Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/634167
14 EXERCISE FOR "LIFE" Now swimming professionally with her eyes on the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Franklin says she took the ambassador position for two reasons: to give back to the organization that helped her and so many other athletes reach their Olympic dreams and to help keep the country's kids safer by encouraging swimming lessons. "It just breaks my heart that we still have so many kids drowning every day," Franklin says, her generally upbeat personality fading momentarily. "I mean, it's preventable." About 10 people drown each day in the United States, two of them children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many more suffer repercussions of near-drownings. While studies are limited, there are enough for health experts to say swimming lessons can help prevent some of these tragedies. "We have information that shows kids are actually 88 percent safer around the water after taking formal swimming lessons," says Debbie Hesse, executive director of the USA Swimming Foundation, headquartered in Colorado Springs. "No one is 100 percent safe around water, not even Missy Franklin. But we feel those are pretty good odds." Roadblocks exist for many parents: the cost of lessons; a fear of water. "If a parent doesn't know how to swim, there's only a 13-percent chance their child will learn to swim," Hesse says. In response, nationally publicized messages from Franklin, some with her mother, will begin airing soon about the importance of child water safety and the USA Swimming Foundation's Make a Splash initiative. The initiative provides grants to swimming programs across the country, including in Colorado, that agree to offer free or reduced lessons and/or water-safety classes (see www.usaswimmingfoundation.org for local partners). TIPS FOR TAKING THE PLUNGE All kids won't find the water as magical as Franklin did. Her family video collection overflows with scenes of her splashing with joy in bathtubs, swimming pools and ocean waves. But Franklin and other swimming experts believe that getting kids in the water as soon as possible can help quash fears and build safe, little swimmers. "It's something they have fun doing together, interacting with a parent or grandparent," says Heidi Adderly, general manager of SafeSplash Swim School in Parker, which starts babies at 6 months with parents in classes. Franklin and Adderly, who also swam competitively through college, offer a few other tips for parents seeking classes for kids: Find a program that emphasizes water safety and take part. Parent involvement helps with ensuring water safety, Adderly says. "For instance, we have parents come up with family rules, so like they have to say the word 'orange' before the child can get in the water. It teaches kids they can't just go and jump in with their friends, that that is unsafe, and there are consequences." Find an instructor that matches a child's personality and needs. "We know every kid learns differently," Adderly says. "Some kids might respond to someone who has a really fun and playful personality. Others, especially upper levels, where we're teaching Missy Franklin, who recently joined the USA Swimming Foundation as an ambassador, combines two of her biggest loves - swimming and children - by teaching kids swimming basics for water safety.