Summer Fun Water Safety Tips

Did you know that?

Drowning is the 2^nd largest cause of death for children 14 and under here in the US?

African American children drown 3x more than any other demographic?

Drowning is the 2^nd largest cause of death GLOBALLY for people of all ages?

Drowning can happen in less than 2 minutes after a person’s head goes under water?

What can YOU do to make a change? Where ever you are…..LEARN TO SWIM!

In general:

Always, swim near a lifeguard

NEVER swim alone

Supervise children closely, even when lifeguards are present

Don't rely on flotation devices, such as rafts or floaties, you may lose them in the water; or they may deflate.

Alcohol and other drugs and swimming don't mix

Don’t swim after dark

Know your limits and don’t push them

Stop swimming if you hear a storm approaching; go for shelter

Drink plenty of water and juice to stay hydrated and avoid heatstroke. What are signs of heatstroke? Headache, dizziness, muscle weakness or cramps, and nausea and vomiting. Get medical help right away if you have these warning signs: Hot, dry skin; confusion or loss of consciousness; frequent vomiting; shortness of breath or trouble breathing

Use sun screen to avoid burns

If at the Beach add these tips:

NEVER turn your back to the ocean -- you may be swept off coastal bluffs or tide pool areas and into the water by waves that can come without warning

If caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore until free, don't swim against the current's pull

Stay over 100 feet away from jetties; piers; fixed objects in the water.

If you are in trouble, call or wave for help

If you run into some jellyfish or Portuguese man-of-wars and get stung, you can treat it immediately with vinegar, but you should seek medical assistance.

Read and Heed posted surf warnings

Follow regulations and lifeguard directions

Swim parallel to shore if you wish to swim long distances

Scuba dive only if trained and certified -- and within the limits of your training

No glass containers at the beach -- broken glass and bare feet don't mix

No beach fires except in designated areas -- fire residue and superheated sand can severely burn bare feet -- use a barbeque that is elevated off the sand

Report hazardous conditions to lifeguards or other beach management personnel

Stay clear of coastal bluffs, they can collapse and cause injury

RIP CURRENTS

Rip currents are a natural hazard and they are with us always. They pull victims away from the beach. The United States Lifeguarding Association has found that 80% of the rescues affected by ocean lifeguards involve saving those caught in rip currents.

A rip current is a seaward moving current that circulates water back to sea after it is pushed ashore by waves. Each wave accumulates water on shore creating seaward pressure. This pressure is released in an area with the least amount of resistance which is usually the deepest point along the ocean floor. Rip currents also exist in areas where the strength of the waves are weakened by objects such as rock jetties, piers, natural reefs, and even large groups of bathers. Rip currents often look like muddy rivers flowing away from shore.

Try to avoid swimming where rip currents are present, but if you become caught in a one, swim parallel to the shore until the pull stops and then swim back to shore. Repeat as often as necessary. It may take several attempts before you reach the shore and you may find yourself several blocks away from where you originally entered the water. The key is to remain calm; not to panic or tire yourself by “fighting” the current. If you are unable to return to the beach, tread water and wave for lifeguard assistance.

When at the Pool add these tips:

v Don’t run. Slips and falls can result in broken bones.

v Look for the depth markers…the big numbers painted on the side of the pool. Higher numbers mean deeper water. Be sure to look before you jump into a pool. Diving into shallow water can result in a broken neck and death.

v Swim at a depth that is safe for you. If you're just learning to swim, stay in the shallow end.

v Don't push or jump on others. You could accidentally hurt someone or yourself.

v Don't chew gum or eat while you swim — you could choke.

When at Lakes and Ponds add these tips:

v You can't always see the bottom of the lake or pond, so you don't always know the depth of the water. ALWAYS go in feet first!

v Watch out for weeds and grass, which can trap even a good swimmer. If you panic and try to yank yourself free, you may get even more tangled. Instead, shake and pull your arms and legs slowly to work yourself loose or call for help.

At the Water Parks

Ø Wear a life jacket if you don't know how to swim or if you're not a strong swimmer.

Ø Each ride is different. Read all of the signs before going on a ride. Make sure you are tall enough, old enough, and don't have any of the medical conditions that are listed. If you have questions, ask the lifeguard. Always make sure there's a lifeguard at each ride and listen to his or her instructions.

Ø Wait until the rider ahead of you has passed a safe point for you to go down the slide.

Ø Always go down the water slide face up and feet first.

Ø When you go from ride to ride, don't run — it's slippery!

Going Boating:

v Children should always wear life jackets in a boat or anytime there’s a chance they might accidentally fall into the water. Adults should set a good example by wearing one themselves. Make sure your child’s life jacket is appropriately sized and read the instructions and warning labels before using. It should be Coast Guard approved.

v Swimming behind a running boat is extremely dangerous. Not only do swimmers risk coming into contact with the motor’s blades, the carbon monoxide from the exhaust can quickly overcome a swimmer, who may pass out and drown.

v Dock Safety – Be prepared for the worst with a hook, rope and throw ring attached to the dock. Practice their use but don’t allow the kids to play with them. To help prevent accidental falls, paint a line several feet in from the edge of the dock. Insist that the line is not to be crossed unless the child is holding the hand of an adult. All docks should have safety entrance gates equipped with alarms.

Finally, some last tips and pointers:

Supervision – According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 70 percent of child drownings occur when one or both parents are nearby. Never, ever turn your back when your child is in or near the water. And if you are at the beach, where waves and currents can hamper even the best little swimmer, always stay within arm’s reach of your child. And be clear with the other adults as to whose turn it is to watch the kids.

Bright Colors – Wearing bright colors will make your child more visible on the shoreline and in the water. And if you always dress your children in the same bright colors at the beach and lake, it’s even easier to pick them out of the crowd.

Pictures – Hopefully you won’t need it, but having a photo of your child dressed in his or her beach clothes can come in handy. Keep it in a waterproof plastic bag in case you need to show it to the life guard.

Cell Phones – In case of emergency, you need your cell phone close by and fully charged. Keep it in a plastic bag to protect it from sand, salt and water.

Be Safe

Have Fun

SWIM STRONG!

Shawn Slevin

Swim Strong Foundation, Inc.

www.theSwimStrongFoundation.org

NY Daily News: Swim Strong Foundation co-founder Shawn Slevin helps kids learn to swim

by Clem Richardson -- Daily News Staff Writer

Monday, March 07, 2011

The statistics read like some deadly math problem.

Nearly 60% of African-American children living in urban areas can't swim, according to a 2005 USA Swimming survey.

Add that to the fact that drowning ranks second - behind car crashes - as the leading cause of accidental death for children 14 and younger and the results are predictable.

African-American children 5 to 14 years old are three times as likely to drown than white children, according to a 2005 Centers for Disease Control study.

More than 3,400 people drown in the United States each year. Many of those who survive near drownings suffer permanent brain damage.

"The crime in all of this is that drowning is preventable," said Swim Strong Foundation co-founder and president Shawn Slevin. "I ask people why and you get a lot of different answers. I go scuba diving in Caribbean and a lot of people in the islands don't swim."

Closer to home, Slevin notes that in Far Rockaway, Queens, "there are hundreds of thousands of families that live within walking distance of the ocean and so many of them don't swim. How can you have that opportunity and not avail yourself of it?"

Swim Strong aims not just to teach children to swim, but how to swim competitively, Slevin said. "The thing is, once people get in the water, they regret waiting that long."

The foundation has a variety of programs aimed at enticing nonswimmers into the water, including "Get Ready, Get Wet," a 30-minute introduction to swimming for children who have never been in the water.

"They learn how to put their face in the water, how to breathe out of their noses and take air in through their mouths and just how to get long in the water," Slevin said.

The "getting long" idea comes from Slevin's swimming background. "I teach a competitive technique, not social swimming," she said. "It is about effective and efficient movement through the water. So children who get our training can go on to competitive programs."

Beginners learn basic freestyle, backstroke, breast stroke, butterfly, diving and flip turns.

About 100 students are currently enrolled in the year-round program; about the same number are expected to enroll for a 10-week program that starts March 26 and for summer activities at the three Swim Strong sites: Flushing Meadows Pool in Corona, Queens; Far Rockaway High School and Saint Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn. The programs cost $15 a half hour.

"It [enrollment] tends to drop off in the fall, maybe because summer is over," Slevin said. "But swimming is a year-round activity, the best womb-to-tomb sport."

Swim Strong was developed out of the swimming program Helen Coyne coached at St. Sebastian's Catholic Church in Woodside, Queens.

Slevin swam competitively in that program; then, when she aged out at 14, was persuaded by Coyne to stay on as a coach.

Slevin incorporated the program in 2006.

The New York Chamber of Commerce nominated Slevin as one of its 2011 "Inspiring Women" candidates. The winner will be named at ceremonies at Madison Square Garden on July 27.

For more information, see the website, www.theswimstrongfoundation.org.

Being Prepared and Trained Saves Lives

During the downwind leg of the third race, competitor Russell Dunleavy collapsed in brisk conditions of about 15-17 knots. His sailing partner Chris Gill, who was aware that Russell has a heart condition, immediately called for a chase boat which arrived quickly just after another Ideal sailed by Betsy Sorenson came along side. Betsy is a registered nurse who along with Chris commenced CPR.

Russell has had a heart condition for some time and carries nitro pills. Russell was unresponsive and was transferred to the chase boat and brought to Fayerweather Yacht Club (Bridgeport, CT) where he was further treated (defribbed, etc) and transferred to an ambulance to Bridgeport Hospital. The committee boat had called 911 and an ambulance was waiting at the dock.

Russell has made it thus far. He had four complete blockages hit while on the water. The doctors have said everybody's efforts saved him, and were certain that if his heart hadn’t been massaged the whole way back into the dock he wouldn't have made it. Apparently one of the blockages was opened by compressing him. He is now being stabilized for quadruple bypass surgery.

This reinforces that we can't predict things out there. Here were some of the discussion items following the incident:

- Anyone sailing that carries medication that may be required should make it aware to your sailing partner and make its location known to them. Fortunately, Chris knew this which helped him immediately realize the seriousness of the situation.

- Having two people on a chase boat was critical in saving Russell. Having a nurse on the water was vital too.

- Encouraging CPR certification within racing fleets.

- Carrying onboard horns or whistles might be needed to expedite initial assistance in stronger winds or larger race courses.

If not for the efforts by Chris Gill and Betsy Sorenson, and Charlie Gulotta and Greg Wykoff on the chase boat, this day of frostbiting could have turned out much worse.

Thanks to Cliff Crowley and Bill Sandberg for helping with this story.

- Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt

"A broken pool gate cost us our son" - An important article

It took less than a minute for two-year-old Kaine to drown in the family pool. Here, Karen George relives the heartbreak of losing her son

THIRTY seconds. That’s all it took. One moment, he was at my side; the next, he was floating in the pool.

My youngest son, Kaine, was a typical two-year-old – cheeky and headstrong, and robust and nuggety like his dad. He was learning to swim and loved being in the water – it was even hard to get him out of the bathtub. He was a little water baby.

I remember March 19, 2006, so vividly. When you find your child drowning, it’s an image that haunts you for the rest of your life. What you see, the emotions you go through – you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy.

Six months earlier, our family had moved into a rental property in St Clair, Sydney. We noticed the pool gate was broken and filed a complaint, but the real-estate agent never got around to fixing it. That broken gate cost us our son’s life.

That day, my partner, Darren, and I invited some friends over for lunch. The children went for a swim in the morning, then we ate lunch. In the afternoon, the kids played outside while the adults cleared up.

I remember Kaine came inside to go to the toilet and, a moment later, he ran off to find his sisters, Brooke, who was 5, and Teaghan, 3. That was the last time I saw him alive.

He was gone for less than a minute when Teaghan asked, “Mum, where’s Kaine?”

“Isn’t he with you?” I said.

“No.”

My heart skipped a beat.

We ran through the house calling his name, then searched the back and front yards. I knew Kaine would never take a nap or play by himself in his room. He was fearless. He loved the water. Suddenly I had a sick feeling in my gut. I knew he must be in the pool.

I ran up to the pool gate and there he was, floating behind a li-lo. There had been no noise, no splashing, nothing. He’d been missing for less than a minute. I screamed.

I pulled Kaine out of the water. His face looked peaceful, but his eyes were fixed and dilated. I knew this was a terrible sign. When someone’s eye are like that, they’re as good as gone. I know because I’m an assistant nurse but, at that moment, my nursing went out the window and my maternal instincts took over. I had to try to save my son, even though I knew it was already too late. It was the strangest feeling.

Somebody ran inside to call an ambulance and the paramedics arrived three or four minutes later. The timing is a blur; to me those few minutes felt like an eternity.

The ambulance drove us to the hospital while Darren stayed home with the girls.

It took 45 minutes for doctors to resuscitate Kaine and, that night, he was moved to the intensive care unit at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. His body was bloated and his eyes empty, but I never left his side. The doctors said he was severely brain damaged and it was inevitable he’d die soon.

A week later, they asked if we’d agree to switch off his life support. It was the hardest decision we’ve ever had to make. Darren and I talked about it for a long time. Since that day in the pool, Kaine’s facial expression hadn’t changed. It was the same blank stare. He didn’t recognise us, his sisters or his two older brothers. He didn’t even know we were in the room with him. It was as though he’d already left us.

We refused to leave our son hooked up to life support for the rest of his life, so we told him, “You have to make a choice, you have to live or die – without the tubes and machines.”

The next day, the doctors switched off the equipment that had been keeping Kaine alive. Miraculously, he seemed to get stronger. In fact, he became so strong, the doctors told us we could take him home for Easter.

We cared for him round the clock and he made so much progress, we began to pray he might survive after all.

But our luck didn’t last. A few days later, Kaine caught pneumonia and his lung – which was weak from oxygen deprivation – collapsed. He died on April 21, 2006, just over a month after the accident.

We moved to a new house the day before Kaine’s funeral. We couldn’t live in the old house any more – the memories were too raw.

I’m honestly not sure how we began to pick up the pieces. I went back to work within two weeks – I had to stay busy. If I’d stayed at home, I would’ve gone nuts.

But we all grieved in different ways. I went to counselling because I found it helped to talk, but Darren tried a few sessions and it wasn’t for him. Instead, he drank heavily, which cost him his driver’s licence and job. He was devastated; Kaine was his only son.

We’re lucky we’re still together – many relationships don’t survive the death of a child. Kaine’s death put a huge strain on ours, but we talked a lot and that got us through it.

It affected the whole family, from Brooke, now 10, and Teaghan, 8 – who were there when Kaine drowned and saw him at the hospital – to my sons, Boyd, 29, and Clinton, 21, and Darren’s daughter, Cayley, 15.

After the accident, Boyd stopped speaking to me. He’ll never forgive me for Kaine’s death. But I can’t blame myself – children can drown in the blink of an eye. It’s impossible for any parent to watch them every second of every day.

Boyd has four kids of his own now, so not only have I lost my youngest son, I’ve lost Boyd and four grandchildren, too. I’ve accepted the fact we’ll never reconcile. It hurts, but I just live day-to-day.

We celebrate Kaine’s birthday every year. Brooke, Teaghan and I make him a birthday cake and Teaghan blows out the candles. Sometimes we hear her whispering to Kaine as though he’s still here – they were only 18 months apart in age.

Special occasions will always hurt. Over Christmas, we took our caravan up the coast for a couple of weeks. It helps to get away and to stay busy.

As parents, we’re a lot more protective now. Teaghan and Brooke are still young, and they’re not allowed out of our sight. They don’t seem to mind, but they might become less understanding when they’re teenagers.

I rang the real-estate agent the morning after Kaine’s accident, and they sent someone over to fix the gate the next day. Of course, the repairman couldn’t touch the fence by then because it was under police investigation. I was furious. Why did they respond to our complaint letter only when it was too late? We received some legal compensation, but it pales in comparison to the pain we’ve suffered in the four years since Kaine died.

I don’t think you ever get over the death of a child. I still relive Kaine’s drowning every single day. The pain becomes more numb, but it doesn’t get easier. You just learn to deal with it because, if you don’t, you’ll crumble and your life will fall apart.


Danger In The Water

In 2009/10, drownings in Australia rose for the second year running, to a total of 314 deaths.

In that period, 33 victims were children under four. Of those, 49 per cent drowned in swimming pools.

Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in children under five.

For every drowning death, four people are hospitalised after near-drownings. Of those, 22.5 per cent suffer brain damage or disability, according to the Samuel Morris Foundation, which supports parents of children suffering such long-term effects. Visit www.samuelmorrisfoundation.org.au.

For advice about pool safety, visit www.royallifesaving.com.au.
Find the original article here: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/a-broken-pool-gate-cost-us-our-son/story-fn
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Keep your athlete’s body fueled for optimum performance

By Elaine Lanzon

Have you ever experienced “hitting a wall”?  That is, you’re in the middle of a normal workout or typical race and your body feels like it’s running on empty?  It could be because you didn’t fill up on the right nutrients beforehand.

While most people know that you shouldn’t engage in heavy physical activity on an empty stomach, you might not know what to eat to optimize your energy level and performance.  Here are some things to keep in mind:

v  It’s always good to eat a variety of foods from all food groups, but the most crucial fuel for exercise is carbohydrates. 

v  The most important nutrient for athletes is water; drink water before, during and after an activity to replace your body’s fluids.

v  Although many athletes take vitamin and mineral supplements, they will not enhance performance unless there is a deficiency to begin with.

v  Sports drinks can help replace water and electrolytes and provide some carbohydrates for energy.  But please be sure to check the number of calories per serving on the nutritional label to make sure it’s worth it.

Pre-competition Meal

The most important meal is the one closest to the event.  The functions of this meal include getting the athlete fueled up (physically and psychologically), helping settle the stomach, and preventing hunger.

The meal should consist of mostly complex carbohydrates because they digest easier and faster and help maintain blood sugar levels.  You should also moderate fat, as high-fat foods take longer to digest and can cause sluggishness.

Substantial pre-competition meals are usually served 3-4 hours prior to competition; smaller meals or snacks may be served 1-2 hours prior.

What to Eat

Your imagination is the limit, but here are some meal suggestions:

·         Hot or cold whole grain cereals with low fat milk and fresh fruit

·         Whole grain muffin with low fat yogurt and fresh fruit

·         Whole grain pasta or rice dish with stir fry vegetables

·         Soups, stews or chili with lean meats, beans, barley and/or vegetables

·         Turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with cold pasta primavera

If you’re looking for healthy snacks, try bringing along one of these:

·         Whole grain bread or crackers with peanut butter or low fat cheese

·         Soft or hard pretzels (low salt preferred)

·         Homemade trail mix with a variety of unsalted nuts, dried fruit and seeds

·         Fresh whole fruit, like bananas

·         Light or plain popcorn

·         Carrots and hummus

The amount of energy required by the athlete depends on several factors, including the type of activity, its duration, frequency and intensity.  You may have to experiment for a while to determine the foods that work best for you.  But experimenting is fun, right?

Elaine Lanzon is a holistic health coach, helping her clients to achieve optimal health and wellness through eating and lifestyle changes.  In her free time she teaches Hartford children about nutritional cooking in an “Iron Chef” – like format, and partners with her dog, Daisy, to bring joy to the elderly and disabled. 

If you’re interested in a free health history consultation you can email her at ECL333@comcast.net, or visit her profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/elainelanzon.  Can one conversation change your life?

Swim Strong Foundation and the NYC Surfing Community

The Swim Strong Foundation is featured in this story on the NYC surf scene.

Surfing NYC from Mia Legg on Vimeo.