Genesia said:

NDRU said:

the great thing about that technique is it is a calm and seamless transition into drowning from exhaustion

Do you have an alternative, [Name calling snip - luv4u]?

The point of the technique is to avoid exhaustion, which will come a damn sight quicker if you're treading water or flailing around in a panic. It's used to buy time for someone to get to you - no one said you could do it indefinitely.

How many lifesaving courses have you passed?

Jeez, you're so serious!

but I think the key to swimming at all is learning to relax in water. It seems the more you panic the harder it would be to stay afloat, and the more you relax, the easier it is.

We actually did this thing where we had to jump in the pool fully clothed and make lifesavers out of our jeans! I always wondered if that could really be practical

[Edited 8/4/10 15:05pm]

Genesia said:

NDRU said:

the great thing about that technique is it is a calm and seamless transition into drowning from exhaustion

Do you have an alternative, [Name calling snip - luv4u]?

The point of the technique is to avoid exhaustion, which will come a damn sight quicker if you're treading water or flailing around in a panic. It's used to buy time for someone to get to you - no one said you could do it indefinitely.

How many lifesaving courses have you passed?

He was just kidding. But I'm sure there's some truth to it, lol.

I'll try floating tomorrow when I go for a swim. It's freezing right now but maybe that will help slow my heart rate even more and make it comfortable and meditative.

NDRU said:

Genesia said:

Do you have an alternative, [Name calling snip - luv4u]?

The point of the technique is to avoid exhaustion, which will come a damn sight quicker if you're treading water or flailing around in a panic. It's used to buy time for someone to get to you - no one said you could do it indefinitely.

How many lifesaving courses have you passed?

Jeez, you're so serious!

but I think the key to swimming at all is learning to relax in water. It seems the more you panic the harder it would be to stay afloat, and the more you relax, the easier it is.

We actually did this thing where we had to jump in the pool fully clothed and make lifesavers out of our jeans! I always wondered if that could really be practical

[Edited 8/4/10 15:05pm]

exactly! it does work too...

survival floating is hard for some because they hate having their face submerged

I took all those Red Cross classes to the highest level!

now if I were in better shape, I could be a lifeguard

BklynBabe said:

NDRU said:

Jeez, you're so serious!

but I think the key to swimming at all is learning to relax in water. It seems the more you panic the harder it would be to stay afloat, and the more you relax, the easier it is.

We actually did this thing where we had to jump in the pool fully clothed and make lifesavers out of our jeans! I always wondered if that could really be practical

[Edited 8/4/10 15:05pm]

exactly! it does work too...

survival floating is hard for some because they hate having their face submerged

I took all those Red Cross classes to the highest level!

now if I were in better shape, I could be a lifeguard

<--- has inflated her pants many times

Shut up, johnart!

Genesia said:

BklynBabe said:

exactly! it does work too...

survival floating is hard for some because they hate having their face submerged

I took all those Red Cross classes to the highest level!

now if I were in better shape, I could be a lifeguard

<--- has inflated her pants many times

Shut up, johnart!

you wear pants??

BklynBabe said:

Genesia said:

<--- has inflated her pants many times

Shut up, johnart!

you wear pants??

I'm wearing jeans even as we speak.

Genesia said:

BklynBabe said:

you wear pants??

I'm wearing inflatable jeans even as we speak.

BklynBabe said:

Genesia said:

I'm wearing inflatable jeans even as we speak.

Actually, all jeans are inflatable.

last time I was in the pool with all my guys I was getting them to show me how they float, they can just lie there on their backs! if you put your ears in the water and try to get your tummy above the water, you float!

ZombieKitten said:

last time I was in the pool with all my guys I was getting them to show me how they float, they can just lie there on their backs! if you put your ears in the water and try to get your tummy above the water, you float!

Totally. I just lie back and float, and don't need to do anything to stay floating except breathe. I love being in the water. I'm not an amazing swimmer but I'm so comfortable in water and I seem to be able to get around with a minimum of fuss and effort in the water. I'll get in a pool and then basically not touch my feet on the bottom the whole time I'm there, and not because I'm constantly swimming lengths either. Swimming is so good for you, especially when you're drowning.

Fauxie said:

ZombieKitten said:

last time I was in the pool with all my guys I was getting them to show me how they float, they can just lie there on their backs! if you put your ears in the water and try to get your tummy above the water, you float!

Totally. I just lie back and float, and don't need to do anything to stay floating except breathe. I love being in the water. I'm not an amazing swimmer but I'm so comfortable in water and I seem to be able to get around with a minimum of fuss and effort in the water. I'll get in a pool and then basically not touch my feet on the bottom the whole time I'm there, and not because I'm constantly swimming lengths either. Swimming is so good for you, especially when you're drowning.

Swimming is so good for you, especially when you're drowning.

..... that's the understatement of the day

what a horrifying story. Rest in peace young ones

It's probably saddeningly true that fewer African Americans know how to swim, but I think that issue is an economic issue and not a cultural one. First, most African Americans lack readily available access to swimming pools, particularly those in highly urban and highly rural areas, and fewer have access to programs with basic aqautic instruction. In addition, most people learn how to swim by being taught in PE classes in middle and high schools, but many public schools don't have a swimming pool, and even among those who do, cities and states have cut school budgets for aquatic lessons, and in many cases aquatics are considered an elective course, which means that it is not mandatory for students to participate.

Fortunately, I began learning how to swim in elementary school, and in middle school swimming was a quarter-long required PE course. It would be great if school districts would require aquatic instruction, but then they would have to overcome the above obstacles.

Lawd, this reminds me. My father hired some bicycles with my mother and one of my aunts in some picturesque village somewhere to do a scenic ride and picnic thing. Somehow he managed to slip down a grass verge and fall into a canal. He can swim so I don't know why it was so tricky for him, but in the end someone in a house on the other side had to come out with a dinghy and rescue him. It's weird being reminded that your parents are getting old, especially if it's your 6ft 5 father, 'the big man', the tall, strong guy who you always thought was superman.

Genesia said:

retina said:

Oh, with hand and feet movements. Got it. I would probably call that a gentle backstroke, lol. If they're going to learn that they might as well learn how to swim properly. It doesn't take that long.

Actually, there's something even better called survival floating. You do this face down. Put your face in the water, let your feet hang toward the bottom. Your upper back will float because of the air in your lungs. Stay completely relaxed and when you need to breathe, simply move your arms down while raising your head. Take one breath and return to neutral. Don't waste energy trying to tread water for ongoing breathing. One breath and back down.

When I passed my advanced lifesaving course, we had to do this for a half hour.

We always referred to that as the "dead man's float." I don't think I had to do that for 30 minutes when I took my lifeguard training, but I do remember having to tread water for 10 minutes(?) while holding a 10 pound brick at the surface of the water; and side-stroking two lengths of the olympic size pool while carrying a 10 pound weight on my hip.

I don't ever remember *not* knowing how to swim. I have memories of taking swimming lessons at the age of 5 or 6. I'm so glad my parents had my brother and me take them. I was a life guard all through high school and college - it was an awesome workstudy job - much better than working in the cafeteria or library, especially when the injured athletes had to do water workouts!

So sad.

I never learned, and I only think a few of my family members know how to.

Fauxie said:

ZombieKitten said:

last time I was in the pool with all my guys I was getting them to show me how they float, they can just lie there on their backs! if you put your ears in the water and try to get your tummy above the water, you float!

Totally. I just lie back and float, and don't need to do anything to stay floating except breathe. I love being in the water. I'm not an amazing swimmer but I'm so comfortable in water and I seem to be able to get around with a minimum of fuss and effort in the water. I'll get in a pool and then basically not touch my feet on the bottom the whole time I'm there, and not because I'm constantly swimming lengths either. Swimming is so good for you, especially when you're drowning.

I tried to teach my brother "how to float" a few years ago, and he continued to literally sink like a rock every time

He was a lot slimmer then, so maybe he didn't have enough body fat or something, but until I wrapped his ass in floaties, he just continued to calmy sink to the bottom of the water whenever he stretched out in floating position.

....Oh, and as for the topic of the thread, it's hard to pinpoint why so many black children can not swim, but I think it just is a bit of a vicious cycle where the parent can't swim, so doesn't really put a lot of emphasis on the kids learning

Also (just from my observation!) there's an element of vanity too that make black women not want to get in the pool too often. My high school was all-girls (but still a public school) and we had to take a mandatory swimming semester, and the majority of my classmates avoided getting in the pool like it was filled with toilet water for fear that their hair would all fall out/break off/ look bad/etc...

And for the 2 years that I was on the swim team, there were only about 2 other black females on the team with all of the others being white.

thekidsgirl said:

Fauxie said:

Totally. I just lie back and float, and don't need to do anything to stay floating except breathe. I love being in the water. I'm not an amazing swimmer but I'm so comfortable in water and I seem to be able to get around with a minimum of fuss and effort in the water. I'll get in a pool and then basically not touch my feet on the bottom the whole time I'm there, and not because I'm constantly swimming lengths either. Swimming is so good for you, especially when you're drowning.

I tried to teach my brother "how to float" a few years ago, and he continued to literally sink like a rock every time

He was a lot slimmer then, so maybe he didn't have enough body fat or something, but until I wrapped his ass in floaties, he just continued to calmy sink to the bottom of the water whenever he stretched out in floating position.

I reckon it IS that

thekidsgirl said:

....Oh, and as for the topic of the thread, it's hard to pinpoint why so many black children can not swim, but I think it just is a bit of a vicious cycle where the parent can't swim, so doesn't really put a lot of emphasis on the kids learning

Also (just from my observation!) there's an element of vanity too that make black women not want to get in the pool too often. My high school was all-girls (but still a public school) and we had to take a mandatory swimming semester, and the majority of my classmates avoided getting in the pool like it was filled with toilet water for fear that their hair would all fall out/break off/ look bad/etc...

And for the 2 years that I was on the swim team, there were only about 2 other black females on the team with all of the others being white.

Chris Rock said it's the HAIR - could that be it?

thekidsgirl said:

Fauxie said:

Totally. I just lie back and float, and don't need to do anything to stay floating except breathe. I love being in the water. I'm not an amazing swimmer but I'm so comfortable in water and I seem to be able to get around with a minimum of fuss and effort in the water. I'll get in a pool and then basically not touch my feet on the bottom the whole time I'm there, and not because I'm constantly swimming lengths either. Swimming is so good for you, especially when you're drowning.

I tried to teach my brother "how to float" a few years ago, and he continued to literally sink like a rock every time

He was a lot slimmer then, so maybe he didn't have enough body fat or something, but until I wrapped his ass in floaties, he just continued to calmy sink to the bottom of the water whenever he stretched out in floating position.

I'm an excellent swimmer, but because I have dense bones and a lot of muscle, I sink like a stone.

NDRU said:

Genesia said:

Actually, there's something even better called survival floating. You do this face down. Put your face in the water, let your feet hang toward the bottom. Your upper back will float because of the air in your lungs. Stay completely relaxed and when you need to breathe, simply move your arms down while raising your head. Take one breath and return to neutral. Don't waste energy trying to tread water for ongoing breathing. One breath and back down.

When I passed my advanced lifesaving course, we had to do this for a half hour.

the great thing about that technique is it is a calm and seamless transition into drowning from exhaustion

...I'm certain the technique works, though.

[Edited 8/5/10 7:12am]

MidniteMagnet said:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/...d=11312631

Sad. 6 teens wading in the water ended up drowning because they went in too deep and none of them could swim. Their family on the beach just watched them drown because they couldn't swim either.

Why do you think 70% of black kids can't swim?

Edited to add: I'm white and I can barely swim. I can't even stay above water doing the doggy paddle.

[Edited 8/4/10 13:32pm]

Good question. When I was younger was always good at sports...all sports except swimming. I've had access to pools my entire life and I can't swim a lick. I've had professional instruction and could never pick it up. I can't explain it........but u would NEVER catch me out in water deeper than 3 feet under any circumstances.

ZombieKitten said:

thekidsgirl said:

....Oh, and as for the topic of the thread, it's hard to pinpoint why so many black children can not swim, but I think it just is a bit of a vicious cycle where the parent can't swim, so doesn't really put a lot of emphasis on the kids learning

Also (just from my observation!) there's an element of vanity too that make black women not want to get in the pool too often. My high school was all-girls (but still a public school) and we had to take a mandatory swimming semester, and the majority of my classmates avoided getting in the pool like it was filled with toilet water for fear that their hair would all fall out/break off/ look bad/etc...

And for the 2 years that I was on the swim team, there were only about 2 other black females on the team with all of the others being white.

Chris Rock said it's the HAIR - could that be it?

sad to say, that probably is a factor. Chlorine is hard on hair!

thekidsgirl said:

Fauxie said:

Totally. I just lie back and float, and don't need to do anything to stay floating except breathe. I love being in the water. I'm not an amazing swimmer but I'm so comfortable in water and I seem to be able to get around with a minimum of fuss and effort in the water. I'll get in a pool and then basically not touch my feet on the bottom the whole time I'm there, and not because I'm constantly swimming lengths either. Swimming is so good for you, especially when you're drowning.

I tried to teach my brother "how to float" a few years ago, and he continued to literally sink like a rock every time

He was a lot slimmer then, so maybe he didn't have enough body fat or something, but until I wrapped his ass in floaties, he just continued to calmy sink to the bottom of the water whenever he stretched out in floating position.

Floating doesn't mean you have to be perfectly supine or prone. You have to find your center of gravity. It might be that instead of laying horizontally on the surface of the water, you float at an angle.

can't swim? playing in the water?

I just remembered that we had to pass a swimming exam in order to graduate from high school in San Francisco. I wonder if they still do this.

Anybody rememember Eric The Eel near damn drowning in the Olympics?