“I learned how to swim because my parents threw me in the ocean.”

— Courtney Curtis, entrepreneur, Pahoa, Hawaii

“By repeatedly jumping in the pool with my aunt standing there catching me.”

— Sean Hall, theater and dance major, Leavenworth

“At the YMCA.”

— Bob Winter, furniture store owner, Topeka

“My big brother threw me in the water and chased me around, that animal. I learned to swim fast.”

— Cheryl Lester, professor, Detroit