I've known a couple of young men who have drowned, so this time of year I like to cite a good article in Slate on how often people drown in plain sight of potential rescuers who don't realize what is happening:
The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled before speech occurs. ... Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don’t look like they’re drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them, “Are you all right?” If they can answer at all—they probably are. If they return a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them. And parents—children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.
From a new report mentioned in the NYT:
... blacks ages 5 to 19 were 5.5 times more likely to drown in pools than whites the same age. The study is limited by a lack of data on who swims where — for example, if blacks have less access to swimming pools or choose not to use them, their rates of drowning may be even higher than the report indicates.
Motel swimming pools are extremely dangerous for blacks. Black males tend to have lower percentage body fat and denser bones and thus tend to float poorly or not at all. You can definitely learn to swim if you don't float but it's less fun than if you do float. Black girls often have have complicated hair treatments that make them averse to taking swimming lessons. But black parents need to overcome all their children's reasons not to learn to swim and make sure their kids learn.
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79 comments:
Conversely, Latinos are unusually adept at water crossings.
"blacks ages 5 to 19 were 5.5 times more likely to drown in pools than whites the same age."
This is because lifeguards are racist; letting African-American Negroes of Color drown is their way of meeting out "racial justice".
Americans think racism is on the wane, but it never went away. When the Klan officially disbanded, huge numbers of former KKK members went into the lifeguard business, trading their solid-white robes and sharply pointed hats for a pair of red swimming trunks and a flotation device. And that zinc oxide on their noses--ever notice what color it is? That's right--white. All white.
I'm pretty sure the Out Of Africa event must have included a swimming leg on the trip. Possibly a raft or two and some dug out canoes.
The Straits between Djibouti and Aden is the first flight/swim away from Africa.
As it happens, the other day a story came up on London UK local TV news about a male and female couple of African immigrants to the UK on a hotel break whilst conducting an illcit affair, (the man was married to another woman), both drowning in the hotel swimming pool.
I was perplexed on hearing the news, knowing that these type of pools are little more than glorified paddling pools, and the notion of drowning in water which you can touch with your feet seemed ridiculous. Apparently a few witnesses saw the pair thrashing, splashing and writhing about together and thought little of it, believing it to be merely aquatic amorous behavior - but of course, they were trying to use each other's bodies as 'life rafts' - and killing each other in the process.
This happened to me. Someone was sitting directly above me, no more than 2 feet away, and he had no idea I was drowning. Another man in another yard jumped the fence to get to me.
Scary times. Eish. :( :( :(
lol at the hair part
Teach them how to swim or teach them to stay away from pools
Water is wacist.
...blacks ages 5 to 19 were 5.5 times more likely to drown in pools than whites the same age.
Hey, they're also more likely to commit rape, murder and assault but who's noticing.
Lets keep the focus on blacks-as-victims.
Also good to know that no Asians or Hispanics use pools and therefore have no chance of drowning in them.
A neologism y'all may appreciate: Prumbots (Professional Umbrage & Offence Takers)
I coined the term today in this blog post about recent controversy in Aussie state politics.
Water be racist and sheeittt
I'm a sinker. My mom made me take lessons for a few years and I became a strong swimmer, but I could never pass the float tests without a little treading. However, when I went swimming in the Mediterranean I floated without any trouble for the first time in my life. Now that I think back on that, it was more fun.
When it comes to drowning, panic has a big influence. People who can remain calm have a better chance. I think that's significantly more important than floating ability. After all, even people who can float have to tread water to keep their head above water.
So I'd guess that a lot of these drownings could be prevented with a couple summers of swimming lessons. Unfortunately, from the composition of the inner city lessons my kids took, it doesn't seem that many black parents have their kids learn to swim. Blacks were seriously underrepresented even in beginners' classes.
UNC-CH abandoned its ancient and noble traditon of a swim test about eight years ago.
The local swim instructors told me [in confidence] that it was because the blacks were having so much difficulty passing the exam [there had been a thriving private industry in tutoring the undergrads who still needed to pass their swim test before they could graduate] ergo the swim test had posed a serious threat to black graduation rates.
This from the same school which no longer requires their black students to be literate, much less attend classes in actual courses.
Black folk - doing wonders for American standards since January 1, 1863.
Thanks Steve.
I've personally pulled two drowning kids out of resort swimming pools in my lifetime. And no-one else there knew they were drowning. I just pulled them out and after a couple of minutes rest they just went on their merry way and nobody else knew what happened. That's why my kids completed the Red Cross swim series by age 9, you need to waterproof kids ASAP who spend time around boats, docks, swimming pools, lakes, etc. otherwise you spend your free time as a lifeguard.
Always taught at Sea Survival courses that women float better than men and survive hypothermia better than men due to more body fat.
Chinese float longer than Whites who float longer than Blacks; bone density being the determining factor here.
But we are all the same? Nah.
Take it that is the point you are making here Steve.
Gordo
This is one of the (many) ways that not paying attention to HBD is harmful.
Physical differences make whites better swimmers, and it probably makes swimming more fun for whites. Those differences also make it very important that blacks take swimming lessons.
But it's better to let blacks drown than to admit that there is a problem.
I saw a three year old girl almost drown in her own pool. She was with her father and her two siblings and all of them had been taught to swim and self-rescue at the side - so I had been told.
She was treading water industriously, three feet from the edge and three feet from me, her nose underwater and her eyes fixed on me. She treads water really well, I thought, and just as it dawned on me that her eyes were full of terror, her father realized what was happening and snatched her out.
If her back had been to me, I would never have figured in out until she inhaled water and went under.
Small children have proportionately big heads and it's hard for them to get them above the water.
Drowning people go vertical.
To rescue a drowner, throw a flotation device, row a boat, go and swim out. Throw, row, go, in that order.
If you have to swim to rescue a drowner, be prepared to be grabbed.
If they reach for you, take their hand in a cross hold (your right to their right) and spin them so their back is to you. Then use your foot to shove them in the butt so they go horizontal.
If they get hold of you, push them up so you go down - they probably won't want to go down too and they'll let go.
I don't know how many white people have told me they can't float. Very few of them appeared to have anywhere near the low body fat that would make that likely. I think most simply never learned to put their head back and relax, which is essential. Even with low body density, only a small portion of your body sticks out when you float, so you have to be able to lie back and let it be your nose and mouth.
Float-worthy or not, keeping more of your head above water requires treading, which isn't particularly complicated or difficult. Anyone should be able to tread water long enough to get his breath and yell for help. Any kid can learn to do it, and any adult too out of shape to do it shouldn't be in the water.
By the way, this is a good answer to the question someone posed several days ago: what benefit would there be in acknowledging racial differences?
Another source of problems is church or family picnics. I have read several stories of Mexican, black or Arab outings to a local park. One kid falls/jumps/wades into a creek, starts struggling and then a few non-swimmers jump in to the rescue.
The more people struggling in the water, the more emotional pressure to jump in and "do something" (even if you cannot swim yourself).
I'd be curious as to how more likely males are to drown than females. The higher fat-to-muscle ratio for females obviously comes into play.
Interesting that this year you omitted the part about the high numbers of Russians (even if they aren't staretses) drowning that you included in a previous year.
Not a bad place or time to recall that, before he ever went to Hollywood to become an actor, Ronald Reagan, as a lifeguard, had saved more lives (77) than anyone before (or since).
The stretch of river where he worked (from age 15 to 21) had claimed at least one life (and usually, several) every season for as long as anyone could remember but not one drowned during his 7 years at the job.
While "stranded" in England for a number of years, Ben Franklin happened, fortuitously, to save the life of a young man drowning in the Thames. He was handsomely rewarded by the young man's wealthy father and further, engaged to teach him to swim. By and large, the English (including sailors) knew nothing of swimming, though it was quite common in America. Soon, Franklin's services were sought (and rewarded) by many of the wealthy--to the extent that he thought carefully over whether or not to remain in England.
Part of the reason blacks can't swim is that you have to listen to the swimming instructor instead of horsing around, be able to understand what is said, be willing to make the effort to obey instead of scorning it all, and then practice your new skills over and over.
Your average black has never been good at listening, understanding, and doing work. This is why they perform badly in school. Learning to swim is just another lesson they can't absorb.
Swimming pools are evil racisssss things.
The swim coach at Washington University in St. Louis told me (1964) that the old saying that if they relax 98% of people will float is only true for whites. The comparable rate for blacks is 39%!
I wouldn't be able to relax with those odds against me.
I really don't think that blacks have lower body fat. We're talking American blacks, right?
Maybe body fat is adaptive, eh?
I know I saw better at 30 than I did at 14.
I'm pretty sure bone density is a social construct.
Halfway on-topic has anyone else noticed how small hotel pools have gotten? In hotels built in the eighties and before, they were sometimes about a quarter of Olympic size. And not only in high priced hotels, but in places like Rantoul, Illinois and Alexandria, Minnesota. Did big pools get harder to insure? Did real prosperity dip that much? Or is it just an example of better resource allocation?
What's going on here? The difference is striking.
The Straits between Djibouti and Aden is the first flight/swim away from Africa.
Up until the end of the last ice age, the Red Sea was a gigantic inland lake and Arabia was connected at both ends to Africa.
(As far as I've heard, it's always tough to sort out legitimate geology from the quacks)
When I was 10 or 11 years old,during the 1970's I went to a public pool in Oakland Ca with my Chinese-American friend. We got threatened, assaulted and molested by Hispanic and Black guys. I had my bikini bottoms ripped off by a black guy. A Mexican guy jammed me against the side of the pool and rammed his knee between my legs, into my crotch, over and over again in a rape like fashion, because I wouldn't give him my phone number. Seriously, we went once and never again.
Pretty amazing statistic sourced from ISteve. Add to that the backyard pool is a white priviledge recreational good. There must be 100x more white backyard pools than black backyard pools.
Astonishing revelation and worthy of national public discussion.
Just had a vacation at Disneyworld. The lifeguards at my hotel (Wilderness Lodge) were some of the most hardcore I've ever seen. There always at least 3, sometimes 4 young adult types with a flotation device in hand, pacing the edge of the pool back and forth... very carefully studying the faces of kids having fun, playing, etc. I thought it was overkill for liability purposes, until I witnessed one of them save a kid from drowning... in the shallow end, no less.
No matter what your race is... watch your kids in the pool!
@Bill: ...Blacks were seriously underrepresented...
Disparate impact.
I used to be a lifeguard at city pools in the diverse areas of town. Oh man, if iSteve ever has a meetup at a bar, I could tell y'all some stories.
Suffice it to say that A) lots of blacks can't swim; and B) that fact does not deter them in the least from getting in the water.
I've seen them sit on the edge of he pool at the deep, loudly announcing that they can't swim, only to have their idiot friends try to push them in. They'll also walk around in the shallow end, cackling and playing weird games, seeing if they can draw the non-swimmers into the deep end.
On another note, it was a constant source of amusement to witness the City trying to recruit black lifeguards, to improve diversity, only to have them fail miserably during training (or commit felonies while on duty, but I digress).
In Florida, they used to have a swim test for police officer candidates, and blacks always had trouble passing it. I suspect that they still have the test.
Great image that people are tweeting on twitter. It reads:
“The Cultural Marxist War against Darwinism
Creationists: evolution is a social construct, not biologically real.
Liberal Creationists: race is a social construct, not biologically real.”
Image at: http://oi62.tinypic.com/21ovkpj.jpg
This perfectly sums up the idiocy of the “social construct” positions — both of religious and liberal creationists.
When I was in the USMC, we had to swim qual every 3 months. Every time, a number of the guys in my battalion would fail and have to spend a week at the pool in remedial swim training. Since I was a pretty good swimmer, I would frequently be an instructor for these sessions, which actually were usually pretty interesting. Two observations:
1) Some black guys can sink like you wouldn't believe. I wouldn't have, had I not seen it. Some of our methodology was pretty straightforward - i.e., jump in the deep end of the pool repeatedly. And some of the black guys would sink to the bottom almost as quickly as a cannonball. Again, I was pretty fit, very low body fat then, and I tried a number of times to see if I could even come close to this sort of thing by exhaling all the air from my lungs and jumping in, but I never could come close. And I never saw anyone of another race sink like that whereas it, while not universal, was pretty common among the black guys.
2) White (and other races other than black) guys who couldn't swim usually seemed like they had some individual problem, like they were a f*ckup in general in life, or they had seen their brother drown, or whatever, and usually it was something pretty unique to that person and identifiable as the root of their problem w/swimming. A lot of these guys had all sorts of phobias about getting in the water, putting their face into the water, etc, anxiety reactions and so forth.
I generally had little luck w/those guys because for the most part, they needed something a lot more than just swimming lessons.
OTOH, the black guys were typically just guys who didn't know how to swim and would approach the exercise pretty matter of factly, if not eagerly, jumping into the water (and sinking to the bottom where we'd have to pull them out) repeatedly and quite cooperatively. A lot of them recognized their non-swimming as a personal deficiency (beyond being a USMC deficiency) and were quite eager to learn to swim.
For the most part, everyone, white/black/other minority engaging in this exercise was pretty matter of fact about the flotational challenges that blacks had and it was an unremarkable topic in that pre-PC era. Therefore, we could actually address the issue, sort of tailoring some of the instruction to account for this. And it is possible for the sinkers to learn to swim very competently, but I'd agree it is definitely more work for them and probably not as enjoyable as for others.
The scenario suggests that men crossed the straits. At the time 70,000 years ago they were cross a 3-8 mile body of water with a couple of sand bars. The genetic mathematics also suggest that about 200 individuals made the crossing.
Chain yanking alert:
" for example, if blacks have less access to swimming pools..."
The juxtaposition of the words 'less' and 'access' in a NY Times article is the sound of a chain being yanked."
I'm not bothering to read the original article. You did so I don't have to. But presumably reliable stats come from hospital records? So what would it have to do with where the kid drowned?
Just had a vacation at Disneyworld. The lifeguards at my hotel (Wilderness Lodge) were some of the most hardcore I've ever seen. There always at least 3, sometimes 4 young adult types with a flotation device in hand, pacing the edge of the pool back and forth... very carefully studying the faces of kids having fun, playing, etc. I thought it was overkill for liability purposes, until I witnessed one of them save a kid from drowning... in the shallow end, no less.
So, were they White or Hispanic. In Orange County there are a lot of Mexicans that can swim because of high school water polo and swimming but usually the white kids go out for the year-round water polo clubs and Swim clubs more so they are usually better swimmers.
I remember reading Elaine Morgan's "The Ascent of Man" back in high school. It made a huge impression on me. She espoused the aquatic theory of human evolution -- that our ancient ancestors spent significant time in the water. The theory very neatly explains everything from the races' differing body compositions and particular physical abilities to hair, skin and facial features. In short, blacks came out of the water before whites and are therefore slightly more adapted to life on solid ground. Whites' ancient ancestors spent more time in and around water, hence their aquatic abilities, not to mention their almost instinctive fondness for activities in and around water. The more you think about it, the more sense it makes.
Sinker here. When I use survival floating techniques my point of equilibrium, where I stop sinking, is about six inches below the surface of the water, which obviously prevents me from doing things like turning my head to the side and taking a breath of air.
Had years of swimming lessons as a kid, as a very fit teenager got to the point where I could make it across an Olympic size pool twice, but at the end of a single lap I was absolutely spent and utterly exhausted, heaving for breath with every muscle on fire, so great was the effort to stay on the surface. Then I'd watch the 70 year-old, 300 lb fatties in the other lanes of the pool effortlessly swimming lap after lap after lap - discouraging.
Does anyone know whether there are techniques that can be used to teach sinkers to swim more effectively? Once while in the pool I kicked out and just sort started -- gliding across the surface. There was no friction, I stayed afloat -- I knew that this is what swimming is SUPPOSED to be like. However, I've never been able to replicate it. Does anyone know of any swimming resources that can help sinkers?
American blacks sure don't appear to have less body fat than other groups. Blacks appear to be the fattest group of all.
Just had a vacation at Disneyworld. The lifeguards at my hotel (Wilderness Lodge) were some of the most hardcore I've ever seen.
Disney has cracked down on the use of its pools after a 13-year-old boy drowned last May at the Pop Century resort. He was swimming after hours, when the pool was open but no lifeguards were on duty.
Now the pools are supposed to be locked whenever there are no lifeguards.
Speaking of blacks, how about this? I'm at UCSF med center on diviz and thereare blacks walking around everywhere, but the guy on the piano in the lobby singing "Wonderful Tonight is a Mexican or Filipino guy with arm tattoos. He can really sing, too. What a city!
Fwd:
Updated Image people are Tweeting:
It reads:
“The Cultural Marxist War against Darwinism
Creationists: evolution is a social construct, not biologically real.
Liberal Creationists: race is a social construct, not biologically real.
Charles Darwin: I’m not a creationist; I’ll use the word ‘race’ in title of my Origin of Species”
Image at: http://oi61.tinypic.com/9kyn2w.jpg
This pretty well sums up how silly the “social construct” position is - whether by religious creationists or liberal creationists.
Joe Schmo said .....
"Does anyone know whether there are techniques that can be used to teach sinkers to swim more effectively? Once while in the pool I kicked out and just sort started -- gliding across the surface. There was no friction, I stayed afloat -- I knew that this is what swimming is SUPPOSED to be like. However, I've never been able to replicate it. Does anyone know of any swimming resources that can help sinkers?"
Were you doing freestyle? The crawl? Lots harder than it looks. Eg., you'll wear yourself out if you're twisting as you swim. Legs have to move from the waist - no bent knees.
Once you start to crap out, your anxiety level goes up, which adds to your fatigue. Your stroke falls apart further, etc., etc.
Most pools that have swim teams know of coaches for hire. The best swimmers have private coaching. Spend $50 or $100 for a session. They can make a big difference.
Breast stroke is easier if done slowly, but can be hard on the knees.
If you're in trouble, try the side stroke. Yeah, I know, it's the old ladies' preferred stroke. That's cause it's easier. It's also useful in lifesaving, to drag a drowing victim through the water.
"I wouldn't be able to relax with those odds against me." - I generally have to force the air out of my lungs to sink, but if you're holding a deep breath that should keep you up.
I was involved in two drowning's and in neither case was the drowning person visible on the surface.
When I was 17 on vacation in Pensacola there was a pretty girl who was watching a group of little kids. She started yelling 'where's Elisha'. I wanted to meet her, so I helped out. I was taller than everyone else so I could wade out into deeper water.
That's where I bumped into little Elisha floating unconscious about two feet below the surface. She was invisible in the turbid Gulf water. I pulled her out gave her my best Boy Scout artificial respiration and saved her life.
It was a very easy and low risk way to be a hero. I had only waded. I didn't even have to swim. Little Elisha used to write me Christmas cards for years after that.
But about twenty years ago I was waiting at the Mendocino shore when my in-laws went abalone free diving. I couldn't quite fit into my wet suit so I stayed on the beach. Her cousin - a wonderful kid and the strongest diver - went too deep. He passed out on the way up and only floated up to the surface later.
I felt responsible. I was devastated. I would burst spontaneously into tears for months thereafter.
Abalone free diving, I think, is one of the most dangerous sports there is. I couldn't have done anything of course. The guy who was right there with him - also a strong swimmer - never knew that anything was wrong until it was too late.
All the abalone in shallower waters have already been taken. By law you can't wear scuba equipment so free divers are tempted ever deeper to where the big ones can still be found.
So my experience with drowning's is that it takes place near by other people but our of sight. If you tell me that you can also drown while in sight of others, so much the worse.
Pat Boyle
Does anyone know of any swimming resources that can help sinkers?
When swimming "Freestyle" [aka "Front Crawl" aka "Australian Crawl"], do NOT bend your knees in your kick.
WRONG: A freestyle kick wherein you bend your knees as though you were riding a bicycle.
RIGHT: A freestyle kick where you lock your knees straight, point your toes, and leave a nice white frothy splash behind you with your feet.
Locked knee [and pointed toe] kicking -versus- lazy sloppy bent knee kicking is what separates serious competitive swimmers from goofy amateur near-drowners.
So:
1) Lock your knees [straight].
2) Point your toes [like a ballerina].
3) Have your feet leave a white frothy trail behind you [just like a motorboat engine].
An acquaintance was walking along a beach in Florida when he looked out to the surf zone and saw two people struggling; he watched for a moment in case it was just horseplay, but realized they needed rescue.
He was able to save the young boy, but unable to save the father. After bringing the boy to land he returned to save the man, who tragically had disappeared beneath the waves. If it matters, the rescuer is white, the father & son black.
"When it's least expected, you're elected."
Cail Corishev said...
I don't know how many white people have told me they can't float. Very few of them appeared to have anywhere near the low body fat that would make that likely. I think most simply never learned to put their head back and relax, which is essential. Even with low body density, only a small portion of your body sticks out when you float, so you have to be able to lie back and let it be your nose and mouth.
You can't just put your head back and relax if you can't float, because your legs sink first and you end up underwater in a vertical position. That's how it went for me when I tried to float. I'd take a deep breath and stop treading while flat across the surface of the water, then my legs would sink until I was vertical, at which point they would pull down the rest of my body.
Bill, right. I realize some people really don't float. But when a guy who looks like he's carrying an extra 80 pounds of fat around his belly tells me he doesn't swim because he can't float, I figure he just never learned how. Odds are he'd have a harder time sinking than floating.
Let's cut to the chase here. I am a middle aged Asian who doesn't know how to swim. I have been in the shallow ends of pools. Many years ago, I was told that the best way to float was to grab my ankles. Seems to works, with the big disadvantage that my face is submerged.
Sooo...what is the besy way for a non-swimmer to survive 5-10 minutes in shallow water while awaiting rescue?
Sooo...what is the besy way for a non-swimmer to survive 5-10 minutes in shallow water while awaiting rescue?
Think of yourself as a human pogo-stick.
Sink all the way to the bottom.
Plant your feet on the bottom.
Bend your knees.
Jump up as hard as you can.
When your head breaks out of the water, take a deep breath.
If there is any extra time, scream "HELP!".
Then sink all the way back down to the bottom and start all over again with a new jump.
Continue until help arrives.
Or, if no help is in the vicinity, then try to position your jumps so that you are moving closer and closer to dry land.
However, when I went swimming in the Mediterranean I floated without any trouble for the first time in my life. Now that I think back on that, it was more fun.
The Mediterranean Sea in higher in salinity than the ocean, which of course, is much higher in salinity than fresh water swimming pools.
-CW
Black males tend to have lower percentage body fat
There's no evidence that this is true ...
.. and denser bones
.. though there is evidence that this is.
Always taught at Sea Survival courses that women float better than men and survive hypothermia better than men due to more body fat.
Like most things which are "common knowledge", this isn't really true.
Consider the sinking of the ferry Estonia.
"By the time the rescue helicopters arrived, around a third of the people who escaped from the Estonia had died of hypothermia, and less than a half of those who had managed to leave the ship were eventually rescued. The survivors of the shipwreck were mostly young, of strong physical composition, and male."
American blacks sure don't appear to have less body fat than other groups. Blacks appear to be the fattest group of all.
Yeah, some people seem to base their mental image of American blacks solely on the black athletes they see on TV. As a group blacks are pretty obese, at least as much so as whites.
The only time we were ever racially segregated at Parris Island was during swim week -- the only black guys I remember who were able to swim were the West Indians. The shallow end was chock full of black faces learning to swim for the first time.
(Fun fact: the only white non-swimmer, a good friend of mine, grew up in the Bronx.)
Equatorial Guinea Olympic swimmer.
Right up there with the Jamaican bobsled team.
http://youtu.be/woYG6Uq6OVU
-CW
Reuters, 11/26/12: Three from California family drown in ocean trying to save dog
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/26/us-usa-california-family-idUSBRE8AP18920121126
A California mother and father and their 16-year-old son were swept out to sea over the weekend after a deadly chain of events set off when the teenager jumped into frigid waters to save the family dog from turbulent Pacific Ocean waves...The tragedy began...while the family...was walking...along a steep beach at Big Lagoon, about 270 miles north of San Francisco, Jones said...Howard Kuljian threw the dog a stick...and a wave, possibly as high as 10 feet, pulled the animal into the water. The son went in first to try to rescue his dog...then the father went in to save the son. The mother was swept in at that point...
By the way, a place that's nearly impossible to swim is underneath a waterfall. The water is foamed with air, making it far less dense and you sink like a rock.
-CW
The Mediterranean Sea in higher in salinity than the ocean
In places like the Great Salt Lake and the Dead Sea, pretty much everyone floats naturally.
Gee, the HBD crowd is really taking the nurture view of things. Most people can't swim because they are afraid, some because they are self conscious about their bodies and some because their bodies aren't suited for it. Blacks struggle, probably because they have short torsos (less core surface area) in addition to the BMI factor. They also have relatively thin ankles and calves (again, less surface area) - the legs are the anchors. I have a skeletal deformity which prohibits me from keeping level in the water. Fear and physique, emotion and molecules - sounds like nature.
My dog swims just fine with no lessons.
Think of yourself as a human pogo-stick...
Excellent, simple advice.
Locked knee [and pointed toe] kicking -versus- lazy sloppy bent knee kicking is what separates serious competitive swimmers from goofy amateur near-drowners.
There are a lot of people who cannot swim fast and cannot do technically correct freestyle but can swim leisurely/slowly for hours and hours. Short of hypothermia or some major muscle cramp, there is no way such people would drown just because they happened to be in deep water.
I once watched two people drown from a distance. It appeared everyone at the dock was hooting and hollering and having a grand time. I walked to the dock only to learn some idiot had launched his boat alone, gone to park his truck, come back to find his boat drifted off the dock. I said he was an idiot. He couldn't swim either, but that didn't stop him from trying to swim to his boat. He didn't make it. A young lady doctor saw this and dove in to rescue the idiot. Predictably, he pulled her down with him. The lady doc's husband was also there. He couldn't swim either. But at least he wasn't suicidal. When I arrived, he was on a rowboat fishing in the lake for his wife. Rescue divers eventually found both victims, long dead and rather purplish.
When my son was very young we had a pool. Determined no son of mine would drown, and living in a peninsula state, I tossed him in the pool. He'd already had lessons and swam with floats and water wings and a life jacket, but refused to relinquish such aids. So again, I tossed him in (while mom was at work of course). The screaming undoubtedly was heard three blocks away until he swam to the pool edge and climbed out. I threw him back. More screaming, more swimming to the edge and climbing out. Rinse and repeat. Obviously I was right there and he would not have drowned, but he did gain the confidence to swim and now swims like a fish. I'm told all children can swim to some extent. Maybe more parents should toss them in a pool?
Stan D Mute
There are a lot of people who cannot swim fast and cannot do technically correct freestyle but can swim leisurely/slowly for hours and hours.
He was axing how he could IMPROVE his swimming.
And you make the leap from goofy swimmer to serious swimmer by ditching the bent-knee kick and locking your knees [straight] and pointing your toes and going into motorboat mode.
BTW, when he said, "...gliding across the surface... There was no friction...", he was describing the motorboat effect, where your torso and shoulders come up out of the water, and you begin moving OVER the water, rather than THROUGH the water.
This state is actually pretty difficult even for serious competitive swimmers to achieve, because they have such a terrible habit of tucking their chins down when they start sprinting, rather than thrusting their chins [and heads and torsos] up over the water.
If you want to see the quintessential example of this, then watch the final 15 meters of Jason Lezak's anchor leg on the 2008 4x100m freestyle relay - Lezak is quite literally throwing himself OVER the water to win the race [and it helped Lezak that he was hydroplaning off of Alain Bernard - to a certain extent, Bernard's wake was sucking Lezak forward and into victory].
You can also see this in the 100m butterfly a few days later - Cavic tucked his head down and tried to win the race by swimming THROUGH the water, but on the very last stroke, Phelps threw himself OVER the water for the gold.
This principle - swimming "over" rather than swimming "through" - is why a catamaran is faster than a sailboat, and why a hovercraft is faster than a conventional ferry.
There are a lot of people who cannot swim fast and cannot do technically correct freestyle but can swim leisurely/slowly for hours and hours.
That's how I am. When I took swimming lessons in high school, the big test was treading water for 15 minutes. I couldn't figure out what the big deal was, because I've tread water for hours. It's not much more strenuous than walking -- kick a little now and then, swing my arms slowly back and forth angling my hands to push down against the water, and I'm fine.
On the other hand, I never could get the hang of real swimming. I know you're supposed to keep your legs straight and your toes pointed, but that would exhaust me in less than a minute, especially doing any sort of crawl where you have to try to get little sips of air between strokes. I'll never drown, but I'll never save anyone either, because I won't be able to get there before the guy's long dead.
"I'm told all children can swim to some extent."
That wouldn't surprise me. Both of my parents encouraged me and my siblings to swim from a very small age, I have pictures of myself at about 3 years old jumping off the a low diving board while my dad waited in the water.
I can't remember not knowing how to swim, it feel so natural, just like breathing or walking. Kind of hard for me to even imagine not being able to swim.
When my son was very young we had a pool. Determined no son of mine would drown, and living in a peninsula state, I tossed him in the pool. He'd already had lessons and swam with floats and water wings and a life jacket, but refused to relinquish such aids. So again, I tossed him in (while mom was at work of course). The screaming undoubtedly was heard three blocks away until he swam to the pool edge and climbed out. I threw him back. More screaming, more swimming to the edge and climbing out. Rinse and repeat. Obviously I was right there and he would not have drowned, but he did gain the confidence to swim and now swims like a fish. I'm told all children can swim to some extent. Maybe more parents should toss them in a pool?
You're an asshole. My dad got drunk and pushed me down a hill on a bike in an attempt to teach me how to ride a bike. I refused to get near a bicycle for a year afterward.
If I hadn't experienced it myself, I wouldn't believe such pricks existed.
My father in law had the same stupid idea about swimming. After he got ahold of my son for a weekend it took me a really long time to undo the damage. He loves swimming now, but I had to calmly endure crying and screaming while assuring the boy I wouldn't push him under.
This kind of crap is why we have the term "white trash." It's a terrible example, and a deep shame on those of us from humble backgrounds. I like to think we can do better than that. When I see someone express pride in this kind of parenting, I'm genuinely disgusted.
There's a state-run swimming area, Houghton's Pond, in Milton, MA. Milton being right next to Roxbury, it's a popular summer destination for black church groups and such. Every year there are multiple drownings.
It reminds me of the black driving instructors in the move Gone in 60 Seconds: Shit, I can't swim, I know I can't. So you know what I do? I stay my black ass outta the pool!
Hydrogen bonding is racist.
Anonymous said...
Conversely, Latinos are unusually adept at water crossings.
5/21/14, 10:48 PM
Funny, sort of. But, living near the Rio Grande, when I am forced to be in the States, I assure you they find drowned illegals several times a year. And, they are almost never identified because they take off all their stuff while crossing to keep it dry.
Anonymous age 72
I almost forgot. My daughter is now in her 40's, but when she was small, my wife's best friend was a doctor's widow, a black woman. We were like extended family.
They wanted to go to the local swimming pool, so I went with them.
The black girl, less than 10 years old, wanted to swim. I asked her if she could swim. She said, yes, so I let her go in.
She immediately started drowning. She was close to the side so I just reached out and pulled her in. Then, I proceeded to do a really good job of cussing her out for lying about swimming.
Her grandparents took my side. Her parents viewed me as some sort of vicious brute for cussing out their stupid little angel for putting herself at risk of drowning. I did not volunteer to take them swimming again.
Anonymous age 72
There is indeed a 'swimming reflex' or 'diving reflex' in infants. If you put a neonate in a pool he/she will sort of swim. They hold their heads up and kind of dog paddle. After some period they lose this ability.
Some anthropologists use this reflex as evidence for an 'aquatic ape' phase of human evolution. I think not.
Baby's also won't crawl off a high ledge. But like the swimming reflex parents should not rely on this reflex but exercise appropriate caution. Baby's are awkward and make mistakes. Keep barriers around pools and staircases.
The father who taught his kid to swim by throwing him in the water repeatedly was half right. You should desensitize your rug rats to water but not that way. If the kid can bob about wearing floats just go in the pool with him and slowly take one after the other off. If he screams in terror you are going too fast.
Pat Boyle
Almost none of the British sailor's in the 'Age of Sail' could swim. This was a form imprisonment. Most of sailors had been kidnapped and impressed. They were locked below decks when in port and surrounded by the prospect of drowning while at sea.
Pat Boyle
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