Swimmer's Daily

  • A bet that I could beat Missy in a 25 yd swim race. She won best 2 out of 3.

  • Hours after divers recovered the body of a missing 18-year-old swimmer from a lake near Lillington, his classmates honored the soon-to-be graduate.

    Around 5:45 p.m. Monday, the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office said Justice Clark and three friends were swinging on a rope swing at the lake when they began calling for help.

    “A group of kids standing over there screaming help! Help!” said witness Serena Brown.

    ocals say the lake is an old gravel pit on Flyway Drive off Joe Collins Road near Hwy 421 that’s now filled with water. Swimming and fishing is prohibited, but many still do. The lake is shallow in some areas and deep in others.

    “From my understanding he really couldn’t swim that well. They was swinging off a rope, cause they swing off the rope, then jump in,” said Taricka NeSmith.

    Emergency crews recovered Clark’s body about two hours later.

    See ABC 11

  • It was a full house at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary this weekend, but the event was no ordinary swim competition.

    The National Black Heritage Championship swim meet celebrates the culture of African Americans and other groups in swimming.

    The meet attracts swim teams from all over the country, including teams from as far away as California and Texas.

    Underneath the splashing and diving, there is an important message. Organizers want to reduce the number of drownings by getting more people to learn how to swim.

    This year, U.S. Olympian and N.C. State alumnus Cullen Jones and Olympian Maritza McClendon were special guests.

    “It’s awesome to be here and to have some any different race team here… racing and loving swimming and getting kids active,” Cullen said.

    See ABC 11

  • The death of a swimmer this Memorial Day weekend in Florida has drawn new attention to the dangers of rip currents.

    One person drowned Sunday after he was pulled from the surf in Daytona Beach, in front of an unguarded lifeguard tower. Beach-goers nearby tried to revive him.

    “We tried to keep his head up, and then we got him out and I started doing chest compressions,” Marissa Purvis said.

    See ABC News


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    Photo by Ricymar Photography

  • Memorial Day weekend means many of the outdoor pools are open for the summer. But according to the Red Cross, more than half of all kids can’t perform basic safety skills in the water. So how do you keep your child safe at the pool?

    Nicole Braun always keeps an eye on her daughter Ronnie when they go to the pool.

    “I taught her how to swim last summer. She learned a lot. So she’s getting ready to take the swim test pretty soon. If she passes it, she’ll be able to go down the slides today,” said Braun, of Youngstown.

    The Davis YMCA puts wristbands on children 12 and under based on their height. Kids are limited to the shallow areas until they can pass a swim test.

    “The children have to swim 25 yards, which is the length of the lap pool. They have to tread water for 20 seconds. and then they have to level off and float on their back, showing that they can bring their chest up to the surface of the water,” said Chris Hughes, the YMCA Aquatic Director.

    “You can see that their main concern is the safety of the kids, which is a very good thing,” said Braun.

    See WKBN

  • Tragedy struck an open-water swimming competition in Cebu province over the weekend when a master sergeant of the Philippine Air Force died while participating in the activity.

    Eduardo Oriondo, 54, lost consciousness and drowned while taking part in the Olango Challenge, an open water swimming competition, on Saturday, GMA Cebu’s Vic Serna reported Monday.

    Oriondo had been a veteran of Ironman triathlons, the report said.

    See GMA News

  • The answer can be summed up in three words: Watch your children.

    Don’t rely on lifeguards. On a busy day at many pools there are easily 20 children for every lifeguard.

    Don’t count on water wings also known as swimmies- those inflatable rings that go around a child’s arm. They are NOT lifesaving devices.

    “A lot of people rely on that way too much especially waterwings,” said Kayla Austin, Aquatics Manager at Carilion Wellness Roanoke. “I’ve seen kids jump in the pool arms straight up and the wings just come right off.”

    Water wings also give children a false sense of security. Lifeguards say if you’re going to put water wings on your children stay in the pool with them.

    The bottom line is your children are your responsibility. Stay close by and watch them when they’re in the pool.

    See WDBJ7

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  • On Thursday, baby hippo Devi made a big splash with visitors at the San Diego Zoo.

    The 8-week-old hippo, who was born to mom Funani in late March, is beginning to venture out to the deepest part of the 150,000 gallon pool, now that her mom isn’t as protective of her.

    Due to the protective nature of Funani, the Zoo staff was only recently able to verify that Devi was a girl and estimate she weighs between 90 and 100 pounds. “Funani often had her tucked into vegetation near the shore, and kept her body between the calf and the public,” the Zoo said in a statement released Thursday. “Funani would also place her body between the baby and the viewing area.”

    For all Zoo visitors, mother and daughter can be seen in the hippo’s pool on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturdays and Sundays while father, Otis, can be seen the other days.

    See msnbc

  • Certified lifeguards were eliminated from almost all state owned beaches back in 2008. Since then, six people have drowned.

    Senator Rob Teplitz (D-Dauphin/Perry) is now working to revive legislation that would restore lifeguards at beaches on state properties.

    See ABC27