Safety Beyond the Swim Lessons

My 7 year old boy, Wyatt, recently received an invitation to one of his classmates birthday party... ...a pool party.  Now Wyatt is an excellent swimmer. He’s been in lessons since he was 4 months old and can easily swim for hours without much effort.   I know and trust the parents that were hosting the party.  Seems like a no brainer.  A fun time.  So why didn’t I allow Wyatt to go to the party?

There are three steps of aquatic safety that that all parents should follow:

1)  ALWAYS watch your children around the water.  Your eyes are your first line of defense.

2)  Safety Precautions - all home pools should have child proof safety gates and/or door alarms installed and any time there are children present a responsible, undistracted adult should be pool side.

3)  Swim Lessons - all children who are swimming without a responsible adult IN the water should be able to safely reach the side of the pool on their own if they jump in fall off of a raft, or simply fall off of the steps without the help of floaties or a lifejacket.  

When I called the hosts of the party I found out that there would be 12 kids, most of whom have not had swim lessons.  There would be no lifeguard and parents were encouraged to drop their children off and pick them up later.  The hosts (mom and dad) were the only two adults that would be there and dad would be Barbecuing AND watching the kids, while mom ran the party.  My first thought was to offer to stay and lifeguard.  When I called the hosts of the party they assured me that they would be watching the kids and that I did not need to worry.  

According to recent CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) statistics “Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates. In 2007, among children 1 to 4 years old who died from an unintentional injury, almost 30% died from drowning. Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years.”  Safe Kids, www.safekids.com, recent statistics show that 63% of all drownings (age 1-4) happen by a child entering the pool through an open or unlatched gate and 75 % of all drownings (ages 1-4) happen when one or both parents are home!

I wish I could say I was more outspoken than I was, and that I recited these statistics to the parents in charge of the party but I didn’t.  Wyatt did not attend the party but 10 kids did (one other parent also declined because there was not going to be a lifeguard).  Unfortunately, two children at the party had near drowning experiences.  One 7 year old girl slipped out of her floaties and another child had to help her to the side but not after drinking enough water to make her throw up a few times.  Her parents were called and she left the party early.  The other child was their own son.  He was swimming underwater and when he came up for air, he found himself trapped under a raft that had three other children sitting on it.  His mom, one of the hosts of the party, just happened to be coming outside with a tray of snacks when she witnessed this and jumped into the pool to save him.

No method of safety is fool proof.  Even declining the invitation to the party does not assure Wyatt’s safety.  We are around water all of the time and don’t even realize it.  Whether it is an unmonitored pool, a lake, river, or beach, or just a bathtub, we cannot avoid water all together.  So why not be safe?  Why not follow the three steps outlined earlier in this article?  

For more statistics and safety measures please visit the following sites:

CDC drowning statistics

http://www.safekids.org/

http://www.swimforlife.org/programs-services/safer3.html

A poorly made pair of googles can ruin a carefully crafted swim lesson

A poorly made pair of goggles can ruin a carefully crafted swim lesson.

Have you ever wondered what the actual difference is between ALL those different brands of goggles?

Which is the best brand for you and your family?

Are there different sizes?  Which type last the longest?
Why do they all look different?

At Watersafe Swim School, we have done the research for you.  We have tried and tested dozens of goggle brands from the very best that our U.S. Olympians use, all the way down to the type sold at the 99 Cents Only stores...

...and we have the info that you need.

All goggle are not created equal.  This doesn't just go for the inexpensive brands.  Some of the top goggle makers have made, from our experience, some REAL lemons!  We measure our goggles based on three criteria:

1)  How well do they fit?

2)  How long do they last (in good condition)?

3)  How much do they cost?

Here is what we found.  The best goggles for kids are not necessarily the best goggles for adults.  Kids have heads and faces with completely different proportions than adults and these proportions change on a regular basis.  Kids also treat their goggles differently than adult. For these reasons there are some key elements that we see as a requirement for kids goggles.  How do we know?  Our poolside goggles get used on hundreds of swimmers each week.

So here is the skinny on kids goggles:

*  They must have a solid eyepiece construction-  adjustable nose pieces pinch the nose and break easily.  Removable gaskets around the eyes, especially foam ones, pop off ALL the time.  Also, solid eye pieces protect the lenses so that they don't get scratched easily.

*  They must have double straps that are easily adjustable-  because kids heads are smaller, the goggle straps easily slip off.  This problem can be alleviated with split straps or double straps.  Easily adjustable straps take lesson force to adjust and, thus, last longer. 

*  Any pair of goggles you buy should already be anti-fog goggles. 

At Watersafe we use Finis kids goggles.  These are not a brand that you can find in stores.  They are specially made and sold to almost all of the private swim school in the United States.  You can see the picture below.  We have found that these goggles last the longest, rarely scratch, and fit ALL of our swimmers much better than any other brand.  There are many brands out there, but if you are going to buy goggles for your children, we strongly suggest that either purchase Finis kids goggles or a brand that makes goggles similar to those pictured below. 

Some additional notes:

We are more than happy to allow your swimmer to borrow our goggles when you come to lessons but we strongly suggests that you purchase a pair of goggles for your swimmer and keep them in their swim bag for lessons so that your child does not have to share goggles with other swimmers.

Also, the gaskets around the eyepiece of a pair of goggles form-fits to each individual face so the most leak-proof goggles are the ones that only one person uses. 

ADD/ADHD and Swimming

There has been lots of buzz lately around anything Michael Phelps. He has earned his place in American Sports History, and we have begun to see the ripple effect of his wins. His mother, Debbie, has been very forthwith about his struggle with ADHD and how swimming helped him. As a 25 year licensed psychotherapist who specializes in ADD/ADHD, and a 30 year swim school owner, I feel qualified to clarify.
First, a brief explanation of Attention Deficit (Hyperactive) Disorder: ADD/ADHD is so much more complicated than just the “active child” or “couch potato.” There are 12 different areas of symptoms for ADD, and each of these areas may be over active or under active. Someone with ADD may be over active in one symptom, while under active in two others, and have no symptoms in 9 areas. This leaves us with the equation 12!, (or 12 exponential,) which translates to over 479 million different combinations of ADD/ADHD symptoms.    You can’t know a few people with ADD and then compare them with anyone else who thinks they have it to even begin making a diagnosis.
The fundamentals for a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD are that there is a problem with focus and/or attention that dramatically interferes with academic/occupational, social, or behavioral life. What isn’t included in the diagnosis is the potential for greatness that I have seen in most people I have come across who have ADD/ADHD.    Too often, the diagnosis and treatment focus on identifying weaknesses, which a child has had pointed out to them for a lifetime, taking a toll on confidence and self-esteem. Debbie Phelps seems to have balanced this quite well by building Michael up for all of his wonderful traits. The hyperactive side of ADD includes an amazing enthusiasm, which, when channeled and supported properly, has potential for magnificence.    Even ADD, without hyperactivity, has a quiet, unfailing determination that has accomplished feats which seem superhuman.
Of the 12 symptom areas of ADD/ADHD, swimming aids in: Focal Maintenance – The inability to concentrate long enough, or even too long, is dictated by the amount of time spent in the water. With very few choices, concentration tends to last as long as the task at hand. Arousal - alertness: have you ever splashed water on your face to wake up? Often, the hyperactivity of a child is an effort to keep the brain “awake.” Think of when you are driving and need to stay alert. You may roll down the window, turn up the radio, sing along, even bounce in your seat a little. In effect, you become temporarily hyperactive. This is how a hyperactive child lives each day. In water, there is no need. In fact, hydrostatic pressure and resistance in water slows the world down, and can be quite calming and soothing to someone who always has to be wound up to stay awake. There are also very few injuries in water that a “klutzy” kid would stumble into daily on land. Mental activation – Underwater is a perfect forum for daydreaming and free association, which is what ADD children get in trouble for. Underwater, there are no complaints of the mind wandering off, leaving plenty of time for dreams and aspirations without
reproach. Muscle memory takes care of the swim and flip turns, so that the heart can condition the athlete. Processing Depth and Detail – With kinesthetic practice, more and more physical detail is required, starting with the “big picture” and then fine tuning the details. Usually, in life skills, there is too much clutter around to notice the details. In swimming, it can start with 1 detail at a time, until muscle memory gets it and adds it to the “big picture.” Saliency Determination – The barrage of sounds and background noises that so often distract the student are not present in water. This sensory deprivation leads to better focus on the task at hand.
Satisfaction Control – The noticeable restlessness that craves excitement can be satisfied in competition and swim meets, which also breaks up the routine of workouts, including peaking and tapering. Mental Effort – The difficulty in getting started with work, or finishing work that has been started, is ended when a coach in on deck holding the athlete accountable for the daily workout. With good coaching, very little goes undetected, and when the athlete slacks, the workout gets harder, reinforcing working hard to begin with next time. Previewing – Impulsivity, and failure to look ahead and see possible consequences can be dooming and habitual. A good coach, again, holds the athlete accountable, but also dreams with the athlete and holds those goals vividly before the athlete as the reward for hard work.
Facilitation and Inhibition – Hyperactivity itself is calmed and soothed in the aquatic environment, and in a tough workout, there is little ability to say or do inappropriate things while underwater or while panting for breath in between sets. One learns to be silent, and actions speak louder than words.
Tempo Control – Timing is completely controlled by the coach. Swimming too fast leads to quick burnout and a painful workout, while swimming too slow earns extra pushups or being “lapped” by other swimmers. After months of daily swimming, the athlete learns the correct pace, and may apply this to other areas in life. Self-Monitoring and Self-Righting – In a workout, it’s hard to lose track of what you are doing. All you have to do is look around and see what everyone else is doing. You also always have the goal of finishing the task at had so you can rest. This becomes the singular focus. Unlike the inability to read social cues and fix whatever you did or said, the cues come from your own body and there is some pain when you fail to correct behaviors.
Reinforceability – People who fail to learn from their mistakes, or those who do not respond to rewards are reinforced in the pool. As mentioned before, when a small change in the way an arm is propelled leads to an easier swim or a win in a competition, the reinforcement is so immediate that it is hard to ignore, and punishes the body when it is ignored. People with ADD are smart; often, very smart. But they are better aware of what is going on internally than they will ever be aware of what else is going on. We often try to reinforce or punish with all the other stuff going on and they miss it.
Exercise, itself, is an amazing detoxin. The increased blood flow through the muscles helps clear up toxins and acids that accumulate in the muscle, and the increased blood flow to the brain helps to keep the brain alert and stimulate thinking. Putting a workout between two, two-hour blocks of study can accomplish more than a full six-hour block of study alone.
So Michael Phelps has joined the ranks of other GREATS with ADD, including Walt Disney, Benjamin Franklin, and Winston Churchill, to name a very few, with the help and guidance of a devoted and wise mother and the talent and efforts of his coaches.