Parents should make sure kids can swim like Riley
If you saw our newscast yesterday you would have marveled at the ability of three year old Riley Rubio to survive the flood at Mullins River … simply because he knew how to swim. That talent, as Kendra Griffith reports, is something that every parent can—and should—teach their children.
Kendra Griffith, Reporting
Aside from being an enjoyable activity, knowing how to swim is a valuable skill that everyone should learn.
Nicole Cavlovich, Swim Teacher
“It’s extremely important introducing children as early as you can into the water even if they are a little frightened at first, in steps. They go small, but at least if anything were to happen, God forbid that and they weren’t introduced to the water, they don’t have that panic attack and freeze and sink in the water because that would be devastating.”
That ability to swim is what saved the life of three year old Mullins River resident Riley Rubio when he was being evacuated in a dory when the waters started rising in the village.
Risden Flowers, Resident, Gales Point
“By di time we left about fifty yards away di dory hook up inna wah clothes line and ih flip over di dory. When ih flip over di dory dah dehn everybody fight dehn life”
Riley was found alive three and a half hour later in these bushes.
Risden Flowers
“Most ah we teach wih pickney fi swim from dehn young.”
For ten years the YWCA in Belize City has been giving swimming lessons for both children and adults.
Nicole Cavlovich
“Even like at small infant level, just being comfortable in the water, splashing around learning little kicks and stuff like that and as they’re two or three years old start teaching them about kicking in the water, moving their arms, to be able to work that coordination. You can start formal training with children from about two and a half to three years old would be about an age where they can understand, where they are comprehending and retaining the information given to them as far as kicking on the side, moving their arms, blowing bubbles, putting their face in the water.”
For many people, paying for lessons or accessing formal classes is a luxury, but according to Y swim teacher, Nicole Cavlovich, there are things any parent can teach their children that can make the kids feel at ease in the water.
Nicole Cavlovich
“When teaching how to swim, you always emphasize kicking, never stop kicking because your arms could get tired but your legs will keep your body up. You arms cannot keep your entire body afloat all of the time. But making sure you have those kicks down, strong kicks, moving those arms, scooping those arms, being able to reach and pull with the water. And then also treading water is an extremely important skill to know how to do. It’s more or less either bicycling your legs in the water either side to side or up and down and moving your arms up and down so that you can keep your head afloat of the water in case anything our you needed help or you started to panic you can at least tread water to stay above and yell for help.”
Whatever situation you find yourself in, Cavlovich says the number one thing to do is stay calm.
Nicole Cavlovich
“I know that it’s really hard to not panic if you are not sure how to swim at all. If you freeze or you tense up your body gets hard and it sinks faster, if you stay calm and try to be active, be active as you can so that somebody can see you.”
Kendra Griffith
“How about when you are caught in a current?”
Nicole Cavlovich
“The most important thing to know when swimming currents usually are not very wide, they just move fast through. It’s important to never ever, ever swim against a current. Don’t swim into it cause you are just fighting a battle that eventually if it’s harsh enough you’re not going to win that one. Even the strongest of swimmers have difficulties. Never swim into the current. What you want to do is swim parallel, so you want to swim across the current.”
If going into the water for leisure, it’s also a good practice to keep flotation devices with you.
Nicole Cavlovich
“This is noodle. You can have like a rope or a stick or a pole. If somebody does have problems and you’re on the side of the water and they’re yelling for help you can it’s important that you don’t stand and just reach your arm out because if they pull hard you can be pulled in because your body is not … you want to stay low down and you want to reach; either hold something or you could even get on the side, lay on the side and put your arm out. Or even when you are there, find a pole, find a stick, something that you can keep close by just in case.”
As a means of fostering the skill of swimming, this month the Y will be undertaking a new initiative.
Sonia Lenares, General Secretary, YWCA
“It will be for children up to fifteen years and it will be a sort of a swim club. They come and they will improve their skills and so that in the near future we will be having swimming competitions with our children. It is something that we are very excited about, the YWCA and it consists of some Peace Corp volunteers and the group from Radisson.”`
The Swim Club starts on June fourteenth. To register, contact the YWCA at 203-4971. Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five.
According to Executive Director Sonia Linares, on the fifteenth the Y will conduct swim training for persons wanting to become lifeguards. For more information, contact the headquarters on St. Thomas Street.
