2021 Volume 32 Issue 4

VOLUME 32 | ISSUE 4 2021

U N I T E D

S T A T E S

S W I M

S C H O O L

Winter Wrap Up!

A S S O C I A T I O N

BEING LAZY IS A GOOD THING?

How to develop AQ USSSA CERTIFICATION UPDATE

Happy Holidays!

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IN THIS ISSUE TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

Letter From the President

5 From the Desk of the Executive Director 6 National Conference 2021 Wrap Up! 9

Treat Time Like it Matters

10 Key Aspects of Teaching People with Additonal Needs 14 ASSA Launches Mentoring for Success 16 Calendar of Events

17 How to Develop AQ

18 Get to Know Your Board of Directors 20 Being Lazy is a Good Thing?

22 Membership Benefits 25 Why Babies Drown

27 New Member List 28 Book Buzz

29 Holiday Gift Guide

31 How Would You Grade Your Hiring Process?

33 Stop Drowning Now Cities: How to get Local Politicians on Your Team 34 Ask Al

38 What Our Waters Reflect: A Need for Access & Action 40 USSSA Fundamental Swim Instructor Certification Development Update

ASSOCIATION HEADQUARTERS 4815 E. Carefree Hwy., Suite 108-480 Cave Creek, AZ 85331 480.837.5525 usssa@usswimschools.org usswimschools.org Executive Director Lisa M. Zarda, CAE, CNAP Editor Anne Swanson ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Tracy Koleber, Nitro Swimming Vice President Buffy Folise, Chicago Swim School Treasurer Karen Clay, SwimWest Swim School ASSOCIATION DIRECTORS Brad Grzelka Atlanta Swim Academy Davina Lopez Davina’s Swim House Melissa Taylor Small Fish Big Fish Swim School Dave Tonnesen SwimKids USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG | 1

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT “It’s my honor and pleasure to be serving

this great organization as the newest President of the Board.”

For those of you who do not know me, I co-own Nitro Swimming with my husband Mike. He’s the swimmer and I’m not, so I get to feed my entrepreneur’s desires by figuring out ways to make our business run better. We’ve been members of this Association since 2008, and I’ve been serving on the BOD since 2016. Like many of you, there are countless ways the USSSA has helped shape Nitro Swimming.

Over the next two years, I plan to continue to work on legislation, in my home state of Texas, and help facilitate the forward direction of this association. We’ve made great strides over the years, and we’re continuing to lay the groundwork that helps set our members apart from others in Learn to Swim businesses.

It was so nice to see so many of you in Tampa, I hope we never go that long without seeing each other again. To those of you who weren’t able to join us, we have our Spring Workshop coming in March of 2022 in Mesa, AZ, and then we will be enjoying Maui, Hawaii next September for our National Conference.

TRACY KOLEBER

TRACY KOLEBER President US Swim School Association

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FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR “ Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.”

PAUL THEROUX

As we enter the winter season and the end of another year of ups and downs, now does seem like a good time to take some time to recover and make preparations for the next year to come. I hope you are able to find some time this holiday season to spend the most precious of your assets, your time, with your friends and family. As Laura Vanderkam points out in the article, “Treat Time Like It Matters,” it’s up to you to be a wise steward of your time and is an important lesson to learn in both life and in business. Alex Faust from the Grown Institute encourages us to practice coaching staff, rather than doing it ourselves in his article, “Being lazy is a good thing.” A good reminder to protect your time and energy for what is most important that only you can do and step away from handling things you could train others to do.

If we’ve learned anything over the last couple of years it’s the importance of being adaptable. And as we look to the years ahead, it will continue to be important as a business and a leader to be adaptable, agile and nimble in order to survive in today’s marketplace. John Spence examines four core elements for personal adaptability in the article “How to Develop AQ.” And how will you find those staff members who can take things off of your plate?

This issue includes an article on “The 4 Components of a Great Hiring Process” written by CareerPlug to help you make adjustments to your hiring process in this competitive market. And if you missed the session presented by Melissa McGarvey at National Conference on what the data is saying about trends in the hiring process, be sure to check it out in our Member Resource Pool at my.usswimschools.org for even more tips and trends.

There are a number of exciting things in the works for the learn to swim industry in the coming year, the USSSA creation of a fundamental swim instructor certification, establishment of minimum membership standards as well as an updated dues structure to help us get a better understanding of the scope of members we serve. In addition, internationally there is new research on babies’ relationship with water and you can learn more in the article “Why Babies Drown?” by Carolina Burnay. She has plans to further continue her research to provide data that could possibly create additional understanding around layers of protection for drowning prevention in infants.

Remember to take time for you and your mental wellbeing as well as make preparations for another year of growth, learning and leading.

LISA M. ZARDA, CAE, CNAP Executive Director | US Swim School Association

NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2021 WRAP UP!

BY ANNE SWANSON USSSA CONFERENCE & MEETING COORDINATOR

Wow! What an amazing 3 days we had in Tampa, Florida!

Seeing the halls filled with networking, connections, and reunions was the best possible way to wrap up to 2021. Our time together kicked off with an all-day workshop led by Andy Worshek, a globally recognized speaker and trainer who worked alongside David Marquet on the USS Santa Fe. The following two days of the conference were jam-packed with sessions on customer experience, client acquisition, leadership, instructor-based sessions, specialized roundtables and more. To close our time together, attendees were treated to a session with Tami Evans who had the entire room up and dancing (literally!), not to mention all the laughs.

Attendees also had an opportunity to meet with our valued sponsors and exhibitors as well as join together for an Awards Banquet to remember emceed by the one and only Rowdy Gaines! Congratulations to the following award recipients: EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR Kristina Bauer, SwimWest Swim School GUIDING LIGHT Lisa Zarda LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Lana Whitehead John Kolbisen HALL OF FAME John Kirk With the use of the conference app, both in-person attendees and virtual attendees had an opportunity to connect with friends and colleagues via the community board as well as direct in-app messaging. It was so wonderful to witness all the reunions, smiles, and laughter throughout the entire conference.

Whether you joined us in person or virtually, we hope you had a fantastic three days.

And if you weren’t able to join us at all, we truly hope to see you March 1-2, 2022 in Mesa, AZ for the Spring Workshop! If you are interested in purchasing recordings of sessions from the conference, you may do so in the USSSA Portal. Hoping to see you all in March 2022!

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BY LAURA VANDERKAM

TREAT TIME LIKE IT MATTERS For all we claim to be starved for time, I’m not sure we, as a society, treat time like it matters.

It took a pandemic for a critical mass of organizations to realize that maybe a daily commute wasn’t absolutely necessary. Personal finance literature rails against the daily cost of coffee shop lattes. There’s less ire about the time it takes each morning to wait in line for that fix.

This is all the more curious since time is absolutely limited in a way that money is not. Let’s say you paid $4 for coffee every workday morning for a year. Someone could decide to give you $1000 tomorrow, and you’d be back at roughly the place you were before you made those purchases. But once those minutes have passed every morning, they are never coming back. Not for all the money in the world.

If you enjoyed them — great. If it was just waiting for time to pass, that’s a different matter.

Sometimes time gets wasted despite anyone’s best efforts. But sometimes this is more within our control. Being wise stewards of time means treating time like it matters. Not so much to be miserly with it, but more because — since we are all on a limited budget with time — it’s even more important to be tight when things don’t matter so we can spend big when they do.

So, today, try to look at your schedule with this in mind. What feels like a good use of time? What feels like it isn’t?

Sometimes this points to big changes, and much can be changed over time.

But often it’s the small things. I’ve wasted hours reading headlines I don’t care about because I couldn’t be bothered to find a book I’d enjoy. I’ve wasted hours on projects I’m not excited about because I talked myself into saying yes.

I wouldn’t set money on fire. Indeed, I’d be offended by the idea. Yet somehow it’s easy to do with time.

I’m sure we’ve all felt this way — and there’s no point being sad about time that’s now water under the bridge. But we can be more careful in the future.

A few good questions can help: How much time do I really think this will take?

Will it take more if something goes wrong? What else could I do with that

time? Is there a way that will take less time? (Maybe you make your coffee at home some mornings and sleep 10 minutes later!)

Just being mindful can help a lot.

When you find yourself doing something, ask why. If the time feels meaningful or enjoyable for you or the people you care about, you’re on the right track. If not, maybe it’s time to redirect. Do this enough and you can be profligate with time on the good stuff. Time not spent waiting in a line you don’t care about could be spent doing something far more enjoyable, even if it’s just staring at the clouds. That isn’t wasted time at all.

All the best, Laura Laura Vanderkam is the author of several time management and productivity books, including Juliet’s School of Possibilities, Off the Clock, I Know How She Does It, What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, and 168 Hours. Her work has appeared in publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Fortune. She is the host of the podcast Before Breakfast and the co-host, with Sarah Hart-Unger, of the podcast Best of Both Worlds. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and five children, and blogs at LauraVanderkam.com.

Reprinted with permission.

USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG | 9

KEY ASPECTS OF TEACHING PEOPLE WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS 1. INTRODUCTION Firstly, we would like you to close your eyes and picture someone swimming.... let’s assume most of you had an image -- something similar to that of Ian Thorpe doing nice high elbows and a strong kick. We are swimming teachers, this is what we want to see and for most people this is their definition of swimming. Our definition of swimming is being able to get from point A to point B safely, progressing towards ability focussed technique. Doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you can get there.

BY LAURIE LAWRENCE, CONTRIBUTOR WENDY BEUTEL WORLDWIDESWIMSCHOOL.COM

The oxforddictionaries.com defines the word swimming as “the sport or activities of propelling oneself through water using the limbs”.

We chose the name Adapted with the blessing of our case study parents, as they saw that we truly did “become adjusted to new conditions” when teaching their children to swim. When teaching students that present with additional learning needs, it is imperative that you can think outside the box and understand that they can swim, it may just look different to what you are used to seeing and the way in which we teach someone to swim needs to be different.

2. KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge is Confidence....

We cannot stress enough that having the knowledge of conditions and disabilities plays a significant role in the success of teaching students who present with additional learning needs to swim.

A ‘student Profile’ (SP) can be created with collective information such as: medical diagnosis/history, parent prospective, assessment outcomes and social behaviour/ triggers. With the foundation of information collected through the SP, it now becomes the responsibility of the teacher to obtain further knowledge of the student’s condition. The more knowledge you have ensures you deliver appropriate teaching skills and strategies that will produce progressive and positive lessons. If you do not have the knowledge of their physical, cognitive, and social development, how can you adapt your lesson to ensure a student receives the best aquatic experience?

Being an informed teacher of Adapted Aquatics (AA) requires research on whatever condition you are presented with.

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3. PAIRING AND TRUST BUILDING For many individuals with additional learning needs, interacting with others can be challenging. To ensure students feel safe in an environment we must firstly gain their trust. This is sometimes not easy to achieve in a mainstream class so you can image trying to gain the trust of a new and anxious student .

At this point you may or may not accomplish pairing.

Pairing is a common term that Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) professionals often use to describe the process of building or maintaining rapport with a client.

Therapy often begins with intentional and thorough pairing, where it’s ALL about what the client loves or enjoys and making that available to them on a non-contingent basis. Basically, the therapeutic relationship should start off with low demand, and high reward. We have included this strategy because we use this with our students from mainstream to additional learning needs.

You will know when pairing has been accomplished by a child willingly engages in an activity with you, acts excited to be near you and does anything you ask of them. You and anything you do has become the reward (reinforcement)...It must be noted here that research shows if you do not accomplish ‘pairing’ in the first few interactions with a student, you never will.

Trust can also be achieved by establishing achievable goals, boundaries, and consistency.

As teachers, we need to establish a learning environment that our students feel safe and of worth. Once all information is gathered regarding a student it’s time to produce a program that consists of achievable goals, “low demand – high reward”. It is imperative that the goals being set are achievable.

For example. there is no use starting off the side breathing if the student hasn’t yet developed a strong kick. By ensuring students have a positive and progressive program the foundations of swimming need to be mastered. As that of a mainstream class.

By setting boundaries, students will develop an understanding of the lesson structure and expectations. Once a student knows what is being asked of them, they will strive to achieve the expectations of the teacher.

Next comes consistency, students will get confused and or unstable without consistency. Mixed messages are being sent when consistency is different on a weekly basis. Students develop reassurance when a routine is established and together with boundaries the learning environment will become a positive and progressive experience. When we have established the boundaries, expectations and are consistent our behaviour management plan is beginning to evolve.

4. COMMUNICATION Now onto a more challenging aspect of teaching students with additional learning needs, communication.

Effective communication requires both parties to be engaged and being an active listener.

Sometimes we forget to be an active listener in lessons so we will start with this. Active listening is a skill that can be acquired and developed with practice.

However, active listening can be difficult to master and will, therefore, take time and patience to develop.

Active listening means, that an individual is fully concentrating on what is being said rather than just passively ‘hearing’ the message of the speaker.

Active listening involves listening with all senses. As well as giving full attention to the speaker, it is important that the ‘active listener’ is also ‘seen’ to be listening - otherwise the speaker may conclude that what they are talking about is uninteresting to the listener. At this point you may lose the trust/pairing of your student. Remember some of your students are non-verbal. They are experts in reading your body language.

Interest can be conveyed to the speaker by using both verbal and non-verbal messages such as maintaining eye

contact, nodding your head and smiling, agreeing by saying ‘Yes’ or simply ‘Mmm hmm’ to encourage them to continue.

By providing this ‘feedback’ the person speaking will usually feel more at ease and therefore communicate more easily, openly and honestly.

10 PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE LISTENING

Here are the 10 principles of effective listening that will help you as a teacher communicate better with not only your students, but everyone you engage with.

1. Stop talking 2. Prepare yourself to listen 3. Put the speaker at ease 4. Remove distractions 5. Empathise 6. W ait and watch for non-verbal communication 7. Be patient 8. Avoid personal prejudice 9. Listen to tone 10. Listen for ideas, not just words

Although there are many forms we have listed below are four forms of communication that are key aspects of teaching swimming to all of our students.

I. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION Interpersonal communication is the process by which people exchange information, feelings, and meaning through verbal and non-verbal messages: it is face-to-face communication. In many interpersonal encounters, the first few minutes are extremely important as first impressions have a significant impact on the success of further communication.

Interpersonal communication is not just about what is said - the language used - but how it is said, and the non-verbal messages sent through tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures, and body language.

II. NON-VERBAL When two or more people are in the same place and are aware of each other’s presence, then communication is taking place, no matter how subtle Continued on next page...

or unintentional. Without speech, an observer may be using cues of posture, facial expression, and dress to form an impression of the other’s role, emotional state, personality and/or intentions.

Although no communication may be intended, people receive messages through such forms of non-verbal behaviour.

5. BEHAVIOUR When working with students that present with additional learning needs behaviour management can be trauma free or catastrophic. Knowledge plays a significant role in the choices of strategies being used to produce a positive environment. There are 4 Common Functions of Behaviour.

III. VERBAL Verbal communication is the act of sharing information between individuals by the use of speech. Any interaction that makes use of spoken words is considered as verbal communication. Here the sender gives words to his feelings, thoughts, ideas, and opinions and expresses them in the form of speeches, discussions, presentations, and conversations. The effectiveness of the verbal communication depends on the tone of the speaker, clarity of speech, volume, speed, body language and the quality of words used in the conversation. In the case of the verbal communication, the feedback is immediate since there are a simultaneous transmission and receipt of the message by the sender and receiver respectively.

It is an integral part of the progression and positive outcomes when teaching swimming. It must be noted here that if the desired result is not being accomplished maybe it’s in your delivery......

I. SOCIAL ATTENTION A person may engage in certain behaviour to gain some form of social attention or a reaction from other people. For example, a child might engage in a behaviour to get other people to look at them, laugh at them, play with them, hug them, or scold them.

While it might seem strange that a person would engage in a behaviour to deliberately have someone scold them it can occur because for some people it’s better to obtain “bad” attention than no attention at all.

IV. VISUAL Visual communication is the transmission of information and ideas using symbols and imagery. Visual communication is believed to be the type that people rely on most, and it includes signs, graphic designs, films, typography, and countless other examples. This form of communication should be practiced in all our lessons. Teaching tools include visual board, visual feeling/communication book, visual cue cards and a clock.

With these tools I can set the scene for structure in my lesson.

As you can see communication comes in many forms. If at first you don’t succeed try and try again, feel free to experiment with combined formats.

Please remember each student has individual styles of communication therefore you need to adopt their style to become an effective communicator.

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II. TANGIBLES OR ACTIVITIES Some behaviours occur so the person can obtain a tangible item or gain access to a desired activity. For example, someone might scream and shout until their parents buy them a new toy (tangible item) or bring them to the zoo (activity).

III. ESCAPE OR AVOIDANCE Not all behaviours occur so the person can “obtain” something; many behaviours occur because the person wants to get away from something or avoid something altogether.

For example, a child might engage in aggressive behaviour so his teachers stop running academic tasks with him or another child might engage in self-injury to avoid having to go outside to play with classmates. Have you ever said to a student “do you want to sit out of the pool?” and they said ”yes”......

IV. SENSORY STIMULATION The function of some behaviours does not rely on anything external to the person and instead are internally pleasing in some way – they are “self-stimulating”.

For example, a child might rock back and forth because it is enjoyable for them while another child might rub their

knee to sooth the pain after accidentally banging it off the corner of a table.

In both cases, these children do not engage in either behaviour to obtain any attention, any tangible items or to escape any demands placed on them.

6. REINFORCEMENT AND CONSEQUENCES The reason for a behaviour occurring can be described in terms of the function it serves or the reinforcement that i s maintaining it. When we say the “reinforcement that is maintaining it”, this just means we can describe the reason the behaviour occurs in terms of the favourable outcome that the behaviour creates for the person. It doesn’t really matter whether you choose to describe the function of the behaviour or the reinforcement maintaining the behaviour because either way you are saying the same thing but just using different terminology.

That said, it can be useful to use both terms when describing the function of behaviour. For example, you could say: “the behaviour is being maintained by positive reinforcement; he is hitting other students with his kickboard in the pool and the function of this behaviour is to obtain the teachers attention”. How you respond with your reinforcement and consequences has an impact on the present and future behaviour of the student.

CONCLUSION We hope that after today you will understand the importance of constantly gaining further knowledge on your student’s condition, communication skills and behavior strategies. Our philosophy at WWSS and Laurie Lawrence Swim School is that everyone is entitled to a positive aquatic experience and the way in which this can be achieved is by continuing with personal development.

MORE INFORMATION Join the WWSS Swim School Hub for Swim Schools or PD Academy for Swim Teachers to get more training videos and resources on this topic area. Go to https://worldwideswimschool.com/ usssa-about

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ASSA LAUNCHES MENTORING FOR SUCCESS! The Australian Swim School Association launched it’s Mentoring for Success program this week. With 22 mentors and mentees, this innovative program has been designed by Leadership Shapers to enhance and develop learning opportunities within our industry.

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As part of supporting swim schools, the ASSA Board have been working over the past year to develop a structure for mentoring relationships in the industry. Tapping into the wealth of knowledge that already exists in the industry and being able to share that with emerging leaders has been a key focus. This cultivation of leadership skills and capabilities is a benefit to the growth and development of our industry.

Designed to develop life-long skills in both the mentor and mentee, the group will participate in online learning sessions facilitated by Amanda Crawford and Jo Fisher from Leadership Shapers. The program will run for just over six months, with a combination of facilitated and mentor-led sessions.

Prior to starting with the program, participants completed a Brain Brief Profile which applies a research based approach to identifying learning and processing styles, and unlocks personal insights which can promote connection and communication.

Mentoring pairs were then carefully matched to ensure both mentors and mentees can receive maximum benefits of being involved.

Opportunities such as our mentoring program are available to our Australian and International Members. Head to our website to see the range of member services we offer. If you would like to express your interest in being involved in our next mentoring program - either as a mentor or mentee, please email us admin@australianswimschools.org.au.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

THANK YOU ANNUAL SPONSORS

MARCH 1-2, 2022

SPRING WORKSHOP MESA, ARIZONA

usswimschools.org/events

SEPTEMBER 19-21, 2022

USSSA NATIONAL CONFERENCE MAUI, HAWAII

usswimschools.org/events

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HOW TO DEVELOP AQ

BY JOHN SPENCE

I just completed my 20th year of delivering executive programs for the Securities Industry Institute in partnership with the Wharton School of Business. In addition to the sessions I usually offer on strategy, leadership, and organizational culture, I put together two new workshops this year. The first was on building resilient organizations, and the other was on how to improve your AQ (adaptability quotient). More than ever, organizations must be adaptable, agile, nimble, and resilient to survive in today’s marketplace.

However, organizations are not adaptable. People who have a high AQ create organizational adaptability.

Here are what I believe are four core elements for personal adaptability.

1. CURIOSITY Develop an insatiable desire to learn new ideas and skills constantly. Critically important to this practice is the willingness to look outside of your industry and pursue information from multiple sources.

Combining your personal experience with innovative ideas is what leads to innovative strategies.

2. INTELLECTUAL RIGOR It’s not enough to just read information, listen to audiobooks, and watch YouTube videos. You must invest the mental effort necessary to understand what you are learning at a deeper level. Then think about precisely how to apply it to your organization.

3. FLEXIBLE THINKING When you practice intellectually rigorous curiosity, you’re going to come across ideas that seem uncomfortable or even in direct contradiction with what you have done in the past. Flexible thinkers are willing to try out new ways of doing things, question their assumptions, and let go of old beliefs that no longer work.

4. SPEED The most challenging part of building your AQ is that you must do it in a fast cycle. You must invest time every day to take in new information that you can apply quickly to solve pressing problems.

Speed wins.

Because I love to put everything into an equation…

(CURIOSITY + INTELLECTUAL RIGOR + FLEXIBLE THINKING) X SPEED = AQ

“ We read to know we’re not alone.”

WILLIAM NICHOLSON, SHADOWLANDS

Books have the ability to keep us future focused and thinking positively, something still greatly needed for our mental health. As John just shared, reading the book is not enough, you must also take the time to consider how you will apply what you’ve learned. USSSA is launching a Book Club to bring together members with an interest in learning together. If you are interested in joining a group, please complete our interest form at https://www.jotform.com/form/210945143033042

John Spence is an author, international executive coach, professional development educator, virtual trainer, strategic planning facilitator, keynote speaker and developer of online learning programs. John is recognized as one of the top business thought leaders and leadership development experts in the world and was named by the American Management Association as one of America’s Top 50 Leaders to Watch along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. As a consultant and coach to organizations worldwide, from startups to the Fortune 10, John is dedicated to helping people and businesses be more successful by “Making the Very Complex… Awesomely Simple.”

Reprinted with permission.

USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG | 17

GET TO KNOW YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS What is one thing you learned at the conference that you plan to implement at your swim school?

The one thing that I learned at the conference was to rewrite my CareerPlug ads and college employment ads with better expectations for the positions I am hiring for and to include wages etc. I took a lot of helpful tips from this presentation and then from the conversation that I continued to have in the hallways.

The one thing that I took away from the conference was that we are all in this together and so many old and new friends truly care and lift us up. No matter where we are at in our businesses, there is someone in our association that has the answer, contact, or tools to help you achieve your goals.

KAREN CLAY SwimWest Swim School 2 locations in Wisconsin USSSA Treasurer

I echo what Karen wrote about re-writing ads and including wages.

I’ve never loved doing that, but you can’t argue with the data.

I also learned, honestly was more reminded, that I have to allow myself to be vulnerable and to accept that I don’t always have the answers. The great news is that I have so many resources through our Association, and many of them I’ve been underutilizing.

The one thing I learned and will implement right away is from Josh Scott’s talk on generating 5 star Google reviews.

And I was so happy to be with my big hearted and contribution minded swim school friends again!

DAVE TONNESEN SwimKids 4 locations in Virginia USSSA Director

TRACY KOLEBER Nitro Swimming 2 locations in Texas & 1 in Indiana USSSA President

One thing that I learned at the conference that I will be implementing into my business is the EOS system. Dave Tonnesen did a great job presenting this and showing how it works and how it will help my swim school. After his presentation I learned that a few of my swim school friends are doing this already and highly recommend it. This would not have been on my radar had I not attended the conference and had the follow up talks with other swim schools in the hallway and round tables. Our association is invaluable and swim school friends are awesome!

BRAD GRZELKA Atlanta Swim Academy, 1 location in Georgia USSSA Director PS our newest sponsor Mary Reilly Magee with See What Love Can Do, Inc. is a certified EOS Implementer.®

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What I learned is I need to listen better, pay attention and with no distractions. What can I bring back to my management team? I liked the tool Andy used for the team to empower them with decision making as well for them to use it for their staff. What can I bring to the in water team? 3f’s from Kelli presentationFacial expression exercise with them using their phones to take pics of their facial expressions.

The overall takeaway for me personally is the networking with all the great people and having the support that the association gives.

DAVINA LOPEZ Davina’s Swim House 3 locations in Ontario, Canada USSSA Director

Narrowing down my notes to one thing is pretty difficult. The one thing I am going to implement is a Staff Training to go over the My Group Mental Health benefits and utilizing the USSSA online resources more! There are such great resources available there that are easy to use and not spend time doing something that has already been done.

BUFFY FOLISE Chicago Swim School 2 locations in Illinois USSSA Vice President

One thing I learned from this conference is that I can layout an entire room for audio visual and that with the right cord and docking station we can hook up sound directly to a computer on zoom. But in all seriousness, this conference reinforced what a great team this association has, not just staff but board members and all our volunteers. Together we truly can do more and I am hopeful we can continue to spread the message and welcome more and more swim school owners into our association in the years to come.

LISA ZARDA United States Swim School Association USSSA Executive Director & Secretary

BEING LAZY IS A GOOD THING?

BY ALEX FAUST COO OF GROWTH INSTITUTE

I’m currently reading, The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier.

Michael claims the role of a leader is actually a coach. He mentions that you have to “discover the question that will make you more useful to those you manage, while working less hard and you decide that being lazy is a good thing after all.”

I thought, wait... being lazy is a good thing? It feels very counter-intuitive to everything I have lived by.

However, what Michael goes on to discuss is that when we are running around solving problems for people and giving advice, we are not working in the best interest of ourselves, or our teammates.

As leaders, sometimes we need to stop doing and start coaching. For example (taken from the book), when our team asks for help or is struggling, we need to stop playing the role of “rescuer.”

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As a coach, we need to fight the high-performer urge to do it ourselves or come up with all the answers, and instead, help our teammates find their own solutions.

The way to do it is just as the title of his book suggests. Say Less, Ask More!

We need to ask more questions.

So next time, an employee or teammate comes to you and asks “How do I... [insert task that you would typically get suckered into taking over]?”

We can say, “That’s a great question and I have some ideas which I can share, and before I do, I’m wondering if you have any thoughts about how to do it?”

Once they answer, continue digging in, by asking “That’s terrific, what else could you do?”

And before long, chances are you will have coached them through finding the answers and solutions themselves.

So at the end of the day, it’s not about being lazy in the sense of doing nothing, but allowing your team to do the work they are capable of. You become the coach instead of the player.

Alex Faust is the COO of Growth Institute. Growth Institute is designed specifically for inspired and passionate CEOs, business owners, and founders who are driven to excel, grow their company 10x, and create the freedom and lifestyle you crave. Listed on the Inc. 5000 4 years in a row, our team of diverse professionals is leading the current movement in hybrid or blended education for business growth.

We are helping our community of leaders scale their impact and reduce drama with world-class education and training with the world’s best thought leaders.

We are making it easier for busy teams to learn new techniques and methodologies that will help their business and personal goals. Follow Growth Institute on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/ growth-institute/ Reprinted with permission.

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INDUSTRY FOCUS

BEST PRACTICES

“ The previous decade has been focused “You don’t have to reinvent the on content management with the wheel, just attach it to a new wagon.” association being positioned as the Mark McCormack library for the best knowledge. The new As a member, you have access to best practices in the industry!

With a variety of options, both in-person and virtually, you can decade will position associations as stay up to date on business and industry education for both the developer and enforcer of ethical you and your staff. standards.” The 501 League With minimum standards for domestic swim schools as well as the upcoming instructor certification, we are setting the standard for the learn-to-swim industry. We will continue to work with other water safety partners and help your voice carry farther both inside and outside of the industry.

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TO GET MORE DETAILS ON THESE AMAZING BENEFITS, PLEASE VISIT: HTTPS://BIT.LY/USSSABENEFITS2021

BUSINESS RESOURCES

“A business is simply an idea to make other people’s lives better.”

Richard Branson Don’t miss out on the many discounted resources available for USSSA members. You have access to HR & Insurance services, including background checks, mental health offerings for staff, marketing, and legal services. In addition, there are opportunities to connect with companies to help with personal concierge services, financial planning and operations, recruitment, and legal support…all at discounted member rates!

DUES RESTRUCTURING UPDATE You will notice in our new dues restructure that dues will now be based on the number of locations you own. This change will allow us to better serve all of our members, as well as give us a more accurate understanding of the number of schools we represent as we communicate with legislative officials and the media. Last fall the membership voted to remain an association of small businesses and in order to continue offering a new menu of services, we need an increase to continue to move the association forward. Should you have any questions, please contact the USSSA office at (480) 837-5525.

COMMUNITY BENEFITS

The only way to get better is to surround yourself with better people.

The USSSA community offers something for everyone.

Whether you are a small school, a large school or somewhere in between, both in-person and virtual opportunities are offered for building your personal network and learning from those in your industry.

USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG | 23

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WHY BABIES DROWN?

BY CAROLINA BURNAY RESEARCH FELLOW, SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION, SPORT AND EXERCISE SCIENCES | UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO

What do we know about babies’ drowning and drowning prevention? Until recently, we knew numbers. We knew (and still know) that over half of all fatal unintentional drownings globally occur among children and young people under 25 years of age, with children 0-4 years of age recording the highest drowning rates (WHO, 2014).

The epidemiological data tells us who drowns and were, but it doesn’t tell us why. The WHO (2014) suggested that young children are overrepresented in drowning statistics because they become mobile but are too young to recognize danger or to get out of water. But is this really true? Do babies drown because they don’t recognize the risk of bodies of water?

The ecological psychology field investigates the relationship between humans and their environment and has long been used to investigate babies’ relationship with drop-offs. Although the ecological psychology has the potential to answer WHY babies drown, only recently has this approach started being used to investigate babies’ relationship with aquatic environments.

I did my undergraduate degree in Physical Education and Sports Science in Lisbon University and have since acquired over 10 years of experience as a swimming teacher.

Teaching swimming, especially to babies, fostered a passion for promoting fun and safe experiences for babies in water. In 2015 I decided to go back to the university to do a Master’s in Child Motor Development and study better ways to keep babies safe in the water. Studies of babies swimming are scarce and have mostly focused on swimming skills. Which in turn, is the reason why these studies are so uncommon, very rarely do babies (younger than 3 years of age) acquire any swimming skills at all. I was struggling to design a study to investigate what variables could be manipulated to enhance babies’ water safety. Until one day when I woke up with an idea that I though was just brilliant: adapting the classical visual cliff paradigm to babies’ relationship with bodies of water. The visual cliff was created by Eleanor Gibson in the 60’s and Continued on next page...

USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG | 25

consists in testing babies’ tendency to cross a transparent glass platform. Gibson, and other ecological psychologists after her, showed that right after starting to crawl babies tend to cross drop-offs but after some weeks of crawling experience, they start adapting their behaviour to avoid falls. What if instead of transparent glass, babies were tested on a water surface? Could we understand what is the difference between babies that fall and those that avoid falling in the water?

I texted my Master’s supervisor, Rita, saying “I just had the most wonderful idea!”. When she asked what the idea was about, I panicked! What if it was investigated already? It is such an obvious idea, somebody else must have done it already. I told her I would meet her in one hour to tell her about my (hopefully) innovative idea. I combed through all the science journals I could and didn’t find a single study investigating babies’ relationship with bodies of water. I met with Rita and, with what I felt like my heart in my throat, said “What about instead of a visual cliff, a water cliff?”. Indeed, to my surprise, my panicked research held up, nobody before had investigated the effect of development on babies’ perception and action in and around water. Rita loved the idea and the ecological psychology approach to babies’ relationship with bodies of water was born.

We first created the Real Cliff / Water Cliff apparatus, a platform which on one side has no protection from falling, the real cliff, and on the opposite side has a tub filled with water, the water cliff.

The babies were tested once on each cliff. They were placed on the platform with their mothers on the far end of the cliffs and their safety was ensured by climbing equipment. The babies could freely explore the setup while looking for information to decide whether to go over the cliffs.

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FIGURE 1 Real Cliff / Water Cliff apparatus We tested more then 100 babies.

Around 30% of the babies fell from both cliffs and the difference between babies that fell and those who avoided falling from both cliffs was the amount of crawling experience. As previous studies had shown, babies that had more crawling experience were able to adapt their behaviour and avoid falling from the real cliff and, for the first time, crawling experience was linked to babies’ avoidance of bodies of water. When crawling, babies touch the floor, they look at it very closely, they can even sometimes lick the floor while exploring this new capability, the self-locomotion!

Through exploratory behaviour babies learn to perceive the need of a solid surface to crawl around on and if the solid surface suddenly disappears, they know they should go no further.

But what if the access into the water is not a sudden drop-off but a smooth slope? Would crawling experience affect babies’ behaviour in this case?

To answer this question, we created the Water Slope apparatus, a 10º declined platform leading into 75cm deep water, installed on a laboratorial swimming flume existing at the University of Otago, New Zealand. We tested almost 100 kiwi babies and, contrary to what was observed on the water cliff, on the water slope crawling experience had no impact on babies’ avoidance of deep water. It seems that although crawling experience teaches babies to perceive the risk of a sudden fall, into the water or not, it has no impact on babies’ perception of bodies of water as dangerous environments that should be avoided.

Importantly, more babies got to deep water on the water slope than fell from the water cliff in the previous study.

While on the water cliff only 30% of the babies fell in the water, on the water slope most of the babies (60%) reached the submersion point (water touching their chin). These results suggest that sloped accessways into the water increase the risk of drowning among young children.

FIGURE 2 Water Slope apparatus The ecological psychology approach to babies drowning prevention is in its “baby stage” and a lot is still to be investigated. We know now about the importance of crawling and exploring the world for babies, and we can educate caregivers to avoid the nowadays so trendy parent helicoptering! Babies need to explore the world to learn to be safe. We also know that slopes into the water may increase paediatric drowning and that information needs to be shared with swimming pool designers, private swimming pool owners and all of those interested in keeping babies safe.

But other important studies, underpinned by the ecological psychology, are still to be adapted to the drowning prevention field. For instance, it has been shown that when a surface is colourful and with patterns, babies tend to cross it more readily than dull surfaces. Should swimming pool designers avoid colourful surfaces around swimming pools?

Another study has shown that when the walls surrounding a corridor have patterns babies also tend to cross more readily than if the walls offer no visual information. Should swimming pool fences be placed further away from the water to reduce the tendency for babies to keep going into the water?

The contribution of the ecological psychology to paediatric drowning prevention is only in the begin. The aim is to add a new layer of protection to prevent drowning among babies, the perceptual information layer. I hope I will be writing to you again soon, with new insights from this exiting and promising field of research that has the potential to keep babies safer.

Carolina Burnay was born in Brazil and moved to Portugal when she was 16 years old. In Portugal she completed her undergraduate degree in physical education at the Lisbon University, with a specialization in babies’ swim teaching. She worked as a swimming teacher for some years and eventually she became a swimming teachers team coordinator and swimming pools’ manager.

In 2014 she completed her Masters in Infants’ Motor Development at Lisbon University, Portugal, and in 2020 she received her PhD from Edith Cowan University, Australia. Carolina is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at University of Otago, New Zealand.

NEW MEMBER LIST COASTAL SWIM ACADEMY Emily Toungate Pearland, TX FAST FINS Todd Rozelle McKinney, TX LITTLE FISH SWIM SCHOOL Emily Bradley Seattle, WA SEATTLE SWIM ACADEMY Sam Sandquist Seattle, WA SPLASH ZONE Kaitlyn Barber Oxford, MI SWIM SAVVY Carla Reynolds Simpsonville, SC

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BY JOANI AND CLIFF MASKELL SWIMMING SAFARI SWIM SCHOOL

One of my favorite stories is about Florence Nightingale. In 1854, Nightingale was persuaded by the British Secretary of War to lead a delegation of nurses to Istanbul. She used data analysis to save countless soldiers in the Crimea War while working at a hospital in Turkey. In 1861, Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases, but the Crimea War was from 1853 to 1856. As soon as she arrived in Turkey, Nightingale started to disinfect the British hospitals and surrounding areas of unsanitary conditions. As with any new process not everyone agreed with her cleaning efforts, plus she was a “woman” giving directions to the British generals and doctors. In 1858, Florence Nightingale published her color graphic called the Nightingale’s “Rose Diagram.” This graphic illustrates that epidemic disease was responsible for more British deaths during the Crimean War than battlefield wounds. Florence Nightingale was the first female member of the London Statistical Society.

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The Data Detective, by Tim Harford, reminds all of us, whether we run a swim school or a scientific lab, that data and the interpretation of the data is important and crucial to succeed. The Data Detective’s introduction starts with the old story about storks delivering babies. Harford explains that statistics can even confirm that stork populations and the number of births in a country are correlated. This isn’t true, of course, but a scientific paper has been published with the title “Storks Deliver Babies (p=0.008).” A p-value less than 0.05 is statistically significant. The introduction of Tim Harford’s book is titled “How to Lie with Statistics.”

Harford’s stories give us clues on how data has been manipulated in the past.

There is a story about how cigarette marketing executives met in 1953, specifically to create doubt that cigarettes were harmful. In another story, Harford tells us about how Galileo’s new telescope could see the mountains on the moon. The skeptics would not look through his telescope, because the universally held belief was that the moon was a perfectly smooth sphere. These skeptics did not want to be influenced, so instead made up a lie, saying his telescope was a trick. There are many more stories, included in the book, that illustrate motivated reasoning, unconscious bias, educational bias, social acceptance bias, gender bias, and expert bias. He also uses Daniel Kahneman book “Thinking, Fast and Slow” to point out that we use “premature numeration” or in other words, our initial reaction to make judgements.

It isn’t that all statistics are a lie, but we are helpless to decipher the truth because of how the data is presented. We believe what we want to believe. If we no longer can pick out what is true, we would never have figured out the relationship of storks to the number of babies born, nor the relationship of the number of cars on the road to lung cancer. We need both a healthy curiosity and a healthy skepticism. In high school, we are taught algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus but not how to analyze data. This story telling book is an entertaining guide of statistics.

Harford gives 10 easy rules on how to make sense of statistics. The book is not intended to make you a statistician but only hopes to educate you on how to “Be Curious.” Correlation does not mean causation.

Tim Harford is an economist, journalist, and broadcaster. Harford awards include: “Most Excellent Order of the British Empire” by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 for services to Improving Economic Understanding, Royal Statistical Society’s 2010 award for statistical excellence in broadcast journalism, won Mensa’s award for promoting intelligence in public life, and was awarded the Bastiat Prize for economic journalism in 2007. He is author of “The Next Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy”, “Messy”, and the million-selling “The Undercover Economist”. Tim is a senior columnist at the Financial Times, and the presenter of Radio 4’s “More or Less”, the iTunes-topping series “Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy”, and the new podcast “Cautionary Tales”. He is an associate member of Nuffield College, Oxford, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. Harford was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, politics, and economics and then a Master of Philosophy in economics, in 1998. The cover of his book has Malcom Gladwell’s dedication, “He’s a genius at telling stories that illuminate our world.”

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 8 GIFT IDEAS FOR THE LITTLE SWIMMERS ON YOUR LIST

BY USSSA SPONSER SWIMOUTLET.COM

Learning how to swim is such an exciting time in a child’s life.

Not only are they practicing a life-long skill that will keep them safe around water, but they’re building confidence and getting exercise, all while having fun!

You can support young swimmers in their swimming journey with gifts that’ll get them excited about their next swim lesson. Here are 8 great gift ideas little swimmers will love:

SWIMLINE NEO ANIMAL DIVE STICKS Practice breath control and buoyancy with these fun dive toys!

Just toss these little cute animals into the deep end and dive in after them for hours of fun.

POOLMASTER CHARACTER KICK BOARDS Lobsters, frogs, and fish, oh my! These kickboards provide buoyancy support while kicking, improving muscle memory and imagination!

CRESSI KIDS SWIM GOGGLE NEOPRENE STRAP COVER Goggle straps can be a nuisance on a child’s head causing them to re-adjust all throughout their swimming class. Get a neoprene strap cover to help keep goggles comfortably in place!

CRESSI BOYS PEQUENO LONG SLEEVE RASHGUARD This boys’ rashguard offers UPF 50+ sun protection for long days splashing around in the sun. Be sure to apply sunscreen to exposed skin to prevent sun burn on the face and neck.

TYR KIDS SWIMPLE TIE DYE GOGGLE Goggles that match your little swimmer’s personality are a must. Get groovy this holiday season with TYR’s most comfortable children’s goggles in fun tie-dye colors combos.

FINIS ANIMAL HEADS SILICONE SWIM CAP Know a little animal lover? Fun, colorful, and cute – these animal caps feature cute ears or fins and are made of silicone so won’t pull on hair when putting them on or taking them off.

SPORTI UGLY SWEATER GINGERBREAD DIVER THIN STRAP ONE PIECE SWIMSUIT Show some holiday spirit with this ugly sweater swimsuit!

Your little girl will be the life of the pool party during winter session swim lessons.

SPORTI UGLY SWEATER SWIMMING SANTA JAMMER SWIMSUIT Ho ho ho! Your little guy will be spreading holiday cheer with every stroke in jammers that have merry swimming Santas on them.

USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG | 29

Force Goggles • 100% Silicone gaskets and strap • One-piece design with a soft silicone nose piece • Adjustable, split strap for a secure fit • Anti-fog lenses • Available in metallized & non-metallized Force is an excellent goggle for swimmers who are transitioning out of youth goggles and for swimmers new to competitive swimming.

info@a3performance.com 888.369.7946

COMING SOON!

HOW WOULD YOU GRADE YOUR HIRING PROCESS?

BY DESIREE ECHEVARRIA CAREERPLUG

As hiring experts, we know how important it is to make good hiring decisions. Without the right people in the right roles, your business can’t reach its full potential. But in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers are finding it more difficult than ever to fill their open roles.

Since spring 2020, the job market has gone through dramatic shifts that have, at different times, left both job seekers and employers struggling. As of this writing, it’s a candidate’s market – meaning there are more open roles than there are candidates to fill them – so job seekers have the advantage of being selective about where to work.

With market conditions changing so rapidly, you may want to stop and ask yourself:

Is there anything I need to change in my hiring process that would put me in a better position to recruit top talent?

Continued on next page...

USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG | 31

That’s why we’ve created CareerPlug’s free Hiring Process Grader tool.

Answer a few simple questions about the processes and technologies you use to attract, communicate, and evaluate candidates, and our Hiring Process Grader tool will show you areas where you’re excelling – and where you need to improve in today’s competitive hiring market. Click the button below to get started.

THE 4 COMPONENTS OF A GREAT HIRING PROCESS

We measure a hiring process based on the four main components of our own proven process, which has helped more than 12,000 small businesses make the right hires.

1. ATTRACT Your job postings should first be distributed to all of the popular job boards where candidates are looking. You should also go one step further and recruit from sources outside of the major job boards, like employee referrals and smaller job boards that are niche, industry-specific, or local. We’ve found that these sources produce the highest quality candidates overall.

Finally, employers that perform well in this category do a great job of enticing candidates to apply by showcasing their workplace culture, benefits, and employer brand on their own unique company careers page.

2. COMMUNICATE Our data shows that candidates consider communication one of the most important aspects of a great candidate experience.

They want employers to respond quickly after they apply and continue to be responsive throughout the hiring process.

Remember that a great hiring process centers around the candidate experience.

Create interview invitation templates you can quickly send to let candidates know you’re interested, as well as rejection letter templates in case you decide not to proceed with them.

To reach candidates quicker and more reliably, consider using text recruiting in addition to email. The average response time for an email is 90 minutes compared to just 90 seconds for an SMS text message.

When candidates are on the job hunt, they’re typically pursuing multiple opportunities at once – if you wait too long to communicate your interest, they could have moved on to another opportunity by then.

3. EVALUATE The only way to make great hires consistently is to evaluate consistently. One of the biggest mistakes hiring managers make is failing to create an ideal candidate profile before they post a job. This can be a simple document to help employers identify the skills, behaviors, and traits necessary to be successful in the role so that they know what to look for when evaluating candidates.

A strong evaluation process should also include: • Having pre-screening questions in the job application • Requiring candidates to complete assessments to demonstrate their fitness for the role • Creating a standard set of interview questions designed to reveal the behaviors you’re looking for • Conducting reference and background checks to verify your hiring decision 4. AUTOMATE A great hiring process should work like a well-oiled machine while producing predictable results. By automating tedious and repetitive hiring tasks, employers save time and create a consistent and positive experience for candidates. Businesses that score well in this category use tools that automate the publishing of your jobs across multiple job boards at once, send them alerts via email or text anytime a qualified candidate applies, automatically remove unqualified applicants, and send new hire paperwork and onboarding materials.

Originally from Southern California, Desiree Echevarria spent the first decade of her career working in film and television in Los Angeles. Now living in Austin, she’s the Content Marketing Manager at CareerPlug. She has a passion for writing content that educates and delights people. She enjoys road trips, camping, and eating Cajun food. She has a puppy named Kodiak and she plans on raising her to play basketball, like Air Bud. Reprinted with Permission

WANT MORE GREAT RESOURCES ON HIRING? CHECK OUT THE 2021 NATIONAL CONFERENCE SESSION “WHY CAN’T WE FIND PEOPLE TO HIRE? THE DATA MAY SURPRISE YOU!”.

TO PURCHASE THE SESSION, VISIT THE MEMBER RESOURCE POOL AT MY.USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG. CLICK ON CATALOGUE AND SELECT CONFERENCE MATERIALS. SEARCH 2021.

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STOP DROWNING NOW CITIES: HOW TO GET LOCAL POLITICIANS ON YOUR TEAM

BY DAVID GORMAN SDN BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Right now is the time to begin your journey as a drowning prevention expert. While jack o’ lanterns and turkey are immediate milestones of our march to 2022, we all know that the road to next year’s drowning fatalities is right here, right now. You can change that by getting to know your town’s civic leaders and the media.

Every swim school has an essential role to promote drowning awareness and prevention their community. In addition to our day-to-day business of teaching lessons, we must think of how to engage with local civic leaders (which means government, non-profit and faith-based leaders) as well as the local media (news channels, local parents’ groups, influencers and bloggers) Drownings only get attention when someone – especially a child – dies. If you are reading these words, you have correctly felt that leaders and the media should have been on the drowning prevention case long before a death. We can make this happen. The way we do it is educating decision-makers and influencers. We alert them to be aware that a drowning fatality will come next year and they should be prepared. When a drowning eventually occurs, they are prepared to amplify the importance of drowning prevention and make it a public and media priority.

We start the process right now. We use awareness-building and relationship-building approaches that are essential with each group. And swim schools are positioned as the experts in your communities.

As Shannon Meroney and Mike Meroney of Meroney Public Affairs explained at the recent Tampa National Conference, there are two simple steps repeated over long periods of relationship building to create change. This process not only highlights your knowledge as a drowning prevention expert, but also makes you the first person that leaders think of when a drowning happens.

STEP 1: FORM RELATIONSHIPS WITH LEGISLATORS AND THEIR STAFF. It all starts with the relationship. Remember: “all politics are local.” Not only is it crucial to establish (deeper) relationships with lawmakers, but we must remember they are our neighbors, attend our churches, have children or grandchildren in our schools, and participate in our community events. There should be “local touches” like inviting them to your schools’ events.

With the media, relationships are even more important. We have to make it so easy for a reporter. When a story breaks, you want to be the first person they call for knowledge and advice.

STEP 2: ADVOCATE FOR OUR PROFESSION, OUR STUDENTS AND FOR DROWNING PREVENTION ITSELF THROUGH THE RELATIONSHIPS. The decisions made by any local council or legislative body directly affects the health of communities, the business of swim schools, and the future of the individuals for whom we provide services. Similarly whatever the media chooses to report affects the awareness and priorities of the public. We see this happening around us literally every day. If we don’t show up and speak up, other groups or advocates will speak for us. Or in the case of drowning – no one will at all.

Leaders and the media’s priorities on drowning prevention depend on our ability to raise awareness and influence the process. This means phone calls, letters, e-mails, text messages and visits in-person. Your civic leader and media professional cares what you think; they serve you. They need you as a touchstone for what the public needs. You will not only help them stand out for a positive change, you will also help them help others save a life from drowning.

USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG | 33

ASK AL

BY ALVARO G. MENDOZA COMMERCIAL ENERGY SPECIALISTS, INC.

WE HAVE SAND FILTERS, BUT ARE A BIT UNHAPPY WITH THE POOL WATER QUALITY, ESPECIALLY AFTER HEAVY BATHER LOADS. THE FILTERS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE AND MONEY IS A BIT TIGHT RIGHT NOW TO MAKE ANY MAJOR CHANGES. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE OUR WATER QUALITY?

Welcome back to our “Ask the Expert” feature designed to assist you with issues related to swimming pool water, mechanical equipment, space conditioning, and code compliance.

Ask a question, and we will try to answer to the best of our ability.

Sure thing. There are lots of swim schools that are in a similar situation, and don’t know what to do.

Fortunately, there are a couple of relatively simple options to improve water quality.

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First, let’s look at some basics. Sand filters work great if they are properly designed, outfitted, and operated.

Filter design sizing is rated by flow (in gallons per minute or GPM) relative to the square foot (sq ft) size of the filter (the size is normally on the filter data plate). While a typical 36” diameter model that contains 7 sq ft of filter area is rated up to 20 GPM per sq ft or 140 GPM, that is far too much flow through the filter media. Best practice has dictated that the REAL maximum flow through a sand filter should be 15 GPM / sq ft or 105 GPM, and many researchers and engineers are now recommending 12 GPM / sq ft or less.

Why? Running the water too fast though the filter means it captures fewer solids (contributing to the cloudiness), and the solids that it DOES capture get driven way too deep into the filter bed, making it nearly impossible to remove through a typical backwash process.

Deeply trapped solids cause a strain on the chlorination system, and eventually form mudballs and ruin media, necessitating replacement.

Also, proper design incorporates proper media. The most common media for decades has been silica sand. The best is highly angular, specially-graded sand, with proper and consistent grain size. The tech terms for this consistency is uniformity coefficient (UC). When these specs are adhered to, the media forms a tighter weave capturing more solids and filtering better. Inconsistently graded media of varied sizes or more rounded versions will filter poorly and may never “polish” the water.

Unfortunately, an alarming percentage of store-bought silica sand fails to meet the optimum angularity and UC targets.

Now, that we have identified some issues, here are some suggestions for supercharging your existing filtration system: SLOW DOWN THE FLOW: If your filters are operating at above 12 to 15 GPM / sq ft of filter area, there are only a few options to slow down the flow: upgrade to larger filters or install additional filters. This are both space and capital intensive endeavors, typically requiring filter room engineering services and Department of Health (DOH)

approvals before commencing. If you’re going through this process, make sure that the filter sizing will drop below 12 GPM / sq ft to get maximum results.

A quicker and less costly alternative is to slow down the flow below 12 GPM / sq ft during off-peak hours. This is allowed in most codes, and won’t provide a complete solution, but normally yields great results. So, for example, if you have a 36” filter operating at 17 GPM / sq ft or 120 GPM, you could turn down to flow to 70 GPM, or 10 GPM / sq ft from 3-hours after closing to 3-hours before opening. This helps turn mediocre filters into much better filters, even if it is only for part of the day.

The best way to accomplish this is by integrating a VFD into your pool pumping system – a popular self-funding conversion. Since the Department of Energy (DOE) July 2021 pump efficiency regulation requires this conversion for most 1-5 HP pumps on a long-term basis, it will not be a wasted effort. If you have a certain model of chemistry controller, it will automate the entire off-peak flow regulation process, and if you don’t… a certain model of the VFD – in conjunction with a digital flow meter – can automate the process as well. You’ll notice a water quality improvement and save a ton of energy as well.

CONVERT YOUR EXISTING SAND FILTERS TO SPECIAL MEDIA: Research shows that the type of the filter media can make a huge difference in your water quality. It turns out that FULLY Activated Glass Media (AFM® or equivalent) – made from 98% recycled brown and green bottles and treated with an electronic activation process – has been proven to provide sub-micron filtration. This is relatively unheard of, as lesser filter medias only filter down to 20-microns, allowing all 1- 20 micronsized particle to pass through over and over again. This type of glass media also typically uses half (or even less) of the typical backwash water as it fully cleans in 1.5-2 minutes instead of the typical 3 to 5- minute backwash. The activation process also helps prevent accumulation of organics and biofilm in the filter, thus helping avoid media change outs… and normally allowing the media to last for the life of the filter.

As a part of this glass media upgrade, research shows great results by injecting a suitable poly floc on the suction side of the pool pump and filter. This is best accomplished using an inexpensive programmable peristaltic feeder set to pump 1 oz for every 10,000 gallons of water pumped - not a lot. The poly floc will coat the filter bed, clumping smaller particles together so they can be better caught in the glass media bed. These particles are then removed from the filter during a future backwash.

Certain brands of poly floc also remove phosphates without using any additional chemicals – thus saving money.

CONCLUSION: Filtration is one of the keys to crisp, clear, and irritant-free pool water, but many swim schools were not equipped with the optimum systems to accomplish this on an-going basis.

If you are interested in improving your water quality, there are several proven solutions, that are quite affordable.

These upgrades may not have existed at the time that your school was built, but represent current best practice for highly volume swim school pools.

Anyone considering these upgrades should consult with a highly experienced source, in order to avoid the risk of doing it wrong and not showing improvement, or even regressing.

Properly done, these upgrades will provide years of great water quality with a minimum of labor and maintenance costs.

Best Regards, Alvaro G. Mendoza

USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG | 35

WHAT OUR WATERS REFLECT: A NEED FOR ACCESS & ACTION

BY CAMILLE OGDEN MANAGING DIRECTOR HOPE FLOATS FOUNDATION

38 | USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG

A NEED FOR ACCESS

Imagine you are a mother. It’s a warm day and you are sitting poolside as your child splashes in the water with friends. Now imagine that your son, only 10 years old, is nearly 8 times more likely to drown in that pool than the other children. Why? Because access to swimming and water safety has never been, and is not, equal.

For generations, segregation denied black children access to public pools. We feel these waves of inequality today. Statistics reflect how a lack of access to swimming and water safety has impacted black Americans: • Black children ages 10-14 years drown in swimming pools at rates 7.6 times higher than white children (CDC) • Sixty-four percent of black children have few to no swimming skills (CDC) • When parents have little or no swimming ability, their children are unlikely to swim, this affects 78% of black children in America (USA Swimming Foundation) Drowning doesn’t discriminate. Yet, for too long systemic racism has increased the risk of drowning for people of color.

Drowning may not know prejudice, but we do. While we cannot change yesterday, together, we can strive for a better tomorrow through access. Equitable access to swimming lessons, water safety, healthy water activities, and competitive sports for all our children, is the solution to change these statistics and the social norms they manifest.

While racial inequality has denied access to swimming, it is not the only barrier for American children.

• Nearly 80% of families with a household income of less than $50,000 have no/low swimming ability.

(USA Swimming) • Children who qualify for free and reduced lunch programs are over 60% less likely to swim. (USA Swimming) Economic instability and low-income status dramatically reduces a child’s opportunity to learn to swim and therefore, increases their risk of drowning. Even though drowning remains the leading cause of accidental death for children under 5, the cost of swim lessons is a luxury-- not a necessity for America’s poor. Especially the 840,000 American children living in poverty with special needs or health disabilities (U.S. Census Bureau).

The socio-economic issues surrounding drowning prevention are complicated and often compounded, yet, we must be aware of the challenges, and their ripple effects, if we are to find lasting solutions.

A NEED FOR ACTION

When you feel helpless, get helpful...

Our waters reflect a need for equal access but they also shimmer with hope in action. Hope, found in mothers like Pastor Michelle Thomas, who in the helplessness of tragedy found the courage to be helpful and hopeful as a way to honor the life of her son, Fitz, who drowned at the age of 16.

Pastor Michelle believes, “Whenever there is bad, good must respond with even better,” so she took action in the name of hope and through a memorial fund named in honor of her son, Fitz Alexander Campbell Thomas. Today, the Fitz Scholars is a vibrant scholarship opportunity offered in partnership with Hope Floats Foundation and the Thomas family. Together, they are offering tuition assistance to young black children living in low-income families serving the same area Fitz grew up in. For Michelle, collaboration with Hope Floats was their way “to give the world hope, not just hope for this family, but hope for the nation” by providing access to swim lessons for every child in need. To Michelle and the Hope Floats community, swimming is not reserved for the few, but a survival skill all children, regardless of class or color, should be afforded.

Yet, there is more to be done. We are all conduits for change. We simply need the courage to act on our convictions like Fitz’s mom, Michelle. The Hope Floats Foundation provides an opportunity to take action. Whether you are a backyard swim school, a corporate franchise, or a person looking to spread a little more hope, Hope Floats can help you take action.

With a network of over 200 swim school providers all across the U.S.,the Hope Floats family is reaching kids who need us most-- children with the highest risk of drowning. Children who face big challenges but still hope to be the first swimmer in their family, dream of becoming an aquatic athlete, or simply want to feel safe in and around the water.

Through partnership and grassroot efforts, the Hope Floats community raises funds to provide tuition assistance to these kids: the hope-ers and the dreamers. With access and action, our waters can reflect the best of all of us...

But we need you to help us reach more. Become a partner or sponsor, today. Together, we can give the life-saving gift of swimming to all children.

Learn more at www.hopefloats.foundation

USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG | 39

USSSA FUNDAMENTAL SWIM INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

BY LISA M. ZARDA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, USSSA

As you have hopefully seen by now, USSSA is creating a national Fundamental Swim Instructor Certification. Creating a new credential program is an undertaking which requires many Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) at various stages of development and ongoing support of the program. I would like to take a moment to thank those that have participated in the process to date, from our Job Task Analysis Task Force, to those of you that took our Job-Related Task validation survey. Thank you. Your investment of time and knowledge has allowed us to successfully begin this journey.

Here’s a look at what we’ve accomplished thus far and upcoming next steps: JOB TASK ANALYSIS TASK FORCE AUGUST – DECEMBER 2021 • Specific job duties and requirements for swim instructor professionals were identified. - Completed • A list of job-related tasks was generated. - Completed • A content outline was created for the examination. - Completed • Validation of the job-related tasks list conducted by validation survey. - Completed • Scientific analysis of the job-related tasks validation survey. - Currently • Determination made as to what the examination should specifically measure with regard to on-the-job competency areas. – Upcoming in November/December ITEM WRITING AND REVIEW/EXAMINATION BLUEPRINT TASK FORCE DECEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 • Questions intended for use in certification examinations will be written based on validation survey responses.

• Formal review/approval of newly written questions completed.

• Examination blueprint approved.

PRELIMINARY ITEM ANALYSIS/PILOT EXAMINATION FEBRUARY – JUNE 2022 • Recruitment of 30-50 candidates to take exam/Preliminary item analysis from the almost 300 that purchased an early adopter pass.

• Passing Score study.

40 | USSWIMSCHOOLS.ORG

And while this work to create the certification exam is underway, volunteers have been working to gather together content to provide a training course for swim instructors that would cover the basics that every instructor should know.

The content is basic enough so that your own methods and preferences will not be affected. The content is also practical enough so you and your business will spend less time, money and frustration onboarding new teachers and getting them teaching classes.

We appreciate your continued support and look forward to launching this certification in 2022.

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