also get him out of his shell. 

Claire reached out personally and told Ellie she would work with Jaxon one-on-one. That was about this time last year. 

“Now, it’s at the point where it’s hard to keep him above water to tell him what to do,” Ellie says, and you can hear the relief in her voice and see the joy on her face as she says it. 

“In a year, it’s a massive turnaround.”

If you saw Jaxon in a pool now, without knowing his story, and saw his smile and confidence and how he moves in the water, diving down and then jumping up with a splash, you would have no idea that not so long ago he struggled to have a shower. 

“It’s made a huge difference because even just a few weeks ago we went camping for his birthday and he was happily jumping in and out of the pool, which is just something we weren’t ever expecting from him because of how against it he was,” Ellie says.

Jaxon at seven years old clearly loves being in the water. Jaxon at six years old absolutely did not. 

“The first few lessons, it took a bit,” Ellie says. “It was hard at the start. There were weeks where he was like, ‘I don’t want to go in.’ Tears in the car park because it would stress him out. And then he would get in and realise it’s okay, and have fun, and then he was fine.” 

And how did they get through that initial period of reluctance? 

“Sometimes with a bit of bribery, which doesn’t sound the greatest,” Ellie says with a laugh.

“But, honestly, it was just talking to him and telling him, it’s important that you learn to swim. And I think that’s what really got through to him.” 

She says Jaxon started to understand that he needed to learn at least the basics, “because that’s what we’ve said to him, we don’t expect him to be an Olympic swimmer or anything like that, we just want him to be able to be safe in the water”. 

Ellie says it also helped that Jaxon and Claire “just clicked really well”. 

“She’s got the right personality with him. He was comfortable enough to go, okay, I’ll do what she says.” 

The first step was getting Jaxon comfortable in the water, then floating, knowing that at any point he could stand up; he didn’t need to panic because, actually, he could put his feet on the bottom of the pool.

Jaxon has now completed three terms of swimming lessons and has just started his fourth. He’s learned how to be comfortable in water, how to float, blow bubbles, hold his breath, and kick. He’s currently learning entry-level arm movements and how to kick on his back. 

Ellie says Jaxon’s swimming journey has had “a huge impact” on him. 

“He’s been to a couple of pool parties this summer, whereas prior to that when we’ve gone to birthday parties, he’s kind of just sat off to the side, which, for me, that’s quite hard to see.

“So it’s really cool to see him actually getting in and involved with everyone and it’s built his confidence as well.” 

She says Jaxon used to be quite shy and nervous to just talk to someone straight off the bat. 

“I think it’s made him realise that he can achieve things. It’s something that was scary and now he’s having fun.” 

Jaxon’s swimming journey has also brought exciting changes to family life. 

“We can actually go to the beach and walk into the water a bit and it’s another activity and something to do that he’s not been able to enjoy previously,” Ellie says. 

“For me, it’s really rewarding to see him getting that enjoyment.”

Jaxon can now play in the wave pool at Baywave with his dad and have fun swimming races with his mum. He’s also looking forward to taking part in his school swimming sports. 

“Our family has noticed the change in Jaxon and his confidence and the enjoyment he gets from swimming now and being around water,” Ellie says. 

She says she would like to encourage other parents, who might be going through something similar, “not to give up”. 

“I’m glad I never gave up on it,” Ellie says. “I’m very proud of him.” 

It’s only fair, at this point in the story, to acknowledge the courage and perseverance of the main character. After all, he played the biggest role of all. It’s no easy feat overcoming a fear like that. 

Jaxon should have the last word. 

“I feel really surprised,” he says, standing poolside at Baywave. 

What are you surprised about? 

“That I’ve gotten really good in just a year.” 

And what do you like about swimming, this newfound skill of yours? 

“It’s really fun and sometimes it makes you stronger.”

bayswim.co.nz