Water Safety and Why Keep On Swimming?????

It is so easy to drown, so do your part, help coaches to keep our kids and friends safe.

Swimming in the pool during busy hours can be hard for coaches to keep track of all swimmers. For safety reasons it would be appreciated if students would wear a bright red cap, for easier identification. Parents can do their part and help keep watch, they can help spot for coaches. Lets swim as safely as possible. The more eyes on students the better. The red silicon caps currently cost $6 each (cost price). Prices may vary with the changes in the market. For those who dont get cold you can get the cheaper cloth caps from Daiso Singapura Plaza for $2. I do have a couple in stock.

http://www.kidsalive.com.au/ Please visit this website and meet the famous Laurie Lawrance. I like the living with water section has great videos and safety messages. Or visit http://www.worldwideswimschool.com/

++++ BRIGHT RED Looking after your cap
Rinse with fresh water. Towel dry in shade. Cover with thin layer of talcum powder. Keep out of the sun when not using and avoid sharp objects.
Protects the scalp from the sun and helps the body to stay warmer longer.


BE SUN WISE PROTECT OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN
In Australia there are many warnings about the sun and the damage it does to skin as there is a high rate of skin cancer. In Singapore skin cancer is mentioned occasionally but does not seem to be a major topic. The worse damage is done by over exposure especially to young skin. Even in Singapore people die of skin cancer.

It is important to protect ourselves at any age but most of all our young ones. Children do not worry about sun damage and we need to educate and help them realise that wearing sun screen/block will help protect them.

When possible cover with clothing. There are swimming suits long sleeve and pants. Worn tight and fitting should be ok to train in.
Put on Sunblock before leaving home in a shaded environment then reapply at the pool just before the class. Check before wearing that you or those wearing it do not have skin irritation. Stop use and change brands if there is a skin irritation. Consult a doctor if it persisits.

When possible try to not to have outdoor sessions between 11am and 3pm. For those who swim this time and cant change, make sure sun screen is worn as per directions on the packet.

I like to wear zinc, especially on my face and neck. The brand I wear is KEY -SUN Tanne Zinnke. It is 4 hours water resistance with a spf 30+ providing uva and uvb protection. http://www.keysun.com.au/.


Its been proven swimming twice a week once your around stage 3 equates to 3 to 4 times faster than someone who only swims once a week.......ref Australian Swimming Teachers

My personal Note:

In Singapore children have massive loads of school work and tuition even if they are top students... my worry is how much after school can they retain if the balance of life not good.....

Do we sacrifice their health and fitness???? Their childhood...while a lot of parents do find the balance I see my students so sad or terrified of exams...at very young age...

All parents strive for what is best for their children and Its the hardest job in the world. 

Swimming is such a good outlet and its usually only and hour a week ...the benefits for growth and development and safety are soo good its my passion....I love sports and fitness and have worked in this Industry most of my life... I see first hand the benefits of swimming.....While I love all sports swimming is number one for children.....

Kids get headstart in pool

By Amelia Wade Email Amelia

5:30 AM Wednesday Nov 21, 2012


Kids get headstart in pool - National - NZ Herald News

www.nzherald.co.nz
Children who learn to swim before they start school achieve important milestones faster than normal, a study has found.
And children who took swimming lessons between ages 3 and 5 are also better at visual-motor skills such as cutting paper, colouring-in and drawing lines and shapes and many mathematically-related tasks, the survey from the Griffith Institute for Educational Research found.Seven thousand parents of under-5s in New Zealand and Australia were questioned over three years and a further 180 children aged 3, 4 and 5 years were involved in the testing.
Lead researcher Professor Robyn Jorgensen said the study showed young children who took swimming lessons early on achieved a wide range of skills - many of which were "highly valuable" - earlier than the normal population.
"Many of these skills are those that help young children into the transition into formal learning contexts such as pre-school or school."
Jessica Bell, 4, has been taking swimming lessons with Manurewa Swimstation since the start of the year.
Especially compared to the confidence Mr Bell's eldest daughter, Almina, had at Jessica's age - Almina didn't learn to swim properly until she was 7 because the family lived in the Philippines until then.
"It's just really important to know how to swim, especially in this country, and you don't really get that from going to the beach. It's a skill they should get to have as soon as possible and a lot of schools don't really do a great job. In fact a lot of schools don't even have pools anymore," Mr Bell said.
Fleur Scott got her two children, Hayden, 4, and Caitlin, 6, into the water at 6-months-old so they would be familiar with the water.
Mrs Scott, of Manurewa, said she wasn't that surprised by the research because the swimming lessons had given her children "massive confidence boosts", especially around water.
"And it teaches them to be independent, they have to swim off away from adults on their own, and they also learn to be more social with the playtime after class," she said.
Manurewa Swimstation instructor Danielle Strom said it was instantly obvious which children had been to swimming lessons earlier. Ms Strom said it was vital children learned to swim, especially in New Zealand because we're surrounded by water. It also improved other aspects of their lives.
The study, released yesterday, was a joint project between Griffith University, Kids Alive Swim Programme and Swim Australia.
By Amelia Wade Email Amelia


This is posted on my facebook page... from a high school friend.... if you stop swimming lessons you will loose fitness over time ..........SO WHY STOP......health n fitness is wealth we want to give our kids the best start in life.........

My daughter Courtney drowned last year. She was in a tinny(small boat) with her boyfriend and another friend. They were going out to a small island on Lake Macquarie -- then bad weather caused the boat to capsize.

When her boyfriend went to swim for help, she couldn't let him go alone. But Courtney wasn't a strong swimmer, and the waves pulled her under.
She was fourteen -- bright, funny, and a huge big smile that still stays with me everywhere I go. I’m still tormented by endless questions. What more could I have done to protect my beautiful girl? What was going through her mind in the water? And what if she’d been able to stay afloat just a little longer?She was fourteen -- bright, funny, and a huge big smile that still stays with me everywhere I go. I’m still tormented by endless questions. What more could I have done to protect my beautiful girl? What was going through her mind in the water? And what if she’d been able to stay afloat just a little longer?
...

It's agony. And it terrifies me to think that this summer, thousands of kids who aren't strong swimmers could be out on that lake again. Just like Courtney.

That’s why I’ve signed the Royal Lifesaving Society’s petition to make sure every child learns to swim. I’ll never be able to get my baby back -- but it could save someone else’s child. Will you help by adding your name?

Schools and government need to do something now, to make sure these senseless tragedies don’t keep occurring.

This summer, so many lives could be at risk. The Lifesaving Society says the water safety skills of kids and teenagers are dropping, and one in five kids may not be able to swim at all.

I never thought, even in my worst nightmares, that drowning could happen to our family. I found out in the worst way possible that that’s not true.

This is so important. Please sign the petition, and help make sure that no child misses out on learning to swim.

Thank you,
By Cathy Loyd Simmons (my old school mate from high school) I feel like crying when I read her facebook posts

Drowned father and son under water six minutes before alarm raised at Airlie Beach, police say https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-29/father-son-drown-airlie-beach-lagoon-north-qld/10440276?pfmredir=sm&fbclid=IwAR0uPrn-ksV-r8ljhNaCpxmGt8xZp2sbcVRVTt6JgDmWJD88N5g8BROueRI