Today we’d like to introduce you to Bob Feinberg
Hi Bob, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story begins when I moved with my family to Southern California in the mid 1960’s from back east. I was a summer swim team kid but I took one look at the ocean and fell in love with swimming, body surfing (the boogie board wasn’t invented yet!) and surfing (on a surfboard that was so long and heavy it took both my twin brother and I just to carry it!). Years later while in college I worked part-time and summer jobs with the YMCA as a camp counselor, lifeguard and swim instructor. I graduated UCLA with a degree in history and taught high school social studies for San Diego City schools for 25 years. I kept my connection to the ocean and the pool by lifeguarding, teaching swimming and coaching YMCA youth swim teams at the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA, almost exclusively in Southeast San Diego.
The next major change came in 2022 when I retired from San Diego City Schools and was able to expand my effort to connect with organizations that do everything they can to prevent drowning. We accomplish this by raising awareness and raising funds to support swim lessons for targeted individuals, young and old, who have limited access to gaining this life-saving skill. Specifically, the non profit organizations I have partnered with are the San Diego County YMCA (Rancho branch) and Paddle for Peace/Diversify the Coast. Through the San Diego YMCA and US Masters Swimming I’ve been able to introduce an Adult Learn to Swim (ALDS) program, where in the first year we were able to teach 35 adults ages 19 to 82 to either improve their strokes or even learn to swim from scratch. The mission of Paddle for Peace/Diversify the Coast is to bring members of the BIPOC community to our coastal spaces for recreation, swimming, surfing and learning about ocean conservation.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t say the road has been smooth, but the joy I’ve found in teaching swimming or surfing has far out weighed the frustrations. The main struggles along the way in bringing these aquatic programs to under-served areas of San Diego have centered around opportunity, logistics and cost to assure access to the ocean and pools here in San Diego. The goal to diversify the coast and make it a welcoming space where all individuals, regardless of socioeconomic background, can learn, play, and heal together. Sadly, I often counter arguments when I hear people say, “people of color can’t swim,” reminding them this is about access and opportunity, not about skill set. This remains a struggle but in no way can I nor organizations supporting swim programs are going to give up and cave in to that mindset.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The thing I am most proud of is that I am an excellent teacher, whether teaching inner-city, at risk students in my social studies classes, or teaching swimming or surfing to children, teens, or adults. In many respects the basic concepts of teaching are the same; What is the ultimate goal of the lesson? What barriers are WE, teacher and student, going to have to overcome together to achieve our goal? How can I present the teaching in a way that is understandable, achievable, and most of all, FUN! And finally, how can I execute the lesson in a kind, safe and non-threatening manner that will build TRUST and joy in the long run?
When I taught social studies in an inner city Continuation High School we specialized in helping students achieve in spite of difficult circumstances. I taught at that school for 25 years, so I guess you could say I’m an experienced teacher. In teaching swimming I specialize in working with children, and mostly adults, that are learning to swim later in life, or unfortunately went through some sort of aquatic trauma (a near drowning, pushed in a pool or under by a wave or another child or adult). Three experiences I am most proud of are when an 82 year old woman gained the confidence and skill to be able to swim with her grandchildren. Or the case of the person who left a war torn part of the Middle East and never had the opportunity to learn to swim is able to swim 50 yards uninterrupted for the first time. Or helping the struggling triathlete to complete their first race with confidence and new found swimming skills. These are the people I’ve had the joy and honor to teach. They are who I am most proud of as I reflect on my teaching swimming.
What matters most to you?
We have tremendous achievement gaps in this country, economically, socially, and politically. No where is this is more apparent than in the world of Aquatics. I spite of the fact that surfing, swimming and many aquatic pursuits were invented or developed almost completely in Polynesia, Africa and South and Central America, those areas now lag far behind in those pursuits versus the more developed parts of the world. What matters to me most is doing everything I can to bring the joy of swimming and or surfing to as many people as I can in those under-served areas of San Diego.
The “WHY” part to why this matters to me most is also the safety component of learning to swim. It is inexcusable that one of the richest countries on earth, the USA, averages 10 drowning DEATHS per DAY. This doesn’t even include the thousands of “near-drownings” per year with people left with significant brain damage for the rest of their lives. Being part of the solution to this problem is what matters to me most at this time.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bob.feinberg.10
