Posted on 04/07/2012 2:43:19 PM PDT by the scotsman
'A month ago, six African-American teenagers drowned in a single incident in Louisiana, prompting soul-searching about why so many young black Americans can't swim.
When 15-year-old DeKendrix Warner accidentally stepped into deeper water while wading in the Red River in Shreveport, he panicked.
JaTavious Warner, 17, Takeitha Warner, 13, JaMarcus Warner, 14, Litrelle Stewart, 18, Latevin Stewart, 15, and LaDarius Stewart, 17, rushed to help him and each other.
None of them could swim. All six drowned. DeKendrix was rescued by a passer-by.
Maude Warner, mother of three of the victims, and the other adults present also couldn't swim.
The US has almost 3,500 accidental drownings every year, almost 10 a day. But according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the fatal drowning rate of African-American children aged five-14 is three times that of white children.
A recent study sponsored by USA Swimming uncovered equally stark statistics. Just under 70% of African-American children surveyed said they had no or low ability to swim. Low ability merely meant they were able to splash around in the shallow end. A further 12% said they could swim but had "taught themselves".
The study found 58% of Hispanic children had no or low swimming ability. For white children, the figure was only 42%.
"It is an epidemic that is almost going unnoticed," says Sue Anderson, director of programmes and services at USA Swimming.
The swimming body would like all children to be taught to swim.
"We would like it to be like seatbelts and bicycle helmets," says Ms Anderson.
But the situation in the US can vary hugely even within a single state.'
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Yup.
LoL, you don’t look like a lobster except for the Red.
Shoot, as a FORMER sub-mariner, you were probably critiquing the lifeguards in the video. LOL!
Wow. I am a regular lap swimmer and water brat who learned to float as a baby. I cannot remain in a backfloat unless I move hands and feet slightly — my legs sink. If I fill my lungs with air AND do a Dizzy Gillespie with my cheeks, filling them up with air, and extend my neck and hang motionless in the water, I will end up floating vertically. It’s wild! But does that mean I tend more toward negative buoyancy? The only people I’ve seen who could maintain a backfloat without some motion of legs or hands, were ROTUND. I’m not exactly skinny.
I had some burns that made me glow in the dark.
You're welcome......./s
I have seen it literally make things a dermatologist would call "pre-cancerous somethingorothers" disappear. And it can take the sting out of a sunburn as if it never happened.
Every redhead should have about ten aloe vera plants in the yard!
I chuckle when I read this: Many years ago in Navy Bootcamp a sailor was required to swim. Jumping off a 12 foot tower into the water. I think maybe one in twenty sank to the bottom of the pool. I thought at the time, “Why can’t they swim.” but sink they could.
Usually where busy horsing around trying to show the cute life guard gal that we were dominant and therefore worthy of her eye.
That was generally met with both eyes...
“rolling” LOL
And then a short toot on the whistle. Tweet tweet! “knock it off!!”
Being Irish I can sympathize.
I grew up on Solarcaine
And was your nose pretty much a perpetual scab all summer long every year of your childhood? Mine was!
Heed the aloe vera! It heals.
I’ll bet she thought that you were, while young, rather adorable. She sounds like a nice girl. :)
DeKendrix? JaTavious? Takeitha?, JaMarcus? Latevin? LaDarius?
Where do they come up with these names?!? A scrabbble board?
We Tasmanians don’t like water, either.
I believeit’s superstition. They have been taught that blacks CANNOT swim and will drown.
“We would like it to be like seatbelts and bicycle helmets,” says Ms Anderson.
I must admit this is what hubby said about our kid taking swimming lessons years ago. “Swimming is not only a sport, but it could save her life someday”.
Hubby is a very strong swimmer, I’m not I used to be able to swim “OK” in my teen years, but like some of the kids mentioned in the article I basically taught myself.
As of now I won’t go out even to my knees in the ocean alone.
The kid did good, she was on the swim team for a while and even worked one summer as a life guard.
I’ll tell you this too, I think Arabs like to swim a lot. There were several on her HS swim team. That kind of surprised me.
25 gal. Wow! My husband has O-Neg. blood type. They used to call him regularly reminding him to come in and donate blood. He always would until he also gave in the gallons instead of in pints. - He got into a rough patch where his health was compromised; he was just drained (not necessarily from the blood donations). Though it couldn’t have helped. He got ulcerative colitis, has gone through numerous surgeries, lost a lot of gut and ended up with an ileostomy. Finally had to just cease and desist on donation; was no longer able to be drained any more. That was over 25 years ago.
Be careful; you’ve certainly done above and beyond the call of duty.
It was fun.
I lived in the water.
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