Olympian Dara Torres Talks Kids & Swimming

As summer quickly approaches and the weather starts warming up, pools and beaches are the popular and fun places to play. But staying safe and learning to swim for children is key, as May is National Water Safety Month. Yesterday 10 industry leaders, including USA Swimming, launched a campaign called Swim Today, led by 5-time Olympian and mom, Dara Torres. They’ve declared that swimming is the “funnest sport there is”…and after spending some time speaking to Dara, and watching these ads…I may have to agree.

Torres told me a statistic that was staggering; “Unfortunately over 175,000 kids die each year from drowning alone and it can be prevented. Drowning prevention is something that I’m passionate about. I have a child and so I understand that if it can be prevented, so why not do it? To me, it’s vitally important to have your kids water safe at an early age.”

Most of us think of swim lessons as a necessity, especially here in Florida where we use our pools from April to October. We teach our children to float, swim, and survive. Maybe we play marco polo, sometimes we organize diving games, but rarely do we sign them up for swimming as a sport.

“Most parents don’t think of swimming as a team sport, but it really is a good option. 80% of kids abandon the sport after they learn swim safety. I would tell parents it’s one of the best experiences in teamwork your kids will ever have. You’re in the pool with other kids, you’re side by side in the lanes, you’re cheering each other on and there is so much camaraderie. What they learn from swimming will pay off in every other aspect of their lives — from teamwork, confidence, and self esteem to focus, discipline and time management.”

If that endorsement from a twelve-time Olympic medalist doesn’t get you jazzed about your kids swimming, then consider this; it’s also great exercise for parents. Dara Torres swam all through her pregnancy, including the day she delivered her daughter Tessa, now age 8. Torres said she didn’t even think about competing again after becoming a mom, “but 3 weeks post delivery I missed it. I asked my doctor, got in the pool, and the weight melted off. I didn’t anticipate ever swimming again really.”

Fifteen months later she swam in her 5th and final Olympics, becoming the oldest swimmer to compete in an Olympic games.

#147740828 / gettyimages.com

I have always been an advocate of exercising with your kids, something Torres is passionate about as well. “Kids learn by example. And from a fitness perspective, swimming is one of the best total body workouts a child can get. And the risk of injury is low. I have an 8-year-old daughter who is on a swim team and loves it. I want other moms to know how much fun it can be.”

Swimming is fun, and quite honestly it never crossed my mind as a sport to sign my daughters up for. But after logging on to Swim Today’s website, I was surprised out how many teams and aquatic centers were so close to my home. It’s definitely something to consider…as soon as my little ones learn how to float, and are ok with getting their faces wet!

For more information about swimming in your area, click swimtoday.org. And as the ultimate swim-mom Dara Torres says, “swimming really is a lifelong gift we can give to our kids.” See you at the pool!

Comments

thebrowngirlwithlonghair says

May 7, 2014 at 2:58 am

Great post, Kristen…and timely! Scotty recently started his second round of swim lessons — that child is a water baby with absolutely no fear of the water, which, believe me, I think is a good thing! He’s like his mama: I took my first swim lessons at 3 because when my parents and I moved back here from Chicago, they bought a house with a pool. I’ve loved the water ever since.

It just makes safety all the more important…

Sign Up Form

Press Logos 2

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply