WHY TAKE SWIMMING LESSONS IN THE FALL OR WINTER?

After speaking with a parent following the summer about swimming lessons, I felt this was an opportunity to visit the topic - “Why take swimming lessons in the fall or winter.” Returning a call to the parent and explaining we were starting a new session of lessons this fall and had room for her 6-year-old the parent replied, “Well, I don’t want her to take lessons when it’s cold out!”

Think about it parents, children have no swimming lessons all fall, winter and spring. Summer comes, the pool opens, the hot weather is upon us and the children want to get right in the pool because it’s hot out.  PROBLEM - THEY CAN’T SWIM! This is the sole reason why the drowning rates between the months of June and August increases over 90%. Not 5%, not 10%, not 50%, upwards to 90%!
HUMMMMM……. If lessons were done in the off-season, children would be already prepared to enjoy the summer, swim with supervision and the drowning rates would not increase to an outrageous level.
If it is cold out, what do you do, bundle up! If you’re worried about catching a cold because of a wet head, wear a hat! I do not blow dry my hair before leaving the pool. I have a wet head all winter long. My solution for the wet head - A Big Furry Insulated Hat! Can’t feel the cold at all. Plus gloves, scarves, and buttoning up coats do help.

Just to prove my point, a mother who has taken swimming lessons with her 2 boys throughout the winter months asked me how she could keep her and her boys from getting sick/catching a cold in the dead of winter. I told her very simply - BUNDLING UP!!!!! Mom did not have a problem from swimming lessons; now school germs, that’s a whole other subject.

I guess my long-winded answer is, just like anything else, think. Dress warmly, cover your head, use a scarf, and wear gloves. Do you think Michael Phelps as a child in Maryland stop swimming in the winter to become a Gold Medal Athlete?

Rip Tide/ Rip Current: Understanding and Surviving This Phenomenon

As the summer approaches New York City, staying cool is the only relief anyone wants to experience. But I beat very few of you if any, including myself, know that the week of June 5-11, 2011, was the “Rip Current: Break the Grip of the Rip®” Awareness week. Last year in New York City, ironically, Rip Tides/ Rip Currents caused several swimmers to loss their lives or nearly drown at several nearby beaches. The scary fact to the above is that most drownings are due to exhaustion while fighting a Rip Tide/ Rip Currant.

The point of this blog is to educate you and your family about this natural occurrence in the ocean; most of all, how to deal with and survive if you get caught in a Rip Tide/ Rip Currant. Unfortunately, I must state some negative and frightening facts so you understand the force of Mother Nature. Rip Tides/Rip Currents are powerful channels of water flowing away from the shore. To visualize what it looks like, imagine two “C’s” next to each other and flipping one so the mouth of both are facing outward. The water that runs between the two “C’s” is where the Rip Tide/ Rip Currant happen. Rip Tides/ Rip Currents do not pull a swimmer under water; actually, it carries a swimmer away from the shore. The strongest point of Rip Tides/ Rip Currents is located at the surface where the surf is rough, dampening incoming waves that lead to an illusion of calm water.

Your response to being caught in a Rip Tide/ Rip Current may make the difference between life and death to be very honest. If you are caught in a Rip Tide/ Rip Current here’s what you must do:

1. DO NOT attempt to swim back to the shore directly against the Rip Tide/ Rip Current.
2. REMAIN CALM, CONSERVE ENERGY, and THINK CLEARLY
3. Think of a Rip Tide/ Rip Current as a treadmill that won’t turn off. You must step off to the side to get off the treadmill.
4. Swim out of a Rip Tide/ Rip Current by directly following the shoreline (swim parallel). When out of the Rip Tide/ Rip Current, swim at an angle away from the Rip Tide/ Rip Current towards the shore.
5. If you are unable to swim out of the Rip Tide/ Rip Current, FLOAT, RELAX, and CALMLY TREAD WATER to conserve energy. When you are out of the Rip Tide/ Rip Current, swim to the shore at an angle.
6. If you are still unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself by waving arms and yelling for help.

If you see someone in trouble, don’t become a victim too:

1. Get help from a lifeguard
2. If a lifeguard is not available, call 911
3. Throw the Rip Tide/ Rip Current swimmer something that floats - a life jacket, a cooler, an inflatable ball, or noodle.
4. If you understand how to escape a Rip Tide/ Rip Current, yell out instructions.
5. Remember, MANY PEOPLE DROWN WHILE TRYING TO SAVE SOMEONE ELSE FROM A RIP TIDE/ RIP CURRENT.

The beach and ocean are one of the most magnificent creations and sources of enjoyment for many. But as any good thing, caution must be used at all times. The best advice in addition to the information above to survive a Rip Tide/ Rip Current is simple:

1. Know how to swim
2. Never swim alone
3. If in doubt, don’t go in the water

http://www.swimswimswimisay.com/

OH, MY HAIR!

OK, everyone. Here is my pet peeve comment made by my clients, “OH, MY HAIR”.  The title may make you say, “What?” but  believe me it gets said. Let me explain - I spoke to a father of a female child whose parents wanted to have their daughter learn how to swim. He and his wife are willing to pay for lessons and transport her anywhere. Here’s where it gets interesting; the daughter's only comment was “MY HAIR!”  If I had a dollar for every time someone said that to me, I would be rich. Here’s the problem - if you aren’t able to float or swim, you totally exclude yourself from many things. Yes, swimming is one but let’s not forget kayaking, lifeguarding, sculling, scholarship money, alternative exercise to decrease Hypertension, Cholesterol etc... The list goes on and on.

I am amazed and upset at times but not surprised. You may say why should it upset me at all. Ok, here are the reasons:
1) Drowning is the second leading cause of death among children
2) Out of 9 drownings a day 6 are minorities
3) The deaths that occurred on Louisiana, Long Beach, and a pool in Connecticut last Christmas all could have been avoided with water safety and/or swimming lessons.

Ask any parent or adult of a drowning victim if they wished they could do something different. I bet 100% would say YES.  Frightening to think “Your Hair” may someday put you in danger. Ladies, the long and short, your hair will not matter if something happens to you and you cannot control nor have an idea how to deal with your environment.

On the swim swim swim I SAY website , I recommend two companies, Carol’s Daughter and Jane Carter’s Solutions, for any type of hair. I do not make any money from boosting their hair lines. What is great about both companies - All Natural Ingredients, no Petroleum Jelly, no Wax etc. I have used both companies’ products for years. FYI Ladies - My hair is relaxed and down to the middle of my back. And if you would like my hairdresser’s name to confirm my locks of steel after all the swimming I do, call me. One more thing Ladies, I wash my hair at least 4 days a week between swimming and just working out. And my hair has not fallen out and actually has grown.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, STOP with the “MY HAIR” comment. Your hair will be fine. Go get a wash and set after your lessons, bring your new hair products and leave looking great! Swimming and learning water safety can and will make the difference of survival for someone one day. And I hope because of “Your Hair”, family and friends will not be saddened by a statistic that did not have to be because of “Your Hair!”