Swim lessons kick off at municipal pool

By DINA ARÉVALO
Port Isabel-South Padre Press
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com

“Relax. Relax.”

Alberto Sosa repeated the word softly while holding up a child as she tried to float on her back at the Port Isabel Municipal Pool Tuesday morning. The girl’s legs tensed as she, with eyes closed, reached out towards the wall with one foot. Again, Sosa calmly repeated his call for her to relax. Slowly, Sosa moved his hands away and the girl remained, floating unassisted.

“You’re doing it!” Sosa said with a smile. The little girl quickly realized what he meant and her legs once again went stiff, causing her to start sinking. Sosa deftly placed his hands underneath her shoulders again, before lifting her back up to perch along the wall with the other kids.

It was the first day of summer swim lessons at the pool and Sosa had his hands full with children as young as 3-years-old and as old as 8. “Everybody did a good job,” he said afterwards, adding that the lessons had been “awesome.”

“I tell them the word ‘relax.” I try to model a lot,” he said.

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