Families on Kaua‘i are invited to participate in USA Swimming’s Third Annual April Pool’s Day, which will be going on nationwide as an educational water safety initiative, just in time to prepare for the summer swim season. On April 3
Families on Kaua‘i are invited to participate in USA Swimming’s Third Annual April Pool’s Day, which will be going on nationwide as an educational water safety initiative, just in time to prepare for the summer swim season.
On April 3 from 1-5 p.m. at the Kaua‘i High School pool, Mokihana Aquatics will join more than 2,800 swim clubs across the country in demonstrating the importance of water safety through a variety of safe, fun-filled activities for the entire community to enjoy.
April Pool’s Day is an unusual day-long educational initiative focusing on water safety, launched by USA Swimming in 2003. USA Swimming created this event to position water safety education as the ideal means to prevent drowning among children.
As evidenced by research compiled by USA Swimming, knowing how to swim is one of the best ways to safe-guard against water-related injuries and drowning. The following statistics demonstrate the need for children of all ages to be able to swim properly and practice water safety, as well as the importance of parental and adult involvement in encouraging children to participate in fun, educational activities such as April Pool’s Day:
1) Drowning is the number one cause of death for children under five and the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children between the ages of one and 14. (Centers for Disease Control, 2003).
2) 194573010f drowning deaths involving children occur in public pools with certified lifeguards present. (Drowning Prevention Foundation).
3) In 2000, there were 3,281 unintentional drownings in the U.S., an average of nine people per day. (Not including boat-related incidents) (Centers for Disease Control, 2003).
“We are thrilled to have so many of our local clubs participating in April Pool’s Day, an incredibly important and beneficial nationwide water safety initiative,” commented Rod Davis, chief marketing officer for USA Swimming.
“Our member clubs are dedicated to promoting the sport of swimming at a local, grassroots level, utilizing valuable educational programs such as April Pool’s Day to decrease the number of drowning deaths annual-ly. By arming children and families with the knowledge to protect themselves this summer and have fun in the water, programs like April Pool’s Day help our clubs, including Mokihana Aquatics, boost community involvement, raise water safety awareness, and draw positive attention to the health and lifestyle benefits the sport of swimming has to offer.”
For additional information, or ways to get involved with April Pool’s Day or other water safety and swimming educational initiatives, log onto www.usaswimming.org (Click club tab, then April Pool’s Day).
USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the U.S. USA Swimming formulates the rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts national championships, disseminates safety and sports medicine information, and selects athletes to represent the U.S. in international competition. USA Swimming has more than 300,000 members nationwide and sanctions more than 7,000 events each year.
