I signed up for Google Alerts using key words like ’swimming’ and ‘water aerobics,’ which means everyday I get one email that offers a round-up of these subjects across the web. So I’ve put together some interesting swim news and appropriate links:

• Swim instruction to be part of school curriculum. This is perhaps one of my most passionate topics. I firmly believe we should offer it in schools, which is why I keep teaching the French School students in the spring when they come to the JCC. North Carolina State Representative Wendell Gilliard is authoring what he hopes becomes a new law in the state. Go Charleston.
• Quick-Thinking 8-year old saves little friend. This is supposed to be a feel-good story. While of course it is wonderful an 8-year old saved her 3-year old buddy from drowning — twice now — but what the heck is going on when a mom allows her non-swimming child of just 3 to float around in a cheap plastic tube with no adult supervision?
• An “almost” multiple drowning. What do people do when they cannot swim? They grab onto other people! It’s intinctual. See if you can pick out all the bad ideas in this near-drowning incident and crazed rescue.
• Should babies take swimming lessons? I love an article that argues both points. The author makes a point that no matter what you decide, it’s important to realize your child still needs to be watched. Sort of theme here today with my news selections, don’t you think?

I’ve been busy! Busy teaching many, many lessons to many, many wonderful students. This is the first year I’ve been without the safety net of a third party (ie. always contracting myself out by using someone elses pool and subsequently taking a pay cut to deal with their overhead) and I can say it’s been a complete success! So thank you, all my wonderful Squidkids! You’ve helped me launch my business on a new level.

But I’ve also been busy on the writing front. I finally sold a piece to one of my biggest dream markets — Parenting Magazine! Yes, I will have a piece on swimming in the Septemeber issue. That’s all I can say. Pick up a copy.

What I really have been trying to sell to the likes of publications like Babble.com, Salon.com, LA Times and The Christian Science Monitor is an essay I wrote about understanding what causes a dry drowning and how a dry drowning differes from a wet or secondary drowning. But alsa, no bites on this super-important topic. (Go figure; it’s timely and I have the chops to write it).

So as aservice to my swim community, I have posted my essay on the topic of dry and wet drowning in it’s entirety below …

We’re getting closer to that time of the year again for stories about fun in the sun, which also comes with your healthy dose of pool paranoia. Not to say last June’s tragic drowning of 10-year old Johnny Jackson of Goose Creek, North Carolina – who died more than an hour after exiting a swimming pool – wasn’t a shocking incident. Media, from local papers to Oprah, blew the warning whistle: It’s official your child can drown on land.

Details were quickly doled out. Jackson was in a pool where mom cited he swallowed a lot of water. Soon after complaints about feeling tired, the boy laid down for a nap an hour later he went into cardiac arrest. It was just that simple, or fatal.

Pediatricians were questioned on the technicalities of land drowning. Using words like larynospasm, hypoxia and acidosis, doctors explained in scientific terms what happens when a swimmer’s lungs either don’t get enough oxygen or intake little as a teaspoon of water.

But the information parents needed to wrap their heads around the most regarding Johnny’s unfortunate drowning incident were the little red flags that could have prevented mass misunderstanding and needless worry.

As a journalist who also teaches swimming, I’m about ready to find myself behind a kickboard more than a keyboard. Once again I will need to sort through the messages between the lines of Jackson’s story to assuage parental fears on the subject.

Red flag number one: Jackson had special needs, or more accurately, was diagnosed as autistic. I can testify it is more challenging to communicate water safety skills, including good judgment, to populations with special needs. Communication either by words, action or touch is crucial in teaching swimming. It doesn’t help that drowning is the number one cause of death among autistic populations, as the National Autism Association states children and adults with autism are often attracted to water sources such as pools, ponds, and lakes.

Which leads to warning sign number two, or the fact the victim had unknown swim skills. Coverage reported his mother had stated it was the first time the young boy had ever gone swimming. There are additional attributes Jackson couldn’t help, such as the fact he was male and African American – two more indicators he had a more likely chance of drowning, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Another important sign: No lifeguard on duty. The boy was swimming at an apartment pool complex without any certified pool staff in attendance. Even the laziest, most hung-over lifeguard – and I’ve seen quite a few – would snap to attention and see disarray in the water, taking action to cover their certification or head.

This is when the fatal point occurred. Jackson could have experienced voluntary apnea or suspended breathing, caused from holding air too long under traumatic circumstances (like not being able to surface). It’s also possible the some kind of force took place to his diaphragm – a kick or a dangerous jump, which happens under improperly unsupervised swim situations – and allowed for water to enter the lungs via trachea. Either way, laryngospasms or the blocking of air brought on slow asphyxiation.

The family left the pool and walked home. Mom gave her son a bath and put him to bed as he complained about being sleepy. Articles even hinted Johnny “had an accident in the pool.” Results of reduced oxygen flowing from the lungs to the brain for any reason can cause behavioral changes. Signs of potential on-land drowning include a persistent cough, extreme tiredness or confusion. Unusual behaviors count as yet another flag.

The boy died technically of cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital brought on by pulmonary edema, or where your lungs fill up with your own fluids. That makes this a secondary or wet drowning and the reason why I outlined two potential scenarios: Media caused a misnomer by labeling the incident as a dry drowning. Another reason – or flag – as to why I encourage you to read between the lane lines this summer.

Most recent date reports 10 to 15 percent of 3,600 U.S. drowned deaths in 2005 were actually classified as dry drowning. I’m no mathematician (I’m a writer and a swim teacher, after all), but that’s an average of 288 per year. If you spot the red flags associated with last year’s high profile land drowning – combined with the slim chances of going under while dry – your swimming fears should be smoothed over by informative or otherwise calm waters. As I tell my swim students, compliments of the Red Cross, you want to think before you sink.

I also wrote about this topic here when the unfortunate incident first happened.

Every year I wait for that moment that tells me Summer Has Arrived. I thought I felt it last Sunday at a swim instructor staff meeting. It was around 6ish, we were huddled near the outdoor pool at the JCC practicing butterfly techniques on land, and a group of young lifeguards passed us (as they were having their summer meeting too). And I just thought, I remember how fun it was to be a young lifeguard and develop friendships with my co-workers and have inside jokes and be at the pool 5 minutes with bed-head and live in my swimsuit and the briskness of morning water. Like I said, I almost had my summer arrival moment. 

But I’m for sure having it today. The sun it out FINALLY and weather forecast calls for high 80-degree weather by the afternoon. Birds of all sorts are cherping, tomato plans are glistening with dew drops, and I want to wander around the yard and pull weeds and just feel the sun, listen to morning noises, and smell water and flowers and grass. Summer makes me want to do industrious things at 7:30 in the morning, like pick strawberries or bake pies. It makes me want to take advantage of time and squeeze out every minute by doing something summery.

I have Summer Favorites. What I mean by that is I have a collection of books, activities, movies, and places I only enjoy doing in the summer. For example,  I start every summer by reading a Stephen King book (my taste is far more advanced, but we all like to indulge in pink popcorn once in a while). I only appreciate pre-Stand stuff, meaning I don’t like his new stuff. I already tore through Christine and the summer before that, the tiney novelette, Cycle of the Werewolf. Or was it Salem’s Lot? I like the way King captures summer in a small town.

What captures summer for you? I’ve complied a list — some of which I’ve read or watched or done a dozen times; some for the first time.

• American Graffiti. Filmed in San Rafael. I love the music, the storyline, and the fact it all takes place one hot sumemr night. Harrison Ford is like 20 years old in this movie. It’s an era piece, but so evergreen — it’s about the realization of making choices.
• Meatballs. I went to summer camp for about 8 years. When I watch this movie, I am reminded about the complete freedom of leaving home when young and making those once-in-a-lifetime  friendships you still ache for today. Plus, all the wacky joking from Bill Murray — how he makes life not seem so serious — has helped shaped my perspective.
• Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great. I collect vintage young adult novels from my youth by Judy Blume, Marilyn Sachs, and Beverly Clearly. They have to be the same cover that I had as a kid, preferably beat-up, and Paperback Swap is great for finding the exact edition. Sheila, who hates dogs and boys, rents a summer house and learns to swim in this book.
• Gidget. Life on the beach for short-but-hip Gidget as she learns to surf and fall in love. This novel is so super sweet. It is way under the radar and I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on a copy. I have a 1958 copy that says it costs 25 cents.
• Canning. I picked up this activity last year. There is something so satisfying about using every single vegetable or fruit that comes your way into something yummy. Watching produce rot is a pet peeve of mine.
• Little Friend. By Donna Tartt. I listened to this monsterous novel on CD during a long road trip through Oregon years ago. I thought I didn’t like it, but the story still haunts me so I’m going to re-read it. Summer in the south, snakes and a murder suspect turn the main character, a little tomboy girl, into something of a small town slueth. Also, I loved her first book, The Secret History.
• Embrodery. It’s a craft I can manage without a lot of skill or time. I’ve already done a couple Belgain-like designs on two hammock pillows. I’ve thinking of doing designs on napkins to cover my canning treats.
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I love deep-thinking food books. They make me eat and food-shop better. I want to hear how Kingsolver and her family survive for one year on the family farm in southern Appalachia. She’s so detailed about asparagas; I can only image the intensity continues up the produce chain. But will they survive??? (I’m guessing they do okay since the book came out).
• Lake Wobegon 1956. Oh, Garrison Keillor. Ever listen to NPR on Sunday and his Prairie Home Companion show? Makes you think you’re living in Minnesota, sitting on the porch with a glass of iced tea, just rocking away in a chair and listening to talk radio. He captures what small town is all about in his books (and radio show).
• Swimming. New book for me (and the title drew me in). I’m leafing through it with hopes it will take me to some small lake with a wood dock, pine trees, peaches, canoes, trips to the grocery store while wearing wet swim trunks and sleeping with only a sheet and light quilt while the crickets cherp.

So what are your summer favorites? I’m dying to hear. How do you know summer is here?

I got a great question from Squidkid reader Rahul, who at 31 years age  is not only learning how to swim for the first time, but working on freestyle or side breathing.

I am practicing regulary about four times a week … when I try to turn and take a breath I form an arch at my back that causes my entire lower body portion to fall … as a result I am unable to keep kicking … I have to stop immediately. Does this arch formation imply something is wrong with my swimming technique?

First, thanks Rahul for sharing and putting yourself out there, both here and in the pool. Here is what I suggest for Rahul:

• Do body comfort checks. New swimmers, understandably, tend to be more tense in the water. The problem with being tense is your muscles lock up; and if your muscles lock up your body becomes a rock. I would practice floating on your back or doing gentle Elementary backstroke laps on your back, breathing in and breathing out, making sure every single muscle in your body is loose before you attempt freestyle. Only in this state can you achieve a body that floats when you swim.
• Don’t lift the head. By Rahul telling me his body forms an arch on the back when he tries to breathe says to me he is still straining his head and neck to reach air. When the head is up, the legs automatically sink down. The head nor neck doesn’t lift in the freestyle –  the entire body rolls so the mouth is out. Think of the water as a warm blanket that you just don’t want to lift your head/ear from when you roll over for a breath. Look to the side or almost behind when your mouth reaches air. Roll, roll, roll.
• Muscular people have to work harder to float. I’m thinking Rahul might have bigger quads or legs and not a lot of body fat. So his build could be another reason why his legs are sinking. Grab the kickboard and practice flutter kicking with loose legs — you have to learn how to work with what you’ve got below before you can successful match the arms with the legs.
• Most swim questions get answered after pushing through the problem. I have no doubt Rahul is doing his best, but you have to physically push through the problem. Exert more energy. Be willing to get out of breath. Don’t stop until you reach the end of the lane. Swimming takes exerting major patience and practice, not knowing it takes major patience and practice. The answer isn’t solved in the head through thinking — it’s discovered in the body through doing. 
  

“We’re going to be doing a lot of swimming on our upcoming vacation,” parents tell me. “We want to get lots of practice in before we go.” No problem. So the kid and I work on treading, underwater swimming, and rhythmic breathing or just getting air unassisted.

Then I come to find out the lot of swimming is going to be conducted in the ocean or a lake. Well, that’s a whole new bag of potatoes. There is a striking difference between pool swimming or safety skills and what goes on in open water. Here’s what to work on if you are planning to take your kids swimming in open water:

• Never turn your back to the ocean. Unless you want to get wiped out by a wave, of course.
• Duck under waves — not over. You’ll just get slammed. Take a big breath, curve under, and come up on the other side.
• Work in the no-visibility factor. Even with goggles, no one will see anything. Remind.
• Put a life vest on. At a lake, a river. Standard operating procedure stuff. They make vests of all sizes, from infants to adults.
• In riptides or currents, swim parallel to the shore. Don’t try and fight it. If you’re getting pushed out, take a 90-degree angle and swim to the side of things.
• Insist on a backfloat in times of trouble. Grabbing at you for any reason is not good. If they get scared or you find yourself in trouble, tell them to turn over on their back and float. This makes them more manageable and calm. You do it too.
• Learn to love treading. This is swimming with your head up the whole time. They can talk to you, give energy or fear updates, and just generally get strong. It builds quad/leg muscle like nothing else.
• For Dog’s sake, don’t dive. It just isn’t worth it — rocks and trees are hidden in murky water.

I’ve been waiting for a really good post to pop in my head … some singular idea to dissect and get down to the roots of … until I realized today that it just isn’t going to happen. Simply because there are too many points to make right now about swimming.

So with school almost out and the sun in full force (okay not today if your live in northern California), here’s your Squidkid Starter Kit for summer swim lessons! (This includes a great round-up of previous entries and links found here!)

• Pool temp is king. More important than anything else, I wager. Read why and how it affects your kid’s progress.
• Getting the baby ready. Learn about the difference between splashing about and actually teaching an infant to roll over on their back in the water.
• Do not stress if you didn’t get all the lessons you wanted. Swimming can be a forgotten activity in the “off” season. There are many reasons why fall is a great time to learn swimming and August the worst.
• Make ‘um more safe right now. We teach kids what drowning means, but I don’t think we look hard enough at the preventative behaviors.
• Don’t like your teacher? Get to know the person better. How-to open up the line of communication so you feel more comfortable telling them what to do here.
• Cutting swim costs. Frugal is the new black. I have a philosophy with swim skills that if you can get away with not doing it (ie. not paying for it), don’t do it — I teach you how to cut corners without loosing quality.
• Mom, treat yourself to some freestyle. If you are curious how to do it, here is a mini-lesson. It’s all about the breathing. I used to suck too.
• Plan of attack if they turn out to be Criers. How to figure out why your kid hates swim lessons — and what to do.

Listen, if anyone knows what it is like to witness first-hand chlorine damage to your hair, skin and clothes, it’s me.

But I have (what I feel and have been told, at least) great hair, I smell good, and my suit is cute and has lasted forever. (But truth be told, sometimes my fiance tells me I have Pool Hair or that I do smell like chemicals).  But for the most part, I do not have any nasty pool usage backlashes:  no split ends, no fried or frizzed hair; I feel moisturized; and I do have a suit I have used 4-5 days a week for one entire year and is still in usable shape.  So here’s my secrets:

1. Always, always, always rinse your hair with clean water before you go in the pool. Unless you are 100% sure you aren’t going under, don’t take the chance. What happens is the dry shafts of your hair soak up whatever you give it, meaning chlorinated/chemicaled water, and that causes irreversible damage. Hair is dead — despite product claims, you cannot heal it or change it back so look out for it now.
2. You can also top your rinsed hair with conditioner or hair serum for an extra protector. But that’s just one more step you have to remember. Neutrogena and John Freida make a silicon serum found in any Target or Walgreens. Just pre-rinse your hair — I want to make the point twice.
3. Use an exfoliate for the face, a scrub glove for the body. I don’t wash, I scrub chlorine off my body. I like Jason Organic’s Apricot Scrubble.
4. Stop buying swim suits made of lycra or nylon and buy polyester suits. This is hard, because the industry mostly makes suits made of the first two mentioned materials. I wear Dolphin “Uglies” suits found here which are ironically, so cute, and so much cheaper.
5. Sunblock is the number one product you can use to fight wrinkles and signs of aging. I have researched and researched, and like you, I’ve bought my share of Hope in a Jar. The only true miracle product out there is UVA and UVB-resistance sunscreen. Wear it every single day. I recommend Dr. Hauschka’s SPF 15 Sunscreen Lotion; for a lower price point, I’m also happy with Aveeno’s Positively Radiant SPF 15 that also acts as a moisturizer.

Any product I have recommended, I promise you I have done tons of research on — I usually rely most on Paula Begoun, also known as the Cosmetics Cops. She’s been on Oprah recommending products and all that garbage.

I’ve written about his topic before here, but I wrote about it again because Squidkid has been getting a lot of searches lately on this topic.

This is not one of those irritating who-crossed-the-road-first-the-chicken-or-the-hamburger type of riddles. Pool temperature is far more important than developing swim skills. Because how are you going to get a kid in the pool if the weather or water is too cold for comfort?

I’ve started home lessons early the summer and I might have made a mistake doing so. Not only was the weather in the dumper this first week in May, but pool temperatures weren’t on target either.

When choosing between whether or not to get into a cold outdoor pool — and I call anything under 80-degrees a cold pool — I recommended canceling the swim lesson. That’s right. Go ahead and call me or your personal swim instructor and say the pool heater is on the fritz or your kids are on swimming strike. Be proactive.

Of course we instructors need the money and your kids need the lessons. But swimming needs to be a comfortable experience for progress to occur. The best way your make a kid hate swimming is to make them stay in a pool with an uncomfortable pool temperature.

I give myself credit: I’ve got the magic to make kids listen to me. And don’t worry about my own issues; I have neoprene (wetsuit) clothing and I’m also a crafty little critter when it comes to earning a buck  — the worry is not on me. What you need to keep in mind is in all my years of teaching, I have not yet learned how to talk a kid out of being cold. It just doesn’t happen.

Here’s how you know the swimming temp won’t work for a lesson:

1. You won’t get into the pool.
2. If you do get into the pool, you cannot stay there for 1/2 hour (let alone fifteen minutes).
3. Your kid says it’s too cold and wants out.
   
4. It’s raining.
5. The pool temp is under 80-degrees.

Okay — I know I’m being flippant. But remember, I’m the one who said I’d schedule lessons with you in May. So I’m just as guilty as being an uncurable optimist. Hence the realist checklist.

Out of curiosity, I’ve been calling around the county to find out how much other pools and swim instructors charge for 1/2-hour private  swim lessons. (So if you’re looking for group lesson prices, I won’t have that — maybe some other time or post).

I also did not list addresses or phone numbers, but you can click this link to get a full list of all the swim joints in the area with contact info.

My round-up is brief and to the point: Prices. This post could go on for miles if I tried to explain what it means to be a Shrimp, Bubbler, Level 2, or Little Swimmer — all swim skill classifications at the various pools.

MARIN COUNTY 1/2-HOUR PRIVATE SWIM LESSON COSTS

Osher Marin JCC. Ahhh; my home. I teach here Sept.- April. Member: $42-33. Public: $49-40. What to keep in mind: Cost depends on whether or not you buy in 5-lesson bulks or just one 1/2 hr private at a time. But since I know this place so well, I added up all the bulk, single, 1/2 hr and 20-minute lessons, member versus public — and averaged a 1/2 hr private to cost $40.38.

Rafael Raquet & Swim Club. Member: $30. Public: $35. What to keep in mind: Outdoor pool only; hope your kid doesn’t get cold too easily.

Tiburon Pininsula Club (TPC). Member: $38. Public: $47. What to keep in mind: Price can scale back to as low as $26 — you pay for expertise (or little expertise) there, meaning a senior or junior instructor. I say get it right the first time and hire the most qualified.

Strawberry Rec Center. Member: $35-25. Non-resident: $40-30.

I also checked out by phone or Internet Mt. Tam Racket Club, Nancy’s Swim School, Ann Curtis, Marin YMCA and SwimAmerica — but as far as I can tell, they don’t offer private lessons but rather group.

Again, check out the link above if you want to look closer — let me know if you find out something different and I’ll update this post. Happy shopping!

You know if you send me your questions, I’ll take the time to personally answer them. I cannot resist the opportunity to blather on and on when my swim advice is sought — even if it comes from across the county or Central Florida. Anna X., mom of a non-swimmer writes:

My daughter will be 6 in July … she acts very afraid of trying something new … she failed her swim evaluation this past Saturday in a group glass of 3 and 4-year olds and they don’t want her in that class … I’m not opposed to private lessons but I’m afraid she’ll cry and scream and refuse to do anything with the teacher. You’d think this child is spoiled and it’s not true! Being lenient and accommodating is what got us where we are. I don’t know how to be forceful or firm without being mean.”

I feel (and understand) moms like Anna. I answered her distress call immediately and made the following points:

• Drop the group lesson route indefinitely. I question the swim program that stuck a 6-year old in with 3-4-year olds anyway. If I were the aquatics director, I would have smelled a Red Flag and recommended private lessons all the way.
• Get a private swim instructor with proven experience in water fears at this age. Ask around and observe. Go to pools, get on the phone, reach moms through local websites.
• Be prepared to leave the scene of the lessons. If it hurts to hear tears, go away. You must stand behind the proven professional you hired, even if that means being in the next room. Your kid cannot cry forever, and when they see it’s 2-against-1 and they can no longer pull at your heartstrings, they’ll give up on resisting.
• Make sure you are not part of the problem. If you have a dysfunctional relationship (ie. babying; second-in-command) with your child, it’s going to be darn near impossible for any experienced teacher to make progress. And don’t interfere, which only undermines the instructor.
• SHOW your support — don’t TELL your support. You need to start swimming yourself and don’t make a big deal about it — just do it on a regular basis.
• It takes a working commitment. Only start the process if you can see it to the end. Half-efforts result in … half-efforts.
• Keep your chin up! They all learn to swim. It might take some Tough Love, consistent time, and a good professional … but if you can get those three ingredients together, you’ll grow a swimmer.

Former Squidkid question-and-answer entries:

• Should I Pull My Crier Out of Class?