“Liesl (Kolbisen) Taner has been teaching swim lessons for La Petite Baleen for over 30 years. She grew up in the business and has watched the national and international swim school community grow, support, share and learn from each other. Liesl has a B.S degree in Child Development and Family Studies, was a collegiate and professional swimmer on the USA National Team and NCAA Champion for the University of Arizona. She is married to Ugur Taner, also a multiple NCAA Champion, World Champion and 1992 Barcelona Olympian. Together they have 7 children, 2 of which are collegiate D-1 Athletes in swimming and rowing.
Liesl still teaches lessons in our Aquatic Classroom. Being with children in the pool is the most enjoyable part of co-owning La Petite Baleen Swim School.”
Liesl still teaches lessons in our Aquatic Classroom. Being with children in the pool is the most enjoyable part of co-owning La Petite Baleen Swim School.”
The Wendy Fereday Swim School recently shared with us a letter they received from swim mom Erin. “We took the boys to our pool in the neighborhood for a quick swim yesterday evening to get out some bedtime energy. Decker and Jax were playing with an inflatable water polo goal they recently got. Ames, age 3, went to check it out and I had my eyes on him the whole time from where I was sitting. He leaned over at the edge of the pool and reached too far in the water and fell in head first in the pool. I instantly got up from my chair and ran to help him (I was close enough where I knew I could get to him if I needed to) but I stopped at the edge of the pool because I could see him do the “turn around and save yourself” routine. He was kicking his legs and reaching to the edge of the pool just like you’ve taught him since he was tiny! After he grabbed the edge of the pool, he started to pull himself out of the pool and he was crying. I hugged him and told him “Ames, you did it. You turned around and saved yourself!” He kept crying and saying “I fell in the pool” and I just kept saying over and over again “you turned around and saved yourself” and gave him lots of big hugs. Then the boys came over and told him good job for saving himself and he got so proud of himself.”