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Mermaid classes are dream come true — and good exercise Sam Newton, front, and Kathy Zuk teach mermaid swimming at Rogue Aquatics in Central Point. [Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta] Wednesday Mar 8, 2017 at 5:52 PM Mar 8, 2017 at 8:11 PM Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune While veterinarian, teacher and pop singer top the list of career aspirations for most little girls by the age of 9, Eagle Point resident Angel Ceglia is taking a road less traveled. "She wants to be a mermaid in a big aquarium," her mother, Mary Ceglia, says matter-of-factly. "She's already practicing holding her breath. In Florida, mermaids have to hold their breath for two minutes, so she practices all the time." One of nearly three-dozen participants in a new Discover Mermaiding class at Rogue Aquatics, Angel got her start around Christmas when a certain red-clad elf dropped off her first mono-fin. By the time she's grown, she plans to be a full-time mermaid, probably in Florida or Las Vegas. "I've always really liked mermaids," she says. "I can hold my breath for about one minute, and I really want to be a professional mermaid when I grow up." Class coordinator Sam Newton says the enthusiasm of students like Angel, with a love for mermaids and for trying new things in the water, as well as good old-fashioned exercise are what inspired the unique class offering. The class involves wearing a "realistic-looking" mermaid tail — available online for between $40 and more than $100 — and perfecting certain kicks and maneuvers to stay afloat. Class participants have the option to buy their own tail or borrow a "loaner tail" for the class. Tail setups, which weigh less than 10 pounds in most cases, involve a mono-fin — the part that floats — and a skin-like wrap that connects the fin to the body of the swimmer. "It's basically that you're doing a dolphin kick, like Michael Phelps. The kick you do as part of the butterfly is called the dolphin kick," Newton says on a recent afternoon in the pool, floating in the center while modeling a teal printed mermaid tail. "It's basically like Disney's Ariel." Rogue Aquatics owner Kathy Zuk admits she was reluctant to offer the classes at first, but Newton's enthusiasm and the unexpected response was well worth the risk. Thus far, some four dozen swimmers have tried the class sessions, ranging in age from 6 to 40. "I tried to put it off for almost a year, and finally I said let's get it together and try. We invested in the tails to get started and the amount of interest has been nonstop. Christmas, here, was all about the mermaid tails. We sold out twice and had to order more. It just really appeals to people," says Zuk. Newton urges proper swim technique and recommends instruction for anyone who wants to buy a mermaid tail online. News stories have cropped up nationally about accidents related to the growing trend and unsupervised beginner swim attempts. "If you were a random person who decided to just buy a tail, you kind of would have to just throw it on and hope you could make it work and try to figure it out the best you could," Newton says, noting that classes and a Mermaid Club are being offered at Rogue Aquatics to encourage the sport and ensure proper use is being taught. Club meetings will teach additional tail etiquette, tricks and even "heart bubbles." "The classes are really important. We're lifelong swimmers, so we can help with technique and, besides, it's been fun to share it with other people who want to try it out," Newton says. Mary Ceglia says Rogue Aquatics made the mermaid tail a fun and safe new hobby for her daughter. "They have the students practice kicking the tail off in case they're having problems, and how to not touch the bottom and sides of the pool, because the skin on the tail is really thin," she says."Having good instructors is a big part of it." Phoenix resident Jason Haley says his daughter Makena, 9, already a swim participant at Rogue Aquatics, wanted a mermaid tail as soon as they hit store displays. "They immediately caught the eye of my daughter and her teammates. We now regularly have a mermaid tail, resting after it dries, in the bathroom at our house," Haley says with a laugh. "When she outgrows it, I'm not sure what we're going to do with the big piece of plastic and the tail, but she's sure having a lot of fun with it right now." For Angel, sporting a blue-green mermaid tail is a dream come true. "I just really love mermaids, because they get to swim all the time and they have a lot of free spirit. You can dive down deep, go through hoops, sit on the bottom of the pool like you're just relaxing. It's a lot of fun to be carefree and swimming around in the water ... like a real live mermaid." Class signup is available through Rogue Aquatics or via Medford Parks and Recreation. For information, see www.ci.medford.or.us/SIB/files/ProgramGuide-current.pdf or http://rogueaquatics.com, or call Medford parks at 541-774-2400. — Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. Email her at [email protected].