For children aged under 5 years old, home swimming pools are the leading location for drowning.
Did You Know? In Australia, ALL private swimming pools or spas that can hold 30cm of water or more must legally have a safety barrier around them. Royal Life Saving Society’s Keep Watch Advice: 1. Supervise: All your attention, all of the time 2. Restrict Access: Ensure there is an adequate barrier between the water and your child 3. Water Awareness: Enrol in swim lessons to gain familiarity and water confidence 4. Resuscitate: Learn the life saving skills of CPR If you have ensured that your pool gate is properly closed (remember to NEVER prop it open) and nobody is using the pool, the dangers have been removed, right? Actually, there is more that you can do to keep everyone safer. Colourful pool toys when left in the pool or around it become temptations for little ones who may try to get through or over the fence to reach the toys. Make sure that all pool toys are safely stored out of sight when not in use. Author: Keirsten Sortwell - mother of 3 and aquatic educator for over 30 years Myth: Children who have not upgraded to a new level in a while are not progressing.
Fact: For a student to upgrade to the next level, they need to learn several small skills to master the overall 'goal' of the current level. A student does not acquire all these skills immediately. Rather, learning is a process in which skills are acquired in increments which may seem small or insignificant but which are in fact vital to mastering each level. For example, in our White Stingray level where students are learning the Breaststroke kick, there are several components to mastering the correct technique. Students need to be able to turn their feet out, perfect the motion and build the strength required to generate the 'push' (and this is only the basics!) Our teachers and supervisors know how tricky it is to master just one of these skills and understand the importance of celebrating with a child when they do. From a parents point of view it may seem as though the progression is non-existent, when in fact your child is working hard at making small (but still significant!) gains within their level. We encourage you to speak with our pool deck supervisors who monitor our students' progress closely. They will be able to explain the achievements already made in your child's level as well as the skills still to be attained, and will even be able to provide you and your child with some extra tips and encouragement. Look for them on pool deck in the red shirts! Author: Tiahna Sortwell - Pool Deck supervisor and Competitive Coach It has been a real pleasure talking to our students and their parents and listening to stories of triumph, place-getting as well as the fun they had in participating. One of the recurring conversations with parents was the fact that they "just wanted their child to participate and not be sitting all day being just a spectator".
If your child is nearing the age when they can become eligible or weren't quite ready to compete this time round, here are some tips to get your child ready for the school swimming carnival the next time it comes around. 1. Consistency is the key: Turning up regularly to your lessons is extremely important in skill acquisition. Just like learning other physical skills such as tennis, surfboard riding, ice-skating etc swimming requires time and practice. Turning up to your lessons is vital to the learning process! 2. No Breaks over Winter: The next block of school swimming carnivals start again in December 2024 (Catholic Primary Schools) and in February 2025 (Public Schools). So, we have roughly 10-12 months to prepare. By "taking a 3-4 month break over winter" and returning in September/ October it leaves only 8-12 weeks to "catch-up" to lost skill practice and swimming fitness levels. It's even less if you take into account a summer holiday vacation. This places a child's preparation at a disadvantage compared to the child who swims all year round maintaining and further developing their swim skills and swimming fitness levels. So my tip is to swim through winter for the best possible preparation. We have indoor heated facilities all year round, so no matter what the weather outside the learner will be comfortable. 3. Swim Club / Friday Night Races: Turning up to a school swimming carnival for the first time can be quite daunting. To help make the experience easier and more enjoyable why not come along to our Friday night races with Jones Swim Club. Everyone is welcome. Jones swim club is a caring and supportive environment and a great way to be introduced to swim races. The races are held every second Friday night. Please check with our reception staff for more details. Hopefully the above tips help in giving parents a few suggestions on how to best prepare your child to prepare for the next swimming carnival. As always if you have any further questions, please contact one of our friendly staff who will be more than happy to help you. We want to see your child excel! Author: John Sortwell - Centre Manager, ex-competitive swimmer, father of 3 and aquatic educator for over 30 years. |
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