After tragedy, a mother’s plea: learn to swim

People enjoying the “Little Beach” on the east side of Lake Nokomis on a Wednesday evening in August. Lifeguards were staffed there Thursdays through Sundays (daily at the “Big Beach” on the west side) and went off duty for the season Aug. 25. According to Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Aquatics Coordinator Sarah Chillo, rafts are removed as soon as possible after beaches are no longer guarded. (Photo by Jill Boogren)[/caption] By JILL BOOGREN The death of South High Sophomore Sha-kym Adams at Lake Nokomis Aug. 6 is a somber reminder that drowning can happen to anybody, and swiftly. “He was a swimmer,” Adams’ mother Kimberly Adams told people gathered for a memorial at the lake the following day. “And guess what? You still can drown.” She told her son’s football teammates—who were swimming with Adams and tried to rescue him—they were not to blame and praised them for swimming together and using the buddy system. She also urged anyone who doesn’t know how to swim, to learn. “It’s fun. It’s exercise. But it will also save someone else’s life, because you can swim to get to them,” she said. Adams was swimming with teammates after a football practice to the floating raft at the E. 50th St. beach before he went underwater. His body was recovered in 15 feet of water. Hennepin County Sheriff Richard A. Stanek, whose office responds to all water emergencies in the county, said Kimberly’s message was “right on.” In the Land of 10,000 Lakes (and countless pools and hot tubs) kids and adults must know how to swim — a life-saving skill that is important at ALL times of year. “Minnesota’s all about the water, frozen or unfrozen,” said Stanek. “ happens everywhere—anywhere there’s a body of water.” This includes lakes, rivers, and ponds, as well as water parks, pools, hot tubs, and bathtubs. “In winter, it’s going through the ice.” The Sheriff’s Office promotes this simple, three-pronged approach to staying safe in the water: Watch-Wear-Learn: WATCH The Sheriff’s Office considers lifeguards the second line of defense (no lifeguard was on duty Aug. 6, and on Aug. 25 they were done for the season) and says supervision is needed even when they are on duty. “It doesn’t matter whether kids are three, four, five years old or get to be 15, 16, 17 swimming out to a raft, horseplaying around. Either way someone has to be watching where they are,” said Stanek. This can be a friend or a parent who took them to the beach, someone who isn’t distracted by reading, being on an iPad or talking on the phone. “You gotta watch,” he said. According to the Red Cross, many children who drown in home pools were out of sight for less than five minutes and in the care of one or both parents at the time. Being nearby isn’t enough. Drowning usually happens quickly and silently. Contrary to what we’ve seen on TV and in the movies, a drowning victim doesn’t wave his arms and often cannot yell for help. The victim may be vertical in the water but unable to move forward or tread water. A swimmer in distress, on the other hand, may call out or try to swim, but makes little or no forward progress. Each needs help immediately! Stanek said kids having fun make all kinds of noises, and it’s hard to recognize when someone’s in danger. As a result, parents and others need to maintain visual contact with their children who are in or near the water. Never assume a swimmer in distress is joking or playing around. “You have to pay attention. Take every one of them seriously,” he said. Adults in a group with kids in the water can take turns being the designated “watcher.” Enjoying the water also means knowing your surroundings. Swimming in a lake is a lot different than being in a pool, where edges are nearby and depths clearly marked. “The rise and fall of water levels change throughout a season,” said Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Aquatics Coordinator Sarah Chillo. “Three feet of water can be five feet of water and then back to three feet of water in a single season.” Lake Nokomis gets deep fast, even when not experiencing this year’s higher-than-normal water levels, and out at the floating raft it is well over your head. Stanek said it can be jarring when people jump off rafts without knowing the depth. “Kids like to jump, they do the cannonball, then they get over their head,” said Stanek. But pushing back up off the bottom is not an option in deep water. “The first thing to teach in swimming is not to panic,” he said. WEAR U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets. (Photo by Jill Boogren)[/caption] Weak swimmers or non-swimmers should wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets (also called PFDs, personal flotation devices) when in, or around, the water. At 52 years old and an experienced swimmer himself, Stanek said he always wears a lifejacket when he swims in the lake. Born and raised in Northeast Minneapolis, he went to camp from age 6-17, learning how to swim every day. When not in lessons, they wore life jackets when swimming. And that’s back when they were all the bulky orange ones. “They’re a lot more comfortable today, a lot easier to wear,” he said. “I see kids all the time going to the beach, wearing life jackets. They’re nice and comfortable.” When boating, state law requires a life jacket to be available for every person inside any boat, and kids under age 10 must be wearing one. LEARN According to the American Red Cross, national surveys found that while 80% of Americans said they could swim, only 56% of the self-described swimmers can perform all five of the basic skills that could save their life in the water. These critical water safety skills, also known as “water competency,” are the ability to: —step or jump into the water over your head; —return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute; —turn around in a full circle and find an exit; —swim 25 yards to the exit; and —exit from the water. If in a pool, you must be able to exit without using the ladder. “The ability to float and tread water is a critical skill for every swimmer,” said Chillo. “Even experienced swimmers can cramp, become fatigued, or experience a dangerous incident or health emergency. All swimmers should swim with a buddy or under supervision.” If you are in trouble, try to be calm, float onto your back, and orientate yourself toward shore (or a pool ledge), said Chillo. If someone else is in trouble, try and alert a lifeguard. If none is available, try to reach out to the swimmer with an object that could act as a flotation device. This could be a long pole, a life ring, a stick, or even an empty water jug tied to a rope or a broom. Whether heading to the lake or a water park or just relaxing in a hot tub, knowing these basic swimming skills could save your — or someone else’s — life. The YWCA offers swim classes for infants, toddlers, youth, and adults in either group or private sessions. All lessons are taught by certified American Red Cross Water Safety Instructors and Water Safety Aides. 7-week classes: $48 for members; $84 non-members. Midtown YWCA (2121 E. Lake St.), 612-215-4333. MPRB offered outdoor swimming classes and water safety clinics in the summertime, but are now done for the season.