Knowing how to swim could save your life, as could knowing when not to.
From:cool: the National Park Service's Morning Report:
On August 14th, off-duty surfguard Kelly Werner and off-duty visitor use assistant James Keena were involved in an after hours rescue of a family at Jacob Riis Park. Both off duty employees were fully dressed. Werner and another park visitor saved the lives of a mother and child while Keena assisted with the rescue. Werner returned to the surf after the second rescue to rescue the father. Keena then proceeded to give CPR to the victim until medical help arrived.
Riis Park, an ocean beach near Breezy Point, is in the Jamaica Bay Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. It is estimated that 9 out of 10 visitors to the beaches in the New York area cannot swim."
Another recent NPS Morning Report noted that 3 swimmers were caught in a rip tide off Cape Hatteras, NC. Other swimmers managed to bring them to shore, but one died.
This topic came up here before and I suggested that learning to swim should be a part of every school curriculum. Many people thought this was a waste of valuable educational time and/or impractical. I think swimming is a life skill and just as important as anything else taught in school.
Our local school district has a min 2 week swimming class mandated for all 2nd grade students. Many schools choose to fund swimming lessons for other grades as well. We live in an area of rivers and lakes, so swimming is a basic survival skill. I'm really pleased with the schools. I also taught for the local parks and rec, before I started coaching on the team. Safety was a major focus as well as the basics of how to breath, and do the strokes.
This topic came up here before and I suggested that learning to swim should be a part of every school curriculum. Many people thought this was a waste of valuable educational time and/or impractical. I think swimming is a life skill and just as important as anything else taught in school.
Our local school district has a min 2 week swimming class mandated for all 2nd grade students. Many schools choose to fund swimming lessons for other grades as well. We live in an area of rivers and lakes, so swimming is a basic survival skill. I'm really pleased with the schools. I also taught for the local parks and rec, before I started coaching on the team. Safety was a major focus as well as the basics of how to breath, and do the strokes.
