Leslie Harrison
Leslie's Mailbox
Actual letters from friends and parents of students.Congratulations! I say that because if you have a chance to work with someone as wonderful as Leslie Harrison, you are truly blessed. After failing to finish many sessions of "traditional" swim lessons, my 6 year old daughter started her water survival class. She has been afraid of water since she was a baby, and would never venture too far from the kiddies pool. When she was 3 years old, she sank to the bottom of the neighbor's pool as she wasn't being properly chaperoned, and it has been a nightmare since then to get her back in the water. Until we met Leslie with SuperStar Aquatics, we didn't think our daughter ever had a chance of overcoming her fear of water. It was a struggle at first, and we knew it would be. Molly fought her so hard the first session, she scratched her face and drew blood. Leslie never even raised her voice as she kept telling her to calm down. The second session, we put Molly in with her clothes on. At the end of the first week she wasn't screaming anymore, crying, yes. As time went on she became more and more confident. She grew to appreciate Leslie and listen to her every word. She would do exactly as she was told, sometimes she would fuss a little, but Leslie always told her she wouldn't make her do anything she wasn't capable of. Finally, before the session ended I was able to come in and start watching her instead of hiding out in the office watching trough the window as that made Molly too nervous. She is now a fish. She wants to swim all the time and now I have a hard time getting her out of the water. Leslie is such a patient, courageous and hard-working person. I don't know how she does it. I want to cry when I hear those kids cry, but she never stops smiling and cheering them on and telling them how awesome they are. And they always stop crying and start swimming and we are so thankful for that. I totally recommend Leslie, she is AMAZING!
Susan M. Ledbetter
My children ages three and six took Leslie's swim, float, swim class in March / April of 2009. Leslie was wonderful! She showed patience and understanding. She reassured them when they were scared. But she stayed firm with the proper techniques and did not let them take the easy way out. The techniques she taught them could save their lives. After twenty four (ten-minute) sessions. I feel that both my children would know what to do and keep from, drowning if they we're to fall in the water. I highly recommend her class for all ages.
Deidra Riley
My two year old son, Barrett, is a recent graduate of Leslie's SuperStar Aquatics program and I am absolutely astounded at the results. Leslie is an absolute professional with amazing patience and caring. Prior to the class Leslie was very honest with me about what to expect, she prepared me right from the start. During the first lessons Barrett cried and had some anxiety about getting in the water. Now he is an absolute fish! He is confident and comfortable in the water and has continued to swim in our pool and I am amazed at what he has retained from his lesson. Throughout the lessons Leslie was always patient and caring with Barrett and earned both his and my trust immediately. As a mom there were times during the lessons that were difficult for me to watch, but Leslie always made sure that I was okay and fully explained every aspect of the training. One evening after a particularly "rough" lesson Leslie took time to send me an email to reassure me and make sure that I was still okay with the lessons. I trusted her 100% throughout the entire 6 week course. Leslie is amazing and I know the fundamentals she has taught Barrett in the water will keep him safer in our backyard pool. The peace of mind that comes with that is priceless!
Jamie Rink
My daughters, Ali and Ava, completed a session of SuperStar Aquatics with Leslie. We enjoy our summers around water and like to vacation at the beach. When I heard of this program being taught in Pittsburg, I was very anxious to get them signed up. I was amazed at the skills Leslie taught them in such a short amount of time. Ali is 4-years old and thought she was a swimmer but soon learned there was an easier way to stay afloat than doggie paddle. Ava is 2 ½ and wouldn't put her head underwater and didn't understand the concept to kick and would scream getting in the water. By the end of the session, both of the girls were swimming completely underwater for at least 7 seconds and turning over to float unassisted for a minute or longer. Once they were ready to swim more they could turn back over and go. They both experienced falling in backwards in their winter coats, tennis shoes and clothes and knew how to come up and get positioned to float on their back. These are survival skills that I hope they will never have to use, but they are prepared if needed. Leslie teaches the kids the proper head position for swimming and floating. This is such a key element in the child's success. Leslie is a great instructor and has the patience and desire needed to teach these children. Ava screamed the first 5 lessons. Leslie always kept calm and would get a smile out of Ava's face before exiting the water. Now my daughters ask when they can go back to swim lessons. I have told everyone that I know how great this program Leslie teaches is for children. It will amaze one to see how well their children can do. I can't say enough great things about Leslie and the program.
Kim Scripsick
Leslie definitely has the skill set to educate people about drowning prevention. As a registered nurse and mother of 3 young children, I personally believe that she is more than qualified. Her knowledge of the very real dangers that water presents to curious children is thorough. I have witnessed the unbelievable results with numerous children in her classes, one being my 5 year old. My daughter had a fear of putting her face in the water after falling in accidently to a very cold body of water. She was rescued within one minute, but most definitely would not have been able to get herself out or stay afloat had someone not witnessed it. With Leslie's amazing abilities to work with each child individually, she had my daughter excitedly jumping into the pool while wearing jeans, a shirt and tennis shoes. My 5 year old was able to float and swim to the side of the pool within a total of 4 hours of lessons. Awesome is the best word to describe it! I would highly recommend Leslie to anyone. She has a love for water and safety equally.
Dana Yaghmour
My son Bryce age 5 has learned so much from Leslie by being in SuperStar Aquatics swimming school. This child couldn't swim prior to the swim, float, swim session even though he had taken swimming lessons previously. He started with her in the Summer 2009 and is now taking some pre-stroke lessons with her. He loves to swim with her and watching him swim and float fully clothed was amazing. I am thankful that Leslie has brought SuperStar Aquatics to my community.
Tammy Simon
My wife showed me a video 3 years ago with an infant girl floating in the water from the Infant Aquatic Survival program and I thought "who would do that to their child and risk them getting hurt like that." Well, I was not informed about the class. My wife showed me what the class was all about and 2 years later we had my son (3 years old) go through the program and I went to every class but one(I was sick). I loved seeing what Leslie did with my son. I never once felt like my son was in danger at all. He progressed each week and had fun doing it too. I thought how could this be done in only 10 minutes each day, well it was done. My son now can float on his own for as long as he wants with no problem at all. He knows how to kick to his destination and when he gets tired, he flips and floats on his back until he is ready to start kicking again. I would highly recommend this class to any parent!
Thank You
Ryan Kiniry
My five year old son had a great experience with SuperStar Aquatics. He went from crying on the way to the first lesson to jumping in with no fear, in no time at all! He's so proud of himself and I know that he's safer around the water now.
Thanks,
Brandy
SuperStar Aquatics is a lifesaver! My daughter started when she was 1 1/2 and I can't believe the transformation. These are not your ordinary swim classes. Leslie has the patience and knowledge to teach your child to swim-float-swim, no matter what the age. If you have a pool, go to the lake, or just have a fear of your child's safety around water, then you need to sign them up for these classes. You won't regret it and parents will envy your child and the skills they learn. I wish every parent had access to these classes. We could save so many lives!
Bre LaFerla
"My daughter (4 years old) couldn't wait to get to the swimming pool and work with Ms. Leslie. It was the best part of her day. she accomplished more in 6 weeks than I could possibly imagine. On her last day of lessons, she jumped into the deep end with confidence and performed the swim-float-swim technique down the entire length of the pool."
DeeAnn Allen
SuperStar Aquatics was a great experience for our daughter Emily (14 months). She is so much more confident in the water now, which only makes me feel more confident about having her near the water. Thank you for bringing this great program to Joplin! Guaranteed we will be doing it again for our son.
Thanks,
Kobie McGuirk
SuperStar Aquatics is GREAT! My daughter (2 years old) can now swim on her own. She has learned how to swim with her face in the water and how to float by herself. I would recommend SuperStar Aquatics to anyone that has a child and lives near water or has a pool. Leslie is a great instructor and patient with the kids. Thank you very much Leslie
Shane James
