Summer is coming!

Summer is coming and so are swimming lessons! But unfortunately, so are drowning's.

Each and every year, we spend our weekends at the lake, around the pool, in the water park. It is so much fun, not to mention refreshing from the heat! But also each year, we forget about what the value of swimming or learn to swim really is.

I ran across an article on the All Ears Blog that I thought I would share with you. It is a great article on the benefits of swimming. Benefits from family time to fitness and the life saving. Yes, unfortunately, lifesaving is the final benefit listed. Just like swimming lessons is sometimes the final "summer activity" that is added to a family schedule. Or worst yet, they only squeeze in a few lessons and think that is "good enough" because it is "better than nothing".

Parents should use caution in only using "introductory lessons" because is give the parents and the child a false sense that the child is able to take on any situation concerning swimming. This can cause a child to lose their life. Only a well laid out plan of swimming lessons and safety lessons can help to avoid a terrible tragedy. Only a well trained instructor and well managed program can deliver the right kind of lessons that can save your child's life.

So when reading any article on all the wonderful benefits of swimming, always look in the article where they list that it can be a life saving tool for your family. Health benefits are great, but if you do not survive, that information does not serve you at all. Life saving should be your very first benefit and your very first plan to be around water this summer.

Oh! And here is the link to the article I mentioned above. It really is a good article, but read from the bottom up. Have a splashing good day!

  http://www.jackrabbitblog.com/what-are-eight-key-benefits-of-swimming/

One of our little swimmers

Today, one of our young swimmers was able to swim almost 100 feet in the front crawl ! Now, this young lady has taken three sessions this summer and should be progressing well. She has worked very hard to get to where she is at (three strokes learned and can float forever!) .

Sadly, I had an opportunity to be at our local waterpark recently and was watching from outside the fence. What I saw was young swimmers, maybe between the ages of 8 and 12 years, struggling with a doggie paddle style of movement after landing in the water from the water slides.

Sadly, some families believe that if a child can go down a slide and then get to the side (in any fashion) that their child can swim and are safe in the water. No so. If anything, they are taking a big risk of the child believing that they are a good swimmer and will eventually take bigger risks, such as jumping "at the cliffs" (a local watering hole that they jump from a height into barely a shallow pond---and yes there has been a drowning there in the past).

Sadly also, that there were certified lifeguards on site that felt that these children could swim well enough as well. I have to wonder about the swimming level of these guards!!

Gone seems to be the time that the pool management, lifeguards and parents knew that learning to swim (at least the five basic styles of swimming) is a mandatory life skill. Maybe it is time for all of the state bathing codes to include the swimming qualifications of those that work in and around aquatic facilities. It just might be the way to bring back the importance of really learning to swim. Until then, maybe aquatic facilities and their managers should set their own standards much higher and be sure that everyone is a swimmer. A real swimmer.

Just my 2 cents!