Ethan Truong

Ethan Truong

Ms. Kohler

Capstone Research Paper

5 May 2020

Swim Safety

My Capstone Project will be about water safety. This topic interests me for multiple reasons, the first being that I do swimming myself, both recreationally and competitively. I have always enjoyed being in the water since I was little, from crawling in the bathtub to competing in an Olympic-sized pool. Another reason I want to research water safety is because I want to teach people how to swim as a coach, which I have already had experience with. For me, coaching is really fun because of how much the swimmers, bonding with them, seeing them work and improve on their swimming, and reinforcing my own technique.

With this Capstone Project of mine, I want to educate people about how swimming can benefit everyone, while warning them about the risks and dangers involved. With the information that I’ll provide to people, they will know how to stay safe both in and around water. The information will also inform them about how they can save themselves, save others, and even do hands-only CPR.

Swimming has been an important part of human survival since ancient times. Swimming started out as a safety precaution as far back as 2500 BCE in Egypt then later in the Greek, Assyrian, and Roman Empires. It was said that the first heated pool ever was made in the 1st century BCE by Gaius Maecenasa. After that, swimming was not a big deal until the 17th century, when the British used it for hydrotherapy. Then swimming became popular as a recreational activity. Later, the US had its first swimming organization, the Amateur Athletic Union in 1888. Swimming’s first debut in the Olympics occurred in 1896. Since Michael Phelps’ 2008 participation and domination in the Olympics, the sport’s popularity has been increasingly popular (“Swimming.” Britannica ).

The rules at a pool, or any area where swimming is allowed, are very similar and should be self explanatory in terms of one’s safety. The most important one of all is to always have someone swimming with you. No one will ever know if someone randomly starts drowning and passes out, so it is important to have someone at least watching you swim so they can get help if they don’t know how to save the victim. One must also stay hydrated in pools, especially in hot tubs because the heat from the pool or hot tub will dehydrate a person if they stay for too long without drinking water. If someone needs to go to the bathroom, go do it so you don’t ruin other people’s fun. Other standard rules entail the restrictions of glass substances and pets around the pool area (Safety Rules). Safety is always important everywhere you go.

Swimming is beneficial for one’s health for many reasons. Swimming for one hour can burn almost as many calories as running for the same amount of time without putting much impact on your bones and joints. It is also a great way to get your heart rate up without stressing your body too much. With some decently intensive training in the pool, it can help someone build strength, endurance, and muscle tone . Swimming is also great for people with certain disorders such as arthritis, osteoarthritis, and injuries. It is a safe way to exercise for those people due to their intolerance for high impact exercising. People with asthma can also benefit from swimming by helping them expand their lung capacity. Swimming in general improves mood, the quality of sleep, and one’s life as a whole. (What are). The value of swimming can help one stay healthy.

As a worldwide sport,it is important for children to take swimming lessons starting at the age of four. Learning how to swim at a young age can help children to not only know how to have fun in the pool, but to also teach them how to stay alive in certain dangerous situations that involve water. Swimming is also good for children with special needs or medical conditions because of how much less stress is put on them compared to other sports. If children like swimming a lot, then they can join a swim team and eventually start competing. The races consist of a certain amount of yards that one must complete with the specified stroke. Most of the races are individual but sometimes there is a four-man relay. Competitors normally swim in pools that are either 25 yards or 50 meters long, rarely in 25 meter pools. The club membership doesn’t cost too much compared to other sports, ranging from $100-300 for children and teenagers. It costs more to be in a college-leveled team. To compete in USA swimming, a $77 membership is needed. The equipment needed for swim practices include swimsuits, goggles, swim caps, towels, and any other gear that your coach specifically asks you to get. The swim strokes that are allowed in the sport are freestyle, backstroke, beastroke, and butterfly. Aerobic capacity, motor skills, and coordination are needed to swim at a competitive level. This sport has a lower chance of injury than other sports, but the teams will have safety precautions in place to minimize dangers and have technique sessions occasionally during practice. Swimmers will learn the importance of technique, teamwork, and sportsmanship. The swimmers that stay in the sport alway have drive and determination (Holecko). Swimming can be fun and challenging.

With all sports comes risks, especially in open water. It is always the safest to swim in a facilitated pool, but if people swim in open water they must watch out for certain things. If people swim in lakes or seas, they must watch out for pathogens which can cause allergic reactions, skin rashes, itches and headaches. The pathogens are caused by algae, bugs, plants, or bacteria. Be careful about the currents when swimming in rivers or big streams because they might drift you away no matter how much experience someone has with swimming. One must also watch out for harmful substances that are either too far down to see or can’t see. They include bacteria, sharp objects from below, waste, and litter. The most dangerous place to swim is in a canal, there are ships passing by along with often sharp stuff under the surface and pollution. Only authorized personnel can safely enter the area of operation (Risks of).

If you come across someone that is drowning, then do the following in order to keep yourself as safe as possible while trying to save the victim. Make sure the scene is safe for you to attempt the rescue, if not call the first responders. Always try to see if you can reach out to save the person, use a tool if you have it. If you can’t reach, then you throw a certified safety flotation device. Swimming toys and sport related gear aren’t reliable as live-saving tools. If you don’t have a flotation device or can’t throw it far enough, then row your way to them and drag them to safety. Use anything that can float such as pool noodles, kickboards, pool buoys, etc. If all else fails, just jump in and try to drag the victim to safety. Remember to stay safe when trying to save someone in a situation out in the water (What is).

When you pull the victim to safety and they’re unconscious, follow the five “links” to the survival of cardiac arrest. The first thing that must be done is to call the first responders and have someone do it for you if you can. Then, have someone grab an AED and start CPR unless the scene is unsafe. When doing CPR, have the heel of your hand right in the center of the chest and your shoulders directly above to help with pressure. Also, make sure you are pressing down at least two inches down to help the person pump blood while in cardiac arrest. Keep up with the chest compressions until either the AED is set up and ready, the first responders can take over, or someone else trained in CPR can take over for you. People that are CPR certified can perform regular CPR which consists of 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths per round. Only certified people should do regular CPR while untrained people should only do hands-only CPR (as it is said above). To set up an AED, place one of the pads on the right side of the chest and the other on the left side underneath the chest and above the hip. Then turn on the AED and follow the instructions that AED tells you to do. If someone regains conscience while you do CPR, tilt them to their side to help them get air back in circulation. Make sure to start CPR as soon as possible because someone in cardiac arrest can die in minutes and every minute that passes without CPR is a ten percent less subtracted their survival rate. Cardiac arrest is most commonly caused by heart disease, trauma, cardiac disease, and respiratory illness (Department). Taking action is the best way to handle life and death situations.

This paper should cover many things about water safety and CPR. This information should not only help people understand the importance of water safety, but also how to deal with it and how to have fun while swimming. This information will not only improve the quality of life, but can also save one’s life. Swimming can change the world if we can teach these simple, but valuable information that can reduce the amount of people that drown every year.

Works Cited

Department of Health & Human Services. “Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).” Better

Health Channel, The Victorian Government, 30 June 2014, www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/cardiopulmonary-resuscitation-cpr. Accessed 20 April 2020.

Holecko, Catherine. “Swimming Competition Sports for Kids.” Verywell Family, 24

September 2019, www.verywellfamily.com/youth-sports-profile-kids-swimming-1257359.

“Risks of Swimming.” Lenntech Water Treatment & Purification,

www.lenntech.com/risks-of-swimming.htm. Accessed 2 April 2020.

“Safety Rules for Your Backyard Swimming Pool.” Blue Haven Pools & Spas, 25 April 2016,

https://articles.bluehaven.com/safety-rules-for-your-backyard-swimming-pool. Accessed 2 April 2020.

"Swimming." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2016.

school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/swimming/70653. Accessed 11 Apr. 2020.

“What are the Top 12 Benefits of Swimming?” Healthline, 1 September 2017,

https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-swimming. Accessed 10 April 2020.

“What is CPR.” American Heart Association: CPR & EEC,

https://cpr.heart.org/en/resources/what-is-cpr. Accessed 20 April 2020.