'Why say no? Try': Women in their 70s now learning how to swim

GLENDALE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Some of the most important skills for living, such as talking, reading and writing, are taught at a very young age. Swimming is also on that list for many people, but many others never attain that ability.

Two women in their 70s, however, are determined to add that skill. They were happy to put their efforts on display as their course through Nicolet Recreation in Glendale wrapped up earlier this month.

Joanne Williams and Bernett Crymes took part in the recent eight-week course in the pool at Glen Hills Middle School.

If Williams' name sounds familiar, it's probably because she spent much of her career in a variety of roles for multiple Milwaukee television stations.

As Williams kept busy in her time on TV, then later producing documentaries, she never learned how to swim, even though she was sure to sign up her two sons for swimming lessons when they were children.

"I would sit next to the pool and watch them learn how to swim," Williams said. "And I used to think, 'I wish I knew how to do that, too.'"

While her quest to find and tell stories has taken her to different parts of the world, Williams said learning how to swim would rank among her most satisfying accomplishments.

"I'm not so much afraid of the water, but I have to learn how to breathe, and I think that's the hardest part," she said. "And I think after all the things I've done, this is gonna be one of the things I will consider a great accomplishment."

For Crymes, who worked in IT for IBM, learning how to swim was a milestone she set out to accomplish before she turns 80 next May.

"I wanna be able to do laps," she said. "I admire people who can go back and forth in that pool. They make it look easy, so I said I'm determined."

Both women practice their technique under the watchful eyes of Cindy Schildt, who has been teaching people how to swim for 30 years.

Schildt said she's always been fulfilled by giving people the ability to swim because she had a harrowing childhood experience. Her brother pushed her in a lake, and she didn't know how to swim.

"My father had to run from the whole back lot all the way down, jump in the lake, get me out," she said. "And then I woke up with him pumping my stomach."

After that, Schildt was signed up for swimming lessons.

Williams had her own close call at about the age of 10. She moved from a wading pool with a group of other kids to a regular swimming pool. As she watching the other kids swim, she slipped and fell in.

"I remember looking up through the water and seeing all these kids standing above me, laughing, because they thought I knew how to swim," Williams said. "They didn't realize I was drowning."

Williams said she was able to rely on what she watched in the movies. She mimicked those moves and somehow paddled her way to the surface.

"And that's when they realized, 'Oh, maybe she can't swim,'" Williams said. "And that's when my mother came over screaming and yelling, 'She can't swim! Get her out of the pool!'"

Whether it's helping people overcome lifelong fears or just giving someone a tool they've always wanted for survival, Schildt said it's always been rewarding to watch people make progress in the pool.

"It's like a little warm bug inside of you that makes you feel warm and fuzzy all over," she said. "It's just the little baby steps they get, and sometimes, they don't realize that those little baby steps mean so much."

Williams and Crymes both name some of their own strides as the course comes to an end.

Williams, at one point, got emotional after backstroking longer than she ever had before without assistance. She's closing in on being able to visit Arizona and swim her with her sons.

"My son knows I'm taking lessons," she said. "And every time I talk to him, he says, 'Mom, how are the lessons going?' I tell him they're going pretty well. He says, 'I'm looking forward to be able to swim with you in our pool.'"

Crymes said she's already planning to sign up for Schildt's next class. While she's made improvements, Crymes is determined to reach the point where she can swim laps at the age of 80.

"Why say no? Try," she said. "And if you don't succeed? Try again. That's what I'm doing now."