I remember how she told me her father never let her nor her siblings near water growing up. But now as an adult, she wanted to learn how to swim. The reason her father never let her nor her siblings near the water was to protect them the best way he knew how. You see, her father suffered the tragedy of losing his sister to drowning and he never learned to swim. Only now, years later, his grown daughter was determined to learn how to swim. I got to work with this woman for several weeks volunteering with a program that teaches adults to learn how to swim. These lessons have been offered free as the Greenville Splash Masters Swim club has been a recipient of a grant permitting us to offer this program for several years now. This program typically happens once a year in the Spring. This is only one way Greenville Splash Masters Swim club seeks to give back to the community.
Yet, I fear that swimming both as a sport and in terms of recreation is well on its way to becoming a luxury only for the rich. I have paid at least $50/month for several years for the privilege to swim laps in a pool that is actually a few inches shy of standard regulation pool used for competition.
However, this past week brought the disappointment of learning that the Prisma Health Family branch of the Greenville YMCA, where I've been a member for several years, decided to cancel their Masters swim program. Before going further, I would like to offer some clarification on the Greenville Splash Masters Swim club.
For clarity:
1) 'Masters' is simply another word for 'Older'; not 'old' or 'elderly' but older in that members are older than the typical college aged student. We are not on swimming scholarships or anything.
2) The Greenville Splash Masters (read 'Older') Swim club is a separate entity from the Greenville YMCA. However, for several years now coaches at the YMCA who also happen to be a part of Greenville Splash provided coached workouts to members of the Prisma Health Family branch of the YMCA. And while not everyone who participated in the coached workouts at the Prisma Health Family branch of the YMCA became a member of Greenville Splash; it is true that many who swam in these coached workouts were members of Greenville Splash. The Prisma Health Family branch of the Greenville YMCA also happens to be the closest pool to the homes of many Greenville Splash swimmers. Other pools in Greenville, SC (and there aren't that many) are farther away and not as convenient.
2) Nationwide, the majority of people participating in the United States Masters (read 'Older') Swimming program have never been to a swim meet. They participate because they enjoy the exercise and camaraderie more than the idea of competition. But, make no mistake, some Masters (read 'Older') swimmers are competitive.
3) Generally speaking, the types of people who join Greenville Splash include former college athletes, triathletes, and people like me who simply enjoy swimming. The benefit of having a coach on the pool deck is that someone else is telling me what to do and I get a better workout because I don't have to think it up on my own. I also get swimming tips.
The Bigger Picture:
What bothers me more than the Prisma Health Family YMCA no longer supporting this one swimming program is my belief that this one decision is an indication, or a symptom, of a bigger, more systematic problem.
And what is this bigger problem? More and more people in the United States no longer have the opportunity to swim regularly or more importantly, learn how to swim. This is one skill that can make natural forms of recreation more enjoyable and safer. This skill can even save lives.
Looking at the USA as a whole, a large majority of African Americans as well as Hispanics don't know how to swim. Overall, more than 33% of adults can't swim the length of a pool. This puts those adults at risk of being among the 1 in 10 people who drown every day in the USA.
This is a problem in South Carolina because South Carolina is a state that has numerous lakes and borders the ocean. It should be required curriculum that students learn how to swim. Every summer, people across the state drown. Sometimes alcohol and/or peer pressure contribute to such drownings. Furthermore, swimming lessons aren't accessible to all and aren't affordable to all.
I've noticed that in Greenville, SC it's becoming harder to find swim lessons for children. I've had numerous friends ask me where they can find lessons for their kids. It bugs me that I have to scratch my head. I personally don't have a pool in my backyard and neither do many of my friends. And you really can't just show up to any pool and offer instruction due to liability reasons.
Working Toward a Solution:
I don't know the solution to this bigger problem. It is probably a multi-faceted solution. But I know want to be part of the solution which may very well start with raising awareness. I think many cities that used to have municipal pools as part of their municipal budgets now believe that the presence of non-profit organizations (such as the YMCA) with pools means that their programs will provide swimming lessons. But how can we know that these non-profit organizations can provide swimming lessons at an affordable rate apart from municipal government support? The statistics concerning drowning are alarming:
From 2009 to 2018, there have been 24,190 drownings in the US. 25% of these drownings were those 12 years old or younger. 64% were adults. 11% were teenagers. Drowning is a leading cause of death for children ages 1-5. Annually, there are over 3,500 non-boating related drownings. 80% of all drowning victims are males. African Americans and Hispanics account for more than 3 times as many drowning incidents. Studies have shown that taking part in formal swimming lessons and water safety classes can reduce the risk of drowning by up to 88%. (Information obtained from http://www.enddrowningnow.org/stats-2/ on June 20, 2020).
And for every child that does drown, an additional 5 more children are treated for near drowning experiences - which can be just as traumatic for parents. (Information obtained from https://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org/infographics/drowning accessed on June 20, 2020).
For now, I will also continue supporting Greenville Splash and Upstate Splash. And we are eager to partner with anyone to who wants to help us promote swimming and water safety. We are grateful for the support and partnership we get from the pools that are in the area that let Greenville Splash have a few lanes for a few hours each week so we can have coached workouts. We are also grateful to be able to raise funds to support programs that help others learn how to swim.
For More Information and Final Thoughts
Below are some links to web-pages you may find interesting:
3) Upstate Splash - Sponsors an Open Water Charity Swim Race - Funds are Used to Sponsor Swimming Lessons for Children
4) Swimming While Black - a story of how one woman has become active in helping anyone learn how to swim after her son died by drowning - a 10-minute video
I do recognize that COVID 19 does complicate swimming right now - but we should start envisioning and working toward the future we want to see. Additionally, in some ways the solution is incredibly easy: teach swimming lessons to all. The challenge is the economics of the solution: How can instruction in swimming as a sport and recreation be affordable to those who need it most? I'm open to ideas.
Photo Credit: Greenville Splash - Yours Truly Breast Stroke at a Swim Meet