JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Swimming: it’s a life-saving skill that most Americans don’t know how to do.
The statistics are staggering. Most people can’t swim well enough to save themselves.
Those numbers are even higher among Black Americans.
I have a personal story, based on my journey of learning to swim.
My parents signed me up for swim lessons twice during my childhood.
The lessons never stuck, and when I was 12, I nearly drowned while learning to swim at a YMCA in North Carolina.
That incident, followed by a family move to a new city, caused me to stop taking lessons and made me nervous any time I was near deep water.
Now, 19 years later, I’m back at the Y, facing my fear with the goal of learning how to swim.
I decided to restart my lessons at the Brooks Family YMCA.
It’s a full circle moment for me.
Aquatics Director Shayne Meyers said it’s extremely important to know how to swim, especially living here in the Sunshine State.
“In Florida, especially, there are so many bodies of water that can be potentially dangerous for us,” said Meyers. “If we can learn those skills and be able to help ourselves out in a sticky situation, or even be able to use the skills that we learn and be able to translate to the next generation.”
I’m not alone.
At least 54% of Americans don’t swim well enough to save themselves, according to the Red Cross.
The USA Swimming Foundation says 64% of Black children can’t swim compared to 40% of white children.
And 78% of Black parents have little to no swimming ability compared to 67% of white parents.
Black children ages 10 to 14 are nearly eight times more likely to drown than white children.
Studies show it’s partially because of institutionalized racism surrounding the history of municipal swimming pools.
In Florida, the numbers are just as startling.
Florida has the highest drowning death rate in the country when it comes to kids under 9 years old, according to the latest data from the Florida Department of Health.
And it’s not an issue restricted to children.
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 413 people have drowned in Florida since 2018.
More than half of those people were older than 14.
Brooks Y Vice President of Social Responsibility Ericia Moore said there are also other factors.
“I think a lot of that has to do with access,” said Moore. “In addition to that, if the parent has any fear of water, or if there’s been a traumatic experience in their childhood, that typically trickles down to the younger generation.”
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 pool at 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 water.
Meyers said the goal is to teach me the key skills to help me swim well enough to save my life.
“The biggest thing is floating, being confident on top of the water and under the water. I’m going to give you skills to learn how to kick and learn how to move your arms. Hopefully, eventually, we’ll be able to get you one full lap and be able to teach you another stroke as well,” Meyers said.
For my first lesson, we went over the basics. I was tested to see how comfortable I was underwater. We also went over front-floating and back-floating. Then, we went over techniques using floaties.
By the end of the lesson, I put the first few skills I learned to the test. I was surprised that I was able to make it halfway across the pool on my first day.
My ultimate goal is to finish what I started, right here at the Y, and even dive into the deep end again.
The YMCA said they have students that range in age from 6 months old to senior citizens in their 70s and 80s who are learning to swim.
They also have initiatives like the Safety Around Water program, which aims to teach minorities how to swim.
I’m very excited about this journey, and I hope this inspires people that it’s never too late to learn something new.