Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Back Floating Saves Lives
On the Today show there was a segment about a little one that fell into the river at South St Seaport and was rescued by her Father and a bystander . The amazing fact was that the little one emerged face up, and was neither coughing or heaving, and certainly not damaged in any way. The point is, that floating face up is a lifesaver, and it most certainly can be taught to very young children! The Masels are a classic example of this. At the British Swim School, we have believed in this since 1981 when it’s owner developed her own gentle fun way of teaching back floating to toddlers. She has continued to believe that this has to be the best survival skill possible, and has thousand of success stories to prove it. The American Pediatric Society have stated that there is no value to Swim Lessons under the age of four. Swim lessons and survival lessons are not the same thing!!! They ask us to prove the value of survival lessons, but how does one prove a negative? How does one keep a statistical record of accidents that did NOT happen?The little girl in the Hudson is not a damaged statistic. She floated on her back, and is alive and well to tell the tale. All children, should have the same chance!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Ten months old learning to save their own lives.
Ten-months old is a big landmark for parents. At that age, their children start babbling and forming their first words. They crawl on hands and knees at incredible speeds. For Rebecca Masel, mother of Alexandra and Spencer, ten-months old is also the age her children learned the basic skills to enable them to save their own lives.
Rebecca sought out the British Swim School to get her children into swim lessons for the same reasons any parent living in Florida - it’s nearly impossible to turn a corner and not see some body of water. Rebecca’s in-laws live along the intercoastal, and her brother by a big lake. “There’s so much water in our lives,” she says. She enrolled Alexandra into classes when she was sixth-months old. By ten months, she was floating on her back all by herself, and loving it!
The British Swim School has a variety of different levels, from three month-olds to adults, from beginner to advanced swimmers. British Swim School believes it is vital that every swimmer knows to roll over and float on their back safely, and knows not to be afraid of the water. At thirteen-months, Alexandra had perfected back floating and was the star in the introduction video on the British Swim School’s website. Now she needed something else to challenge her.
Her teacher decided to create a new class for her and for other babies already as advanced. The Toddler class works on forward propulsion and moving their arms and legs in the water. The babies are not expected to learn the strokes at that age, but they find it helpful for their later lessons for children to be familiar with the movements. It pays off. Alexandra, now three-and-a-half years old, is in the Turtle Two class, a class usually filled with six, seven, and eight-year olds, where focus is on the four basic swim strokes: freestyle, back, breast, and butterfly.
“I like going to class and putting my face in the water,” Alexandra, a lively and talkative girl, says animatedly, “and now I have pink goggles!”
Alexandra must have been a good influence, because her little brother Spencer is now following in her footsteps. Spencer was enrolled in classes at six-months and floating at ten, like his sister. “It’s my mentality,” says Rebecca, “you (i.e. the parent) have to be comfortable with the water, and not be afraid. From their first bath…I would put their face in the water. There’s no reason to be overly cautious when you’re right there.
Rebecca and her husband were present when Alexandra accidentally fell into a public pool at about fourteen-months old, and it was heartwarming when she just “did her thing” and rolled over. Florida parents are always hearing the horror stories of children who snuck away from watchful parents and drowned in a nearby pool, lake, or canal. If only they could have floated!
“When you hear stories like that,” she says, “it reminds me of why I’m here ( at the British Swim School).” Rebecca has no intention of leaving either, and is constantly ushering her friends and relatives into joining. “Kids have to know, always, to roll over…I love [the British Swim School’s] method and mission, for kids to learn first to float, then develop swimming, all taught in a fun loving non traumatic way, to both enjoy and respect water.”
It’s not the only thing they learn, however. At the British Swim School, kids learn to be fearless yet respectful of water, to be sociable and outgoing, and that learning and fun are not two mutually exclusive ideas. After lessons with the British Swim School, parents aren’t going to stop being totally vigilant. But they don’t have to worry about their children sneaking away unexpectedly, not when they are begging Mommy and Daddy to “Watch me! Watch me!” as they jump confidently and safely into the pool.
For additional information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Elissa Lithman
Marketing
British Swim School & FUNFIT
2084 N University Drive, Sunrise, FL 33322.
Tel: 954 747 7251 - Direct: 954 747 7251
Email: elissa@britishswimschool.com
Rebecca sought out the British Swim School to get her children into swim lessons for the same reasons any parent living in Florida - it’s nearly impossible to turn a corner and not see some body of water. Rebecca’s in-laws live along the intercoastal, and her brother by a big lake. “There’s so much water in our lives,” she says. She enrolled Alexandra into classes when she was sixth-months old. By ten months, she was floating on her back all by herself, and loving it!
The British Swim School has a variety of different levels, from three month-olds to adults, from beginner to advanced swimmers. British Swim School believes it is vital that every swimmer knows to roll over and float on their back safely, and knows not to be afraid of the water. At thirteen-months, Alexandra had perfected back floating and was the star in the introduction video on the British Swim School’s website. Now she needed something else to challenge her.
Her teacher decided to create a new class for her and for other babies already as advanced. The Toddler class works on forward propulsion and moving their arms and legs in the water. The babies are not expected to learn the strokes at that age, but they find it helpful for their later lessons for children to be familiar with the movements. It pays off. Alexandra, now three-and-a-half years old, is in the Turtle Two class, a class usually filled with six, seven, and eight-year olds, where focus is on the four basic swim strokes: freestyle, back, breast, and butterfly.
“I like going to class and putting my face in the water,” Alexandra, a lively and talkative girl, says animatedly, “and now I have pink goggles!”
Alexandra must have been a good influence, because her little brother Spencer is now following in her footsteps. Spencer was enrolled in classes at six-months and floating at ten, like his sister. “It’s my mentality,” says Rebecca, “you (i.e. the parent) have to be comfortable with the water, and not be afraid. From their first bath…I would put their face in the water. There’s no reason to be overly cautious when you’re right there.
Rebecca and her husband were present when Alexandra accidentally fell into a public pool at about fourteen-months old, and it was heartwarming when she just “did her thing” and rolled over. Florida parents are always hearing the horror stories of children who snuck away from watchful parents and drowned in a nearby pool, lake, or canal. If only they could have floated!
“When you hear stories like that,” she says, “it reminds me of why I’m here ( at the British Swim School).” Rebecca has no intention of leaving either, and is constantly ushering her friends and relatives into joining. “Kids have to know, always, to roll over…I love [the British Swim School’s] method and mission, for kids to learn first to float, then develop swimming, all taught in a fun loving non traumatic way, to both enjoy and respect water.”
It’s not the only thing they learn, however. At the British Swim School, kids learn to be fearless yet respectful of water, to be sociable and outgoing, and that learning and fun are not two mutually exclusive ideas. After lessons with the British Swim School, parents aren’t going to stop being totally vigilant. But they don’t have to worry about their children sneaking away unexpectedly, not when they are begging Mommy and Daddy to “Watch me! Watch me!” as they jump confidently and safely into the pool.
For additional information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Elissa Lithman
Marketing
British Swim School & FUNFIT
2084 N University Drive, Sunrise, FL 33322.
Tel: 954 747 7251 - Direct: 954 747 7251
Email: elissa@britishswimschool.com
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Were a Business in Waiting!!!!
We are waiting for Jacob Beebe to arrive next week!!
Erica, our office manager is due to bring baby Jacob into the world at the end of the week. We are
so excited! We are planning to follow Jacobs swim program, and share our experiences, Erica's and as well as Jacobs. We hope to have many pictures and your comments will be very greatly appreciated too.
Keep watching, and keep blogging.
Rolling spinning up and down,
tumble over, twisting round
Swooshing, wooshing, warm and fuzzy,
I'm SWIMMING....in my Mommys tummy!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Let it Rain, Let it Pour, We still Swim, We're Indoors!
Wow, summer is here! our phones have been ringing off the hook with people signing their little ones up for swimming lessons. Everyone has worked so hard this year to make sure that our new 2009 swim schools in Miami, FL, Arlington, VA, Oakbrook and Naperville, IL are going to being a huge success this year. I must remember to tell them all more often how I appreciate how hard they all work.
Every afternoon as the rains start to pour in (I think 16 day straight now) I breathe a sigh of relief as I realize that all of our little student swimmers are going to get their lesson, regardless of what mother nature decides to throw at us. Our indoor heated swimming pools mean that consistency is maintained - a key to any child's progress regardless of activity. We find that so many people have tried the outdoor lessons and get so frustrated with their child's lack of progress due to several rained out lessons in a row, resulting in spasmodic progress at best.
We gave up on teaching outdoors a while ago as we found that the quality and progress that we work so hard to achieve was being compromised by something that we had no control over. Regardless of what mother nature sees fit to throw at us we still manage to teach the best (yes I think it's the best!) swim program in South Florida without interruption!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
I Am A Good Parent; It Could Never Happen To Me!!
Drowning is the largest single cause of accidental death in children under 4 years of age. We lose more little ones in Florida to drowning than to home or road accidents. It is an appalling statistic, and no way includes the number of children that are near drowning and are permanently horrendously handicapped by a near drowning accident. The causes and the blame are often multiple, and in many cases misunderstood by both parents and caregivers.
I believe that all the following precautions must be taken as a matter of course. Vigilance near water at all times. Locks on doors, barriers around our pools, alarms wherever possible. No large toys around the pool itself. And finally, survival swimming skills. These precautions absolutely must take place, but I also believe that the basic cause of most accidents around water is due to much deeper rooted problems than failing to take all the above actions.
I believe that mostly they are caused by the belief that, and I quote many a parent/caregiver” I love my children therefore it “could never happen to me.” I believe that not teaching them survival swimming skills is not laziness, nor connected to finances, but it is purely a belief that “it cannot happen to me!” I believe that, yes, they have busy schedules, and early swimming lessons may involve a adult getting wet, or an evening or weekend commitment but again, the true reason is the belief that, of course, “it couldn’t happen to me!”
Well sadly, it can and does happen to children of wonderful caring intelligent parents/caregivers, who absolutely adore their children. It happens to children of the very rich, the very poor, and all in-between. It happens to an only child and one in a large family, all with parents/caregivers who believe that “It cannot happen to me!” I am certain that the belief “that it could never happen to me” is the basic cause of nearly all the drownings or near drownings. Yet unfortunately, it happens because we are human, and humans make mistakes. The gardener/pool guy who may leave a gate open is human. The Grandparent/Aunt/ Uncle who does not completely lock a door are human. The Dad who thinks that Mom is watching and vice versa is human. The older sibling, playing with a friend is human. All of the above care, they are just human, and indeed, it can happen to any parent/caregiver, we are all human too!
I believe that the solutions are many. We must all be vigilant and follow the rules of safety, but I believe that when someone leaves a door open, a lock unlocked, has a lapse of vigilance, the most important skill that could actually save that child is being able to float on it’s back and call for help. Today this is a skill that can be accomplished as young as one year old and as soon as we realize that “it CAN happen to us” the sooner we will seek a swim program that teaches these skills. Little ones should be taught these skills in a good fun loving program, and it should be a year round exercise.
So I strongly encourage all parents/caregivers to not believe that it “cannot happen to me, I love my children”. You need to be great, and take your little one to survival swim classes, so that if you too are human, and it does happen to you, your child will be floating on its back, maybe crying, but thankfully not another dreadful statistic, and you will most definitely be eternally thankful that you were “good parent/caregiver” and it did NOT happen to you!
I believe that all the following precautions must be taken as a matter of course. Vigilance near water at all times. Locks on doors, barriers around our pools, alarms wherever possible. No large toys around the pool itself. And finally, survival swimming skills. These precautions absolutely must take place, but I also believe that the basic cause of most accidents around water is due to much deeper rooted problems than failing to take all the above actions.
I believe that mostly they are caused by the belief that, and I quote many a parent/caregiver” I love my children therefore it “could never happen to me.” I believe that not teaching them survival swimming skills is not laziness, nor connected to finances, but it is purely a belief that “it cannot happen to me!” I believe that, yes, they have busy schedules, and early swimming lessons may involve a adult getting wet, or an evening or weekend commitment but again, the true reason is the belief that, of course, “it couldn’t happen to me!”
Well sadly, it can and does happen to children of wonderful caring intelligent parents/caregivers, who absolutely adore their children. It happens to children of the very rich, the very poor, and all in-between. It happens to an only child and one in a large family, all with parents/caregivers who believe that “It cannot happen to me!” I am certain that the belief “that it could never happen to me” is the basic cause of nearly all the drownings or near drownings. Yet unfortunately, it happens because we are human, and humans make mistakes. The gardener/pool guy who may leave a gate open is human. The Grandparent/Aunt/ Uncle who does not completely lock a door are human. The Dad who thinks that Mom is watching and vice versa is human. The older sibling, playing with a friend is human. All of the above care, they are just human, and indeed, it can happen to any parent/caregiver, we are all human too!
I believe that the solutions are many. We must all be vigilant and follow the rules of safety, but I believe that when someone leaves a door open, a lock unlocked, has a lapse of vigilance, the most important skill that could actually save that child is being able to float on it’s back and call for help. Today this is a skill that can be accomplished as young as one year old and as soon as we realize that “it CAN happen to us” the sooner we will seek a swim program that teaches these skills. Little ones should be taught these skills in a good fun loving program, and it should be a year round exercise.
So I strongly encourage all parents/caregivers to not believe that it “cannot happen to me, I love my children”. You need to be great, and take your little one to survival swim classes, so that if you too are human, and it does happen to you, your child will be floating on its back, maybe crying, but thankfully not another dreadful statistic, and you will most definitely be eternally thankful that you were “good parent/caregiver” and it did NOT happen to you!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Dry Drowning - CDC-INFO Email-Swim School-Statistics on-Normal - MISDIRECTED
As the owner of a private swim school we were receiving many requests for more information on the tragic death of the 10 year old boy in South Carolina. My deep concerns prompted me to request more information from the CDC. I sent an inquiry and this is the response I got:
Dry Drowning - CDC-INFO Email-Swim School-Statistics on-Normal - MISDIRECTED
Thank you for your inquiry. Recent media reports have incorrectly attributed to CDC data about incidents of "dry drowning." CDC supports international consensus defining drowning as "the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid"
and does not distinguish between "wet" and "dry" drowning. Children most commonly drown when they get into a pool area unsupervised (for example, if there is inadequate fencing) or they are playing in or around water without constant supervision or lifeguarding. Most drownings happen quickly, and usually silently. Aquatic activities under appropriate circumstances and supervision are generally safe; additionally, swimming and water safety skills are important and can be life-saving. Learn more about preventing water-related injuries at:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/drown.htm#how%20to%20prevent.
Julie Gilchrist, MD
CDR, US Public Health Service
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
E-mail: jgilchrist1@cdc.gov
Service Record: 1-55387199
Dry Drowning - CDC-INFO Email-Swim School-Statistics on-Normal - MISDIRECTED
Thank you for your inquiry. Recent media reports have incorrectly attributed to CDC data about incidents of "dry drowning." CDC supports international consensus defining drowning as "the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid"
and does not distinguish between "wet" and "dry" drowning. Children most commonly drown when they get into a pool area unsupervised (for example, if there is inadequate fencing) or they are playing in or around water without constant supervision or lifeguarding. Most drownings happen quickly, and usually silently. Aquatic activities under appropriate circumstances and supervision are generally safe; additionally, swimming and water safety skills are important and can be life-saving. Learn more about preventing water-related injuries at:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/drown.htm#how%20to%20prevent.
Julie Gilchrist, MD
CDR, US Public Health Service
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
E-mail: jgilchrist1@cdc.gov
Service Record: 1-55387199
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