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Can you swim? Six kids in Louisiana couldn't.

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Gomer, Aug 4, 2010.

  1. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    As a dad, that scared the shit out of me. And I'm grateful it did.
     
  2. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

    Me too.
     
  3. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

    The mouth is a very good barometer for recognizing someone treading water successfully and someone failing.

    When you watch a swimmer, you take note if they are making progress when they are swimming. If they are moving their arms or legs and the current or wind in their face does not allow them to make progress, they are distressed (I think that is the correct term), and they will soon tire and start to become an active drowning person in the water.

    Oh, and if a person can tread water for 15 minutes, they can go almost all day. If you are relaxed with the proper leg technique, it's easier than standing up.
     
  4. MTM

    MTM Well-Known Member

    We have a lake in our area and a half dozen people who don't know how to swim drown in it every summer.

    I've never understood why someone who doesn't know how to swim would enter a large body of water like that. At least in a swimming pool, there is an edge to grab if you get in trouble.

    ******

    As for rescuing a thrashing swimmer, my son had a friend over a couple December's back and decided to jump in the cold pool to be a goofball.

    He would get out and I'd push him back in. I then acted if if I was going to throw in his friend, who was about 10. I looked at the boy's dad, asked if I should throw him in, and dad said yes. Looked at his mom and she said go for it, so I did. Kid hits the water and starts thrashing about, so his dad, fully clothed, jumps in after him. Kid wraps his arms around dad's neck and he can't move. As I reach for something for dad to grab, my wife had her former lifeguard instincts kick in and jumped in and pulled them both to the side.

    I still can't figure out why two parents who knew their son wasn't a strong swimmer would consent for me to throw him in the pool.
     
  5. patchs

    patchs Active Member

    HBO's Real Sports had a segment about blacks and swimming a few years ago.
    I wish I could link to it but it was an educational piece about why some blacks never learn to swim.
     
  6. doubledown68

    doubledown68 Active Member

    I don't know what part of the country you're in, but wilfully inducing a case of hypothermia doesn't sound like the wisest decision.
     
  7. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    As I reach for something for dad to grab, my wife had her former lifeguard instincts kick in and jumped in and pulled them both to the side.


    That's some heroic work there.

    By your wife.
     
  8. MikeHimself

    MikeHimself New Member

    Drownproofing

    This thread has led a number of people to drownproofing.com (Not a commercial site) and I just want to clear up a few misunderstandings and explain something about the technique.

    It is generally believed that when a person falls into water, they will survive only so long as they are able to continue swimming and when they stop they will sink and drown.

    Fred Lanoue gave a lot of thought to the physics and physiology of survival in water and came up with a brilliantly simple solution that (for want of a better name) he called Drownproofing.

    Put simply, Drownproofing is floating in a relaxed, near vertical, position and using minimal effort to lift the head out of the water in order to get a breath whenever necessary. The biggest problem for most people is in believing it works and not yielding to the instinctive response that they ought to be doing more.

    Most people learn Drownproofing very quickly, often it only takes a couple of sessions before they able to remain afloat for an hour or more. Being able to breathe well is an obvious advantage, but otherwise physical fitness is of little importance. In fact, it is often the finely-honed athletes who find Drownproofing harder to do than the average out-of-shape slob. There is a kind of poetic justice in that!

    So where do you go from there? Once you can stay afloat for an hour, it is most likely that you will go on to become a very competent swimmer. The main fault with most swimmers is an inability to relax. The ability to float effortlessly is the first step in learning to swim effortlessly.

    So why isn’t everybody teaching it? I guess that part of the answer is that a lot of people just don’t get it. Swimming teachers mostly come from a sport background and sincerely believe in the much-quoted maxim “No gain without pain.” Drownproofing has more in common with Yoga or Zen where “Less is more.”

    After Fred Lanoue's untimely death, Dr. Reagh Wetmore at Boston University continued to teach and promote Drownproofing. What he said 30 years ago still holds true today - http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20073913,00.html

    Most drownings occur within 250 yards of shore, but almost anyone can learn to stay afloat for an hour and swim a mile or more without difficulty. We need to believe that – and teach it.
     
  9. expendable

    expendable Well-Known Member

    I can swim quite well, but I can not tuck my head to dive into a pool. So, I have to assume that there are those who just a mental block when it comes to swimming, like I do when I belly flop.
     
  10. qtlaw

    qtlaw Well-Known Member

    As a father, looking at water and your kids is/was the most terrifying thing because of what could happen. Conversely, watching (underwater) my boys swim throughout the years has been some of the most rewarding views, I just love watching their determination. They love to be in the water (on our Alaskan cruise, even if it was 55 outside, we'd be in the heated pool.)

    I wish all kids could learn to swim.

    The story truly is heartbreaking.
     
  11. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    In Florida they have "drownproofing" classes for babies under a year old to about 24 months.

    It's a good idea considering there are little ponds everywhere and nearly every house has a pool in some areas.

    They teach the tots to float on their backs and kick till they reach the edge.

    Pretty cool, actually.
     
  12. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

    I need to see a link.

    What verbal commands could a 12-month-old possibly follow?
     
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