Swim Programs For All Ages
As summer is fast approaching in the United States, the Arizona State University (ASU) Recreation, Watauga County Swim Complex and the Robbin’s Pool in Blowing Rock are offering residents in the High Country safe swimming lessons.
http://www.hcpress.com/upcoming-events/swim-programs-for-all-ages-in-high-country-asu-urec-watauga-swim-complex-and-blowing-rock-pool.html
The University Recreation (UREC) of ASU is offering a program called the Red Cross Learn to Swim Program and it targets three categories of beginners. The first category is for infants to toddlers between the ages of 6 months to 3 years old. Then, there is the preschool group ranging from 3 to 5 years of age. Lastly, there is a school age group for those who are 6 years and above. All of the swimming instructors are UREC student employees, who have received Water Safety Instructor (WSI), lifeguard and CPR certifications through the Red Cross. According to Cheryl Eddins, the Assistant Aquatics Director for UREC, this program aims to aid younger children to feel more comfortable in and around the water. Aside from that, the program also revolves around water safety, which is an integral part of the lesson for all participants regardless of how old they are.
For the Watauga County Parks and Recreation, they are offering a variety of swimming lessons for all ages throughout the county. Perhaps one of the plus points is that they provide a safe swimming environment for the entire family. They have a total eight instructors on rotation, all of whom have WSI, lifeguard and CPR certifications. Apart from swimming lessons, they offer both Aquacise classes and a Masters group of competitive swimmers.
Lastly, the Robbin’s Pool in Blowing Rock offers swim lessons according to guidelines and regulations made available by the Red Cross. There are a total of six levels, with level one providing an introduction to water skills and level six teaching stroke refinement and proficiency. Once again, the swimming instructors are required to hold a lifeguard certified. More importantly, many of them already have prior experience working with children. Jason Balcome mentioned that the purpose of the lessons is to teach techniques that children, especially the younger ones, will get excited about. This will encourage them to explore more about swimming. For the story, do check it out here.
In Singapore, all swimming instructors are required to have a lifeguard certificate as well as a recognised teaching certificate before they can take in students. Happy Fish Swim School provides only certified instructors to our students. As the June holidays are fast approaching, do check out our School Holiday Intensive Swimming Lessons. There are limited slots available, so sign up soon!
Read MoreA Lack of Water Safety Knowledge
Based on a poll by the American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts, about two-thirds of families with young kids have plans on swimming in areas without lifeguards this summer. However, majority of these families are not aware of the right thing to do during water emergencies. Furthermore, most of them do not really know how to keep their loved ones safe in the water.
http://seekonk-swansea.patch.com/articles/people-unclear-about-how-to-stay-safe-in-the-water
According to the poll, nearly half of those families have never even taken swimming lessons before. This could possibly be because nearly half of all Americans have had an experience where they were fearful of drowning. Two-thirds of them also mistakenly believe that by putting inflatable armbands, or “water wings,” on children, it will be more than enough to keep them safe when an adult is not nearby. The problem is that these aren’t lifesaving devices. Children as well as weak or inexperienced swimmers should put on U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets instead. Even with the approved life jackets on, constant adult supervision is still required.
Findings from the survey also indicated that people believe that having a swimming buddy or flotation device will help to keep them safe. Although it is highly recommended to have a swim buddy, they alone aren’t enough to keep swimmers truly safe. ”The correct steps to take when you see a swimmer who needs help is to shout for help, reach or throw the person a rescue or flotation device and tell them to grab it; then call 9-1-1 if needed. People think that if a person isn’t calling out for help that they must be OK. However, he or she is likely using all her energy to just try to stay above water. People think they should enter the water to save someone, but often this endangers the life of the rescuer,” explained Jarrett Barrios, CEO of the American Red Cross of Massachusetts.
There are quite a number of common signs swimmers use when they are in trouble. Firstly, they will start to tread water and wave an arm. Secondly, they will extend their arms to the side or the front, pressing down for support without making any forward progress. Thirdly, they will be positioned vertically in the water, but their legs will not be kicking. For more information, do check it over here.
Ideally, one should arm himself or herself with swimming skills. In Singapore, swimming lessons are available in every public swimming complex. Alternatively, you can check out Happy Fish Swim School. We offer a variety of swimming lessons for all ages.
Read MoreOlympians Teach Water Safety
When he was merely 3 years old, Brian Goodell accidentally fell into a pool of water and had to be revived. After that, he had a phobia of water until three years later when he decided to face his fears and learn to swim. Soon after, he became part of a local team before eventually becoming an Olympic gold medalist.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130518/SPORTS/305180043/Olympians-teach-water-safety-Palm-Desert?nclick_check=1
On Saturday, Brian and five other Olympians took part in the Swim to Win 2013 campaign, which was organized by the Family YMCA of the Desert along with assistance from the City of Palm Desert. The whole aim of the campaign was to raise awareness about drowning and provide free swimming lessons to children in the area. The event is also believed to be the largest event to promote water safety in the history of the Coachella Valley. The total turnout for the event was above 2,000, more than twice of what was expected. Organisers believe that this will only be the first of a long-running program in the valley.
“We couldn’t have anticipated this kind of turnout. Drowning prevention is something we can do. It’s a problem we can solve,” stated Steve Little, who was the one who came up with the idea and got the Olympians involved.
“A lot of people believe that (drowning) is a socio-economical thing. It’s not. Drowning covers every socio-economical level. It happens in two minutes. It’s silent. It’s horrifying. So I think we need to give every child an opportunity to swim,” said Olympian Janet Evans, who first learned to swim as a child and influence others to learn as well after she managed to earn their respect.
There was one point on Saturday where a 5 year-old boy was struggling with his mother to get into the water with Olympian Aaron Peirsol, who himself learned to swim at a similar age. Eventually, he managed to convince the young boy to trust him as he pulled him out into the water. “We started off slow and before I knew it, I had him out in the middle of the pool. He had his head down in the water and he was smiling at me. That was pretty special. That is, to me, why we are here,” explained Aaron. For more of the story, you can check it out here.
At Happy Fish Swim School, we have certified and dedicated swimming instructors ready to guide your child on their swimming journey. You can learn more about us from http://www.swimminglessons.com.sg/
Read MoreSwimming Deaths Worry Triathlon Officials
Nanette Nanjo-Jones and Margaret Pometta were probably two of the closest training partners ever after they first got to know about triathlon in 2008. They would usually train together on the hilly roads in San Mateo County, California. On race days itself, they would also decorate their bicycles with colored flags and wear matching pink boas. At the start of every event without fail, they would take a picture together too.
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/usatoday/article/2164793&usatref=sportsmod
This photo was from the 2012 Vineman Half Ironman in Guerneville, Calif. It was also the last photo both of them had together. Just minutes after it was being taken, Margaret, a 50-year-old mother of three, suffered from a heart attack during her swim in the Russian River. She was eventually pronounced dead after a short time later. Nanette had no idea of what happened to her and only discovered when the race, which consisted of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run, was over. ”I was shocked, it was so hard to process. I had this guilt. Maybe it was me who made her do these races,” she stated.
It’s been a year since the incident and Nanette no longer blames herself for it. However, she still continues to ponder over an experienced triathlete like Margaret, who never showed any signs of heart problems, managed to collapse and die while doing the activity she loved. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of fatalities at triathlons, most of which involved freak heart attacks during the swimming portion of the race. According to a recent study conducted by the USA Triathlon, out of the 12 deaths that were recorded during the U.S. triathlons in 2011, nine of the victims died from heart attacks during the swim. Also, 31 out of the 45 triathlon deaths between 2003 and 2011 were due to cardiac failure during the swim.
As the sport continues to grow in numbers, race officials are vigilant and paying close attention to water safety issues. Just last week, the World Triathlon Corporation, owners of the Ironman races, announced that changes will be made to gear towards increasing the safety, specifically during the swim portions of the races. If you would like to know more of the story, you can check it out here.
Happy Fish Swim School would like to remind all that such tragic incidents can occur to anyone, regardless of how fit he or she may be. Hence, we highly recommend one to go for a full body check up and receive clearance from the doctor before participating in these events. Yes, it may be costly and a hassle, but at the end of the day, all of us only have one life to live. Prevention is better than cure. For swimming lessons in Singapore, refer to our website.
Read MoreSwimmer Set Sights on Going the Distance
Kathleen Wilson has an extremely strong desire for conquest and competition. This has resulted in her travelling to different corners of the globe to participate in various challenges. She is already used to being in uncomfortable surroundings and she also believes that her threshold for pain is much higher compared to that of most others. However, the thing that she is not so used to is none other than failure.
Just two months back, Kathleen had failed to complete a long-distance swim. In fact, that was the first out of more than a dozen times where she swam in the dark, deep water without managing to emerge eventually at the very end. Some of these swims she took part in were as few as ten miles while there were others nearly she times longer. Although it was a long and tiring process, time was not as significant as completing the objective itself. This is something that Kathleen lives by. One of her basic rules in life is that if you start something, you finish it. This does not matter if it is at the Strait of Gibraltar or the English Channel because for every starting point, there is also a finishing point.
Since 1997, this rule of hers has enabled her to accomplish every swim that she ever attempted to do until the last one, which was Cook Strait in New Zealand. When approaching the last three miles of the 17-mile swim, she decided to pull out. After she got out of the water, she was incoherent and shivering uncontrollably. Even when she was being asked questions, she could only uttered nothing but gibberish.
Two months after the incident, her thoughts about the swim is peppered with misgivings. She felt that she failed to complete the swim because she was underweight. When she lost seven pounds months before, it made her too lean to battle the cold water. This caused her body to go into shock and she stated that she will not make the same mistake again. As of right now, Kathleen is still unsure of whether she will return back to New Zealand to do the swim once again. However, she has already started back on her training regimen. For the rest of her story, do check it out here.
If you are keen in swimming lessons in Singapore, do remember to take a look at Happy Fish Swim School.
Read MoreConnect With Us
