What do swimming and The Wizard of Oz have in common?

A couple of weeks ago, my 11-year-old daughter and I went to a movie event called ‘Eat the Film’. Our local cinema runs these events every six months or so – they choose an old film and plan an eight-course, themed menu around it (shared below). The latest film was The Wizard of Oz and, paired with the creative dinner menu, it was a delight. The food is delicious and inventive, and it’s a fun experience being delivered small plates and drinks during the screening.

Eat the Film menu. Yum!

Of course, ‘child goes on a fantasy adventure’ stories are a dime a dozen (think Alice in Wonderland, the Labyrinth, Neverending Story, Narnia…). A kid lands in a fantasy world, goes on a journey with perils and triumphs, makes a few costumed or puppet friends along the way, then return safely home with a new level of maturity and wisdom – and often a newfound appreciation for their ‘real life’.

I was reflecting on how swimming can be the same, in a way. Every Sunday I leave home, have a watery adventure, spend time with friends, and return back to terra firma slightly altered, feeling happy and revived, and appreciate coming home. (And, just like ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’, we get rainbows in the spray on a sunny morning as we swim around the salt-water fountain.)

Like the characters in Oz, to go on a swimventure requires certain attributes, all which can be learned or developed along the way.

Wizard of Oz poster, 1939. IMDb.com

Courage

Many of us start off as the Cowardly Lion, because it takes courage to begin open water swimming. Maybe you don’t know how to swim properly or you’re just nervous about swimming in a large body of water with creatures and plants and no pool’s edge to cling onto. Slowly over time, with lessons learned and the support of other people, this gets better.

A heart

The Tin-Man wishes for a heart inside his hollow metal exterior. As a swimmer, it’s important to have a heart, i.e. to care about others. When we get started there’s usually someone there encouraging us – a coach, a group, a friend. Then, once we have learned how to do it ourselves, we can give back. I also see small acts of kindness all the time: people sharing their hot water bottles if someone is shivering, offering swim advice, watching out for one another, shouting a coffee, zipping up wetsuits.

A brain

The Scarecrow wishes for a brain in his straw-filled head. Swimming in the sea is as much a mental challenge as it is physical: keep your head! Don’t panic! Don’t make silly mistakes! But it can be easier said than done if you find yourself in a challenging situation. For Dorothy and friends, the Wicked Witch and her flying monkeys are the biggest threats: for a swimmer, it can be choppy waves, currents, rips. cold water, getting tired or disoriented. (I’m not going to say sharks, because really, the odds are low and humans hurt sharks way more than vice-versa.)

Here in Wellington we’re encouraged to take a swim safety course so we can help one other if someone is in trouble. For example, if someone is panicking, get them to lie on their back and tow them back to shore. If they’re reaching out in fear, they could pull you under. Likewise, we need to be sensible and prepared before we go in: warm clothes and a hot drink for afterwards, attach a light if it’s dark or rainy, wear a tow float.

We don’t need a magical man pushing buttons to give us strength

Spoiler alert, but Dorothy and friends discover that the long-anticipated Wizard is not the fearsome booming head they initially encounter, but a small man behind a curtain using remote controls. Turns out, they had their longed-for abilities the whole time! The Lion defended his friends, the Tin-Man cared about them, the Scarecrow used logic to escape from the Wicked Witch. And Dorothy just had to click her ruby slippers together and say, with feeling, ‘There’s no place like home’. Nothing like a bit of gratitude to shape the way we see the world.

(Meanwhile, the Wizard merrily floats off forever in a hot-air balloon that he can’t control. I’m not sure what we’re supposed to take from that part!)

The sea is slowly warming up for spring and last week I spent about 30 minutes in the water and swam about 1km, the furthest I’ve swum in the ocean since autumn. It felt wonderful.