Thousands of kids all over the world learned a very valuable lesson Thursday: how to swim.
What You Need To Know
- The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson is an annual event that teaches thousands of kids from all over the world how to swim
- Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for kids in the United States
- Kids should never swim unsupervised and should always swim in the presence of a lifeguard if one is on duty
The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson completed its 12th annual event Thursday. The Brigade Boys and Girls Club in Wilmington was just one of many locations to participate in the worldwide drowning prevention event, allowing swimmers of different levels to learn to swim and practice pool safety.
“So the goal of this swim lesson is to teach all of these wonderful children the survival skills necessary for them to get into the pool,” said Michael Linton Jr., a lifeguard with the YMCA. “With summer being around the corner, we don’t want any incidents happening, we don’t want any parents losing their kids to things that can be preventable.”
Linton said knowing how to swim can mean the difference between life and death.
“If you’re a non-swimmer you have anywhere from a 60 to 65% chance of drowning,” said Linton. “I can’t remember the statistics correctly, but I believe it’s 65 if not 75% of all drownings occur in five feet of water or less, so even though the water is shallow, even if you’re a non-swimmer, you’re still at risk of drowning, it happens quickly.”
While it’s important for all kids to know how to swim, he said Wilmington’s coastal location makes it even more important for his students.
“We live essentially on an island, we drive over a bridge every day, so you never know when you’ll need to swim,” said Linton. “So it’s honestly a great blessing and great honor for me to be able to teach these kids important survival skills that they’re gonna use for the rest of their life.”
Linton was actually around his students’ ages when he learned how to swim.
“I believe I was seven years old,” recalled Linton. “I learned from a neighborhood swim instructor that was a former swim coach, so she taught me to swim, and I’ve been swimming ever since.”
After the event, he’s hoping the kids he’s teaching use their new skills for the rest of their lives too.
“I just hope these kids keep swimming and use it as a way to stay healthy,” said Linton. “But most importantly use it as a way to relax and enjoy their summer.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports nearly 4,000 drownings a year in the United States with an average of 11 per day.
You can learn more about drownings in the United States here.
You can learn more about the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson here.