7.44. >> IT IS A LIFESAVING SKILL THAT MOST AMERICANS DON’T
KNOW.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: THE
STATISTICS, IN FACT, ARE
STAGGERING. MOST PEOPLE CAN
SWIM WELL ENOUGH TO SAVE
THEMSELVES. THOSE NUMBERS ARE
EVEN HIGHER AMONG BLACK
AMERICANS AND IS JOINING NOW
WITH HER PERSONAL STORY IN OUR
OWN JOURNEY OF LEARNING HOW TO
SWIM. GOOD MORNING. GOOD
MORNING. SO I MEAN, MY
PARENTS, I’M YEAH, FOR SWIM
LESSONS TWICE WHEN I WAS ONCE
WHEN I WAS 6 AND ANOTHER TIME
WHEN I WAS 12 YEARS OLD, BUT
INDICES NEVER STUCK. AND THEN
A NEAR DROWNING WHEN I WAS
LEARNING TO SWIM AT YMCA.
NORTH CAROLINA CHANGED
EVERYTHING. CAUSE ME TO STOP
TAKING LESSONS. IT MADE ME
NERVOUS ANY TIME. I WAS NEAR
DEEP WATER. NOW, 19 YEARS
LATER AND BACK AT THE Y FACING
MY FEAR WITH THE GOAL OF
LEARNING TO SWIM.
>> I’M HERE AT THE BROOKS
FAMILY YMCA DOING SOMETHING I
HAVE BEEN DONE IN NEARLY 20
YEARS LEARNING HOW TO SWIM.
IT’S SOMETHING MANY AMERICANS
AREN’T ABLE TO DO, LEAST NOT.
WELL. AQUATICS DIRECTOR SHANE
MYERS SAYS IT’S EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW TO SWIM,
ESPECIALLY LIVING HERE IN THE
SUNSHINE STATE.
>> SO MANY BODIES OF WATER
THAT.
>> IT’S A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT
FOR ME RETURNING TO A PLACE
WHERE I LEARNED SOMESKILLS
BEFORE A NEAR DROWNING IN A
FAMILY MOVE CAUSED ME TO PRESS
PAUSE ON LESSONS. THE RED
CROSS SAYS MORE THAN HALF OF
AMERICANS DON’T SWIM WELL
ENOUGH TO SAVE THEMSELVES. THE
USA SWIMMING FOUNDATION SAYS
64% OF BLACK CHILDREN CAN’T
SWIM COMPARED TO 40% OF WHITE
CHILDREN. 78% OF BLACK PARENTS
HAVE LITTLE TO NO SWIMMING
ABILITY COMPARED TO 67% OF
WHITE PARENTS AND BLACK
CHILDREN AGES 10 TO 14 ARE
NEARLY 8 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO
DROWN THAN WHITE CHILDREN.
STUDIES SHOW IT’S PARTIALLY
BECAUSE OF INSTITUTIONALIZED
RACISM SURROUNDING THE HISTORY
OF MUNICIPAL SWIMMING POOLS.
BROOKS, WHY VP OF SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY? ERICA MOORE
SAYS THERE ARE ALSO OTHER
FACTORS ARE. I A LOT OF THAT
EITHER HAS TO DO WITH ACCESS.
>> IN ADDITION TO THAT, I
THINK IT HAS TO DO WITH IF THE
PARENT HAS ANY FEAR WATER OR
IF THERE’S BEEN A TRAUMATIC
EXPERIENCE AND THEIR CHILDHOOD
AND TYPICALLY TRICKLES DOWN.
>> TO TO HONOR A SHUNT. MY
STORY IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
BOTH OF MY PARENTS KNOW HOW TO
SWIM AND I HAD ACCESS TO
CLASSES. BUT AFTER NEARLY
DROWNING IN THE DEEP END OF A
BULLET 12 YEARS OLD, I DIDN’T
WANT TO BE NEAR A POOL DEEPER
THAN 5 FEET. MY DESIRE TO
LEARN HOW TO SWIM AGAIN NOW
OUTWEIGHS MY FEAR OF DEEP
WATER.
WATER. SO FOR MY FIRST LESSON, WE WENT OVER THE BASICS ARE SAYING I WANT TO SEE YOU.
WE ALSO WIN OVER BACK FLOATING. I REALLY IS LIVE ON. AND FRONT
FLOATING. WE GO. THEN WE WENT
OVER TECHNIQUES USING
FLOATING.
>> AND BY THE END OF THE
LESSON, I PUT THE FIRST FEW
SKILLS I LEARNED TO THE TEST.
♪
♪
♪ ♪ >> WITHIN THE PARKS HEALTH GET
A LITTLE FARTHER. BEFORE ALEX
IN. WAS TO I WAS LIE.
>> THOUGHT IT WOULD GET
THROUGH. MY ULTIMATE GOAL IS
TO FINISH WHAT I STARTED RIGHT
HERE AT THE Y BY THE END OF MY
I FORCED MY LESSON. I’LL BE
ABLE IT.
>> LIVE FROM
>> THE YMCA SAYS THEY HAVE
STUDENTS FROM 6 MONTHS OLD TO
SENIOR CITIZENS IN THEIR 70’S
AND 80’S THAT ARE LEARNING TO
SWIM. THEY ALSO HAVE
INITIATIVES LIKE THE SAFETY
AROUND WATER PROGRAM THAT AIMS
TO TEACH MINORITIES HOW TO
SWIM. SO I’M VERY EXCITED
ABOUT THIS JOURNEY AND I HOPE
IT INSPIRES PEOPLE TO LEARN
HOW TO SWIM AT IN EVEN LATER
ON IN LIFE. IT’S NEVER TOO
LATE TO LEARN. DO YOU WHAT?
WHAT PART DO YOU THINK OF THAT
LESSON?
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: GAVE YOU SO
MUCH ANXIETY. LOOK MAY BE
PUTTING YOUR HEAD UNDER THE
WATER. YOU LOOK LIKE YOU HAD
MAYBE A FLASHBACK.
>> IT DID. IT DID BECAUSE I
REMEMBER JUMPING OFF OF THE
DIVING BOARD WHEN I WAS 12
YEARS OLD AT THE YMCA AND NOT
BEING ABLE TO COME UP. I WAS
TRYING TO DOGGY PADDLE OUT. I
DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO IN SO I
WAS YELLING, HELP HELP HELP.
AND SO FINALLY, A LIFEGUARD
CAME IN AND HE DIVED IN AND
SAVED ME. EVERYONE STARTED
CLAPPING AND THAT WAS THE LAST
TIME I GOT INTO THE DEEP END.
SO EVERY TO IT WHEN I SAW IT
WHEN I HAD TO DIP MY HEAD
UNDER WATER, THAT KIND OF
BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES OF WHEN
I WAS 12 YEARS OLD, 19 YEARS
AGO IN.
>> YOU KNOW, GETTING THAT HELP
FROM A LIFEGUARD, YOU’RE
TELLING ME THAT THE PULLBACK
THAT WAS ABOUT 9 FEET DEEP.
NOW YOU’RE GOING TO GET INTO 9
FEET OF WATER OR DO WELL TO
GET BACK IN A DIVING BOARD.
>> AND BOTH A BOAT, I WANT TO
GET BACK ON THE DIVING BOARD
IN DIVE INTO THAT 9 FEET DEEP
WATER. JUST TO SAY THAT I WAS
ABLE TO DO IT. SO THAT IS THE
GOAL BY THE END OF ALL OF DO
YOU THINK WHEN YOU GET UP ON
THE DIVING BOARD, YOU’RE GOING
TO BE THINKING?
>> OH, MY GOSH, FLASHBACK ARE
GOING TO BE THINKING
>> I’M READY. I THINK I’LL BE
READY. AS LONG AS THERE’S A
LIFEGUARD THERE I’M SURE THAT
I’LL BE ABLE TO DO IT. AND AS
YOU GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS
WITH THE LESSONS YOU’LL MORE
AND MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THE
FANTASTIC AT THE THEY WHEN
THEY ARE. WHEN YOU THINK OF
SWIMMING, YOU THINK OF THE
YMCA. THAT WAS THE FIRST
ORGANIZATION THAT CAME TO
MIND. AND THAT’S WHY I WAS
LIKE I HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE
Y AND THEN I STARTED FULLY. IF
YOU DO, IT’S LIKE WHAT TOOK ME
SO LONG TO GET HOW I KNOW IS
NEVER TOO LATE. IF YOU ARE AN